I installed an outdoor security camera to monitor out driveway - we don't have any windows that look out over the driveway, so someone could pull in and park and we would never know. Also did a doorbell camera and a 'smart receptacle'. I chose the GEENI brand because it does not require batteries and offers off-line storage.
The security camera is mounted outside the garage, and powered from a wall wart that is plugged into a receptacle inside the garage - with the wire feeding through a hole in the garage wall such that it is not visible from outside. I can see the wire inside the garage, but its pretty high up in the air so that it doesn't interfere with anything. The camera has a micro-SD card that it records to, and there is an app on my phone that I can use to monitor what it see. There is an option for cloud storage, but that entails a subscription fee that I'm too cheap to pay. Obviously, the camera has to be within range of the house WiFI. In my case, I save until the 64GB SD card is full and then overwrite - if something is captured that I need to keep for longer, I can download a video capture and save it on my phone or computer.
Overall, the installation experience was OK - the camera initially didn't work, and the manufacturer seemed to be more focused on dragging out the process rather than resolving that issue. Fortunately, I bought it from A------e and they very quickly arranged for a return and replacement. Once I got past that initial problem, it worked fine. We've had it for about four years at this point.
One thing I did find it that having the camera and its app generate a 'notification' on my phone every time the camera detected motion was NOT a good idea. There can be a lot of false notifications - leaves blowing around in the Fall, or even a spider web over the camera that flutters around in the breeze, and having my phone wake up and alarm every few minutes overnight was intolerable.
The one other nuisance is that the camera system is designed for use with Apple or Andoid mobile devices. I wanted to also be able to monitor it from my Windows computer, and to do that I had to install an 'Android emulator' app. That app was designed primarily to support games, and things like cameras are only an afterthought so its a bit of a PITA to use.
I also did a doorbell camera that is powered from the doorbell transformer and wiring. No particular issue with installation other than that it took several tries to get the software set up and running. I did experience a failure of the SD card, but I think that was attributable to the card rather than to the camera.
I was going to add a second security camera to monitor our basement Bilco door. I bought the camera (same brand as the security and doorbell cams) and tried to set it up - I installed the SD card, but the camera wouldn't recognize it, and I couldn't get the card back out of the camera. So it went back to the store.
Finally, I also picked up a 'smart receptacle' in the same product line (ie, that uses the same phone app). It was easy to set up and has worked just fine.
Bottom line - I'm glad I did it, and I would like to do more. The equipment brand I chose is OK, but I did have both good and bad experiences so I would concluded that their quality control is spotty.
