cheep Chinese ip cameras that have poe and are blocked from the internet
That's a good point. I've been introduced to those systems with some installs and was avoiding anything that connected to a server not under my control even if it's more complicated (completely wigs me out people are complacent with some unknown server recording EVERYTHING). I hadn't looked into "dumbing" the cameras to take advantage of their lower price points, much like you can buy a smart tv but avoid it's connectivity to use it more privately and without bloatware. Been sporadically searching security systems the past few weeks so I'll have to double down and keep that perspective in mind.