My sister is considering renting a home that has four CPI cameras installed—one on each side of the house. While the camera system is generally a plus, she’s concerned about the potential for being surveilled by the landlord, especially since she and her friends enjoy spending time on the front porch.
I’m trying to understand how footage from this system is stored and accessed. It appears there’s a mobile app associated with it, but I’m unclear whether these are IP cameras with an NVR or if the footage is stored and accessed differently. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find much detailed documentation online.
A key concern is whether the landlord can delegate access to the system specifically for this property. The landlord owns three other houses with CPI cameras, and we’re worried that delegating access might inadvertently grant access to footage from the other properties as well.
Any insights or advice on how this system typically works and whether it’s feasible for tenants to have secure, independent access would be greatly appreciated.
CPI installs alarm.com and alarm.com partner products. So those cameras your sister has are almost surely from alarm.com, and accessed via the alarm.com app.
It’s been said that CPI installs Alarm.com systems. So unless the landlord paid extra for hardwired cameras, they’re probably Alarm.com cameras.
If they are Alarm.com cameras, the landlord should be able to give her access to just that system. Whether or not he will is another question.
However, does the landlord provide internet? If not, the cameras might be CCTV, since Alarm.com cameras won’t work without internet. The alarm system should work without internet, so that shouldn’t be a problem.
Very informative, thank you! They do not provide internet. Which is part of why I wasn’t sure how they were connected. Maybe a separate internet circuit? Not sure.
Ah, so it’s likely that those cameras aren’t Alarm.com cameras, and if that’s the case, the landlord might not have remote access to them.
It’s possible he has his own internet that he isn’t sharing, but that could create an issue for her in choosing an internet provider. ISPs usually don’t allow two modems in the same residence. For example, if he has Xfinity, she wouldn’t be able to get Xfinity as well, and the same goes for other providers.
Another possibility is if he’s using T-Mobile 5G Home Internet. But what’s more likely is that the cameras aren’t directly connected to the alarm system and are instead hardwired to an NVR somewhere in the house.
Could you take a picture of the camera and share it here? That might help us figure out what type of system it is.
You said “potential survived by landlord” then asked about other non-lanlord people looking at it. Anyway, the landlord has every right to watch the cameras, mobile app or not. They can also give that access to whoever they want. I don’t really know what you’re asking. There isn’t much difference between 1 person and 10 people having access.
Thanks for the clarification. Here’s what I’m trying to find out:
Ease of Access for the Landlord: Is the camera system something that would allow the landlord to easily check in on the property at any time? For instance, if there’s an app that lets the landlord view the camera feed in real-time, it would be more concerning than a system where footage is stored in an NVR, which requires a few extra steps to access.
Delegating Access to the Tenant: Is it possible for the landlord to give my sister access to the camera footage for her property without also granting access to the cameras at his other houses?
To provide some context, my sister has had issues in the past with a landlord who constantly checked in and messaged her about what was happening on the property, which made her feel like she was being watched all the time. She’s also dealt with a peeping-tom situation before, so having access to the cameras herself would help her feel more secure.