IP camera for beach house. I need still shots only
- Thread starter wwiii
- Start date
tmbrown97
Senior Member
When people come into this with a $100 budget, it seems it's hard to change that - until someone has had experience with that $100 camera and done research on the shortcomings. Many people are perfectly happy with a foscam and never need to upgrade.
What this boils down to - the foscam is kinda bare-minimum but sometimes fits perfect.... if you want real quality, you're talking $600 to $3000 for high end. You can try foscam - hardwire if there's any way humanly possible because wifi adds several new layers of issues. I forget the interface, but with a lot of these cams you can auto-ftp - using that you can FTP the most recent image, and using that the web-site can use the most recent upload.
What this boils down to - the foscam is kinda bare-minimum but sometimes fits perfect.... if you want real quality, you're talking $600 to $3000 for high end. You can try foscam - hardwire if there's any way humanly possible because wifi adds several new layers of issues. I forget the interface, but with a lot of these cams you can auto-ftp - using that you can FTP the most recent image, and using that the web-site can use the most recent upload.
pete_c
Guru
Yup; here into playing a bit with outdoor cams. Initially it was analog and lately its been IP HD.
I have set up a location for a facing the water POE HD IP cam and still leary about installing it outside. The last bit of weather took down the oldest palm tree and wrecked the pool lanai. Such that I am not into wanting to climb a ladder to do anything with it; so rethinking best mounting position. That noted I did install a cheap weather station and the weather hasn't damaged it yet.
Over the years (well since the 1980's) the salt air has wrecked havoc with anything with a bit of metal to it. The wind / salt air would just cover the lens with stuff and make the view piss poor anyways in a matter of a few weeks.
In the early 2000's we rented a house (it was way too big for us two at some 9000 sf of living space) on the water in St. Croix. It was literally on the water and a nice view. It was more of a party house. That said the salt spray would trash my glasses in less than a few minutes. Every morning we did wake up to seeing sea life in the swimming pool. The text description of the house used the ocean air as a cooling breeze. The house had no AC and that and the constant salt spray made it very low on the WAF; but the view was very nice. The electric was always going out and noticed the neighboring houses all had been using wind to supplement their electric at the time. Do recall that the island was given about a milion dollars to fix up Point Udall for the 2000 celebrations and the money walked; no one ever did find out where it went. That said I was memorized by the SETI station there and saw the dish move one early morning visit around sunrise.
That in mind you can as mentioned above go with a cheap camera which you care nothing about and play with it. You can take the Foscam and put it in a clear cover hanging it upside down. There are a few Foscam users out there that have done that. I was using my PTZ Foscam in the garage and just removed it as its been locking up by itself after a couple of years. I did replace it with a stationary Grandstream but replacing it again with another one with a wide lens on it; IE: 2.1mm. I did also find one with a fisheye 180 view lens which I may try next. I have been modding some test stuff with IP67 outdoor domes. These do work very well outside. One with a fish eye lens and no IR illumination would probably work fine for you. (that and I would put it somewhere where you can easily clean the dome).
Over on the Ubiquiti forum there are a number of users that have installed Aircams on beach rental property on the water. Have a look there for some ideas about dealing with environment. Some have modded the cams with various lens set ups.
In the midwest initially started with an Optex combo analog camera. Very well built it has "weathered" some 10 years of cold and hot weather. It is not a PTZ camera, rather similiar very modular.
I did find that the simple Ubiquiti aircam did fine outside with 75 mile per hour winds that took down my oldest tree a couple of years ago and just recently had a freak winter storm with 50 plus MPH winds that did nothing to the Grandstream HD IP camera. Both of these are stationary cams. One is mounted very high and I can still see the view but the lens is started to get dirty a bit. The Grandstream is lower at some 10 feet up and the lens is still pretty clear.
I have set up a location for a facing the water POE HD IP cam and still leary about installing it outside. The last bit of weather took down the oldest palm tree and wrecked the pool lanai. Such that I am not into wanting to climb a ladder to do anything with it; so rethinking best mounting position. That noted I did install a cheap weather station and the weather hasn't damaged it yet.
Over the years (well since the 1980's) the salt air has wrecked havoc with anything with a bit of metal to it. The wind / salt air would just cover the lens with stuff and make the view piss poor anyways in a matter of a few weeks.
In the early 2000's we rented a house (it was way too big for us two at some 9000 sf of living space) on the water in St. Croix. It was literally on the water and a nice view. It was more of a party house. That said the salt spray would trash my glasses in less than a few minutes. Every morning we did wake up to seeing sea life in the swimming pool. The text description of the house used the ocean air as a cooling breeze. The house had no AC and that and the constant salt spray made it very low on the WAF; but the view was very nice. The electric was always going out and noticed the neighboring houses all had been using wind to supplement their electric at the time. Do recall that the island was given about a milion dollars to fix up Point Udall for the 2000 celebrations and the money walked; no one ever did find out where it went. That said I was memorized by the SETI station there and saw the dish move one early morning visit around sunrise.
That in mind you can as mentioned above go with a cheap camera which you care nothing about and play with it. You can take the Foscam and put it in a clear cover hanging it upside down. There are a few Foscam users out there that have done that. I was using my PTZ Foscam in the garage and just removed it as its been locking up by itself after a couple of years. I did replace it with a stationary Grandstream but replacing it again with another one with a wide lens on it; IE: 2.1mm. I did also find one with a fisheye 180 view lens which I may try next. I have been modding some test stuff with IP67 outdoor domes. These do work very well outside. One with a fish eye lens and no IR illumination would probably work fine for you. (that and I would put it somewhere where you can easily clean the dome).
Over on the Ubiquiti forum there are a number of users that have installed Aircams on beach rental property on the water. Have a look there for some ideas about dealing with environment. Some have modded the cams with various lens set ups.
In the midwest initially started with an Optex combo analog camera. Very well built it has "weathered" some 10 years of cold and hot weather. It is not a PTZ camera, rather similiar very modular.
I did find that the simple Ubiquiti aircam did fine outside with 75 mile per hour winds that took down my oldest tree a couple of years ago and just recently had a freak winter storm with 50 plus MPH winds that did nothing to the Grandstream HD IP camera. Both of these are stationary cams. One is mounted very high and I can still see the view but the lens is started to get dirty a bit. The Grandstream is lower at some 10 feet up and the lens is still pretty clear.
EyeofSauron
Member
You could always put the camera in an enclosure, and make sure the enclosure is euipped with a wiper. I have no idea what they cost, but it would protect the camera, AND solve your salt-spray issue.
If your camera has an I/O connector block, you could even use the camera to turn the wiper off-and-on.
If your camera has an I/O connector block, you could even use the camera to turn the wiper off-and-on.
pete_c
Guru
Yup; here have little pop up spray heads on little truck that clears the headlights and they do work well. That said the camera lens for the back up camera still has an OK image but is really covered with junk these days; I am surprised that I can see an image on it today. (I do clean it when I wash the car though).
Yup best to have a wiper and some spray head to clear the lens of dried salt spray...
I like this PTZ better cuz it has a wiper and washer built in to it.
The above noted I did install a PTZ Axis camera on the north sea in Wales at a natural gas facility.
The weather was more bad than good there and actually dinged contruction / production of the facility.
It stayed functional for about a year's time. It was not on the water but very close and mounted high up.
Yup best to have a wiper and some spray head to clear the lens of dried salt spray...
I like this PTZ better cuz it has a wiper and washer built in to it.
The above noted I did install a PTZ Axis camera on the north sea in Wales at a natural gas facility.
The weather was more bad than good there and actually dinged contruction / production of the facility.
It stayed functional for about a year's time. It was not on the water but very close and mounted high up.
greenstone
New Member
Here is a cheapie, but meet all your needs: http://www.ipcamprice.com/new-tenvis-wireless-megapixel-ip-camera-black-friday-sales-p-254.html
BraveSirRobbin
Moderator
Interesting, out of two reviews BOTH were added on the EXACT SAME DATE! hmmmm... (spider senses tingling)greenstone said:
pete_c
Guru
Yup; the PTZ Axis camera was less affected by the North Seas salt air than its over the year constructive destruction.
One of the issues that I had with my second gen PT Foscam (now retired) was that it couldn't do more than one thing at once without locking up. Like moving it while the ambient light changed. That said I never moved it such that it didn't lock up.
I did though have a chance to JTAG one and watched it seemingly go into a blind loop as I made it work some. The only solution fixing the blind loop thing was to power off the camera and restart it.
One of the issues that I had with my second gen PT Foscam (now retired) was that it couldn't do more than one thing at once without locking up. Like moving it while the ambient light changed. That said I never moved it such that it didn't lock up.
I did though have a chance to JTAG one and watched it seemingly go into a blind loop as I made it work some. The only solution fixing the blind loop thing was to power off the camera and restart it.
