Using high def security cameras and NVRs as trail cams

[omicron1792]

8 Channel 1080p Bluetooth DVR with 1TB Hard Drive and 4 Wired 1080p Sp

Key Features Built-In Motion-Activated Spotlights Secure Wired Connection Secure App-Based Bluetooth® Setup

nightowlsp.com

Just an example of kits you can buy. I wouldn’t use one with spotlights but the camera setup for Wi-Fi is cheap and easy.

 

[ksJoe]

How much do you think a minimum setup with a few cameras would cost to get running?
Is this a couple hundred dollars potential, or more into the thousand+ range?

There are lot of variables, depending on your power and internet situation.

If all you want is something to watch live, any cheap security camera will do.

If you want to review animal activity, I'd recommend only considering the smart cameras with smart "pet" detection. I've had simpler reolink cameras at my house for years and they're great (for the time I bought them). But simple motion detection is painful to use. Wind, leaves, shadows, etc makes the motion events way too spammy. You must chose between missing the motion events you want to see, and having countless motion events from the wind. The artificial intelligence based person/vehicle/pet detection is a game changer. IMO, without that, its too much work and $ for not much usability. So I'd suggest only considering cameras with reliable pet/animal detection.

If you already have power and internet, many of reolink's nicer (more expensive) cameras have a place for an SD card, so they can run without an NVR (network video recorder). If that works for you, there are nice cameras options available for around $100-$200 each, depending on what you pick. But to make that work, you must have both power and internet already available.

They offer fewer cameras in battery powered with solar panel, and that adds quite a bit to the price (maybe $100 per camera, depending on sales, etc). But then all you need is a wifi network.

So for example, if you live on the property and already have internet access, and you just want cameras on places a few hundred to a thousand yards away, I'd suggest starting with building out the wifi network and once you have that, look at battery/solar cameras. Unless power is available where you want the cameras.


Here's a 180 degree viewing angle dual lens camera with pet detection, wifi connected (you provide the power) on sale for $99.
Here's a pan/tilt/zoom wifi camera with pet detection on sale for $160.

If you can power those cameras and provide wifi, you'll like them. The downside of the 180 degree camera is everything is small (but both are very high resolution: 4k)>

 

[Ikeman]

If you have Wi-Fi, a big if on a farm, you can buy a multi camera setup with storage at Costco. Having power and Wi-Fi is the big cost and pain.

I guess the power and 4G router setup is really the things I have the most question about.
Any place I would consider installing one of these would have neither of those.


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[omicron1792]

I guess the power and 4G router setup is really the things I have the most question about.
Any place I would consider installing one of these would have neither of those.


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It’s why I went with similar Reolink as ksJoe, except mine are cellular based with solar panel.

If I had the time, I like ksJoe setup better long term. But my place would require a ton of work to get that done. For me, paying the 100/year to run a camera cellular and all I had to do was hang the camera is worth it. It’s much cheaper short term, but long term his system would be cheaper.

 

[ksJoe]

If you live on the property (so there's internet), and you're a DIY/tinkerer type of guy, it wouldn't be that difficult to extend your wifi network. Then the solar/battery powered wifi cameras would work great for you, and you wouldn't need to provide power at each camera. That would save you per-camera internet costs of omicron1792's approach.

I'm just now getting ready to get serious about extending my wifi network. ATM I just have 1 directional antenna to get around 70 yards from the blind. I'm gathering supplies to get wifi around 400 yards from the garage to the blind. In a few months I'll know more about cost effective options for building out wifi.

My general plan is: every blind or structure I build will have solar power, several smart cameras, probably an NVR, and wifi equipment to help build out the wifi coverage. As I get wifi coverage, I'll get battery/solar cameras for areas away from the blinds.

 

[ksJoe]

A few updates:
I got a cheaper battery/solar pan-tilt wifi camera for free. Motion analysis requires a subscription. Without a subscription, it detects very little. It will detect people at 5 yards and a raccoon at 5 feet. It is currently monitoring the water outflow from my pond. Its good for that, live checking stuff. IMO, if a person is remotely tempted to subscribe to get the usable motion analysis, they should just get a reolink to begin with. It is nearly useless for wildlife monitoring (other than live checking). Its around 1/3 the price of a reolink tracmix battery/wifi. One reolink trackmix is more useful than 3 of these.

I swapped a couple cameras on the blind to the 180 degree cameras that detect people/vehicle/pets. I'm very pleased with them. One thing I noticed that the center of the field of view doesn't have as good of a vertical viewing angle. This camera doesn't do as well placed up high and aiming down. Its much better placed lower and aimed closer to horizontal.


I also got a 16 channel NVR for the garage, now that it has solar power. So far I've got a 180 & a trackmix aiming out from the front, and a 90 degree. I also picked up another battery/solar trackmix.

Point-to-point wifi is stable for 1560 feet (475 meters).

It will be a while until I get around to it, but I think instead of buying more battery/solar cameras, next up I'll DIY the solar at remote places. I'll set a post in the ground with 200 watts of solar on top, a wifi access point, and 20-30 amp-hours of 12v lifepo4 batteries. I'll use direct powered cameras on the post, using the single wifi uplink (probably a pair of 180 degree cameras and if the area is open far enough to need zoom, a PTZ too).

 

[Ikeman]

Can you daisy chain the point to points, or do several point to points originating from the same location?
I doubt I will put so much capital into this, but it is super intriguing to me. With that kind of range, I could do a P2P wifi connection from my aunt’s property next door to a central spot like a box blind, and then do smaller pole based stations like you described from the box blind to remote camera locations.


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[ksJoe]

Can you daisy chain the point to points, or do several point to points originating from the same location?

Network performance will decrease with each hop, but yes they can be daisy chained several hops.
My garage has a wifi network ssid called "garage-blind-link" on a high power transmitter with a yagi antenna. The access point in the blind is set to connect to "garage-blind-link" and repeat on a network called "blind".

 

[john volkman]

i have a wifi bridge installed to allow signal at a another building across my driveway, how easy could i extend the signal another 200 yds to cover a food plot on my home 40?

 

[ksJoe]

i have a wifi bridge installed to allow signal at a another building across my driveway, how easy could i extend the signal another 200 yds to cover a food plot on my home 40?

If you have open line of sight, and a good antenna at the food plot: very easily. If you have to go through trees I expect it would still work well, but I've not done that yet.

I would avoid 5ghz wifi. 5ghz is higher bandwidth (faster data), but the signal doesn't carry as far. 2.4ghz will go for longer distances. You need a high power access point, and directional antennas so the signal is focused in one direction. Think of it like a focused spot light vs. unfocused light bulb - the same amount of light will go much further with a when focused. The directional antennas focus the signal just like the reflector in a spot light.

I'm having good luck with these. Some reviews mention them failing after a year or two. So I'm putting them indoors and drilling holes to put the antenna outdoors. But they claim to be outdoor rated, so the manufacturer's intent is that you just mount the whole thing outdoors (except the PoE injector power supply, it must be indoors). The antennas that come with them are directional, but if you don't have adequate signal strength, replace the antenna with yagi antennas, which are more directional. With the yagi antennas you'll probably have about a 30 degree coverage angle, but strongest in the center of it.

Your antenna at the other end matters too. A cell phone has a small/weak antenna and will be the hardest to pick up. My cell occasionally sees the access point 1560 feet away, but not good enough to be usable. A laptop should have a better antenna. If you're wanting wifi cameras, they should have pretty good antennas. My trackmix camera might work directly connecting the access point (1600+ feet away), but I've not tried it.