Exterior Wireless Video Cam

[Tim Boger]

The wife and I have decided to set up a wireless video camera right at our front porch, this also happens to be our 3 Chihuahua puppies daytime hang out area .... we have it secured and safe for them but we're thinking it would be fun and reassuring to be able to watch the 3 amigos having fun amongst themselves while we're at work.

Has anyone here set up a system like this? Perhaps point us towards the simplest technology?

We currently run our laptops (his and hers) off our wireless router so I think setting up a camera that we could view remotely should be easy enough .... any suggestions?

Thanks

Tim

[Anthony Albano]

I just did the same thing for a theater so what is happening onstage can be viewed by the theater director from home on his computer. Look up a SlingBox, easy to setup, used ones on Ebay

[Bryan Morgan]

Wireless internet cameras are cheap and plentiful... except if you want the outdoor models. For anything decent they are several hundred dollars. If you have a window you can stick a $50 wireless camera in it.

[Myk Rian]

Isn't a wireless cam going to need power anyway? That requires a wire run to it.
In that case, HF has a cam with 80ft. of wire that plugs into a video input connection. I have one, and it works really well.
http://www.harborfreight.com/weatherproof-security-camera-with-night-vision-47546.html

[Dan Hintz]

Last year I installed a Q-See setup that came with two wired and two wireless cameras. The wireless ones were installed in the garage/carport area covering the vehicles and pointing towards the street (we've had vandalism issues). It's quarter SD resolution, so not the best, but it does it's job for the few hundred $s I spent on it. I set up the DVR to record only when the amount of movement hits a certain threshold (so moths don't set it off).

[Bryan Morgan]

Last year I installed a Q-See setup that came with two wired and two wireless cameras. The wireless ones were installed in the garage/carport area covering the vehicles and pointing towards the street (we've had vandalism issues). It's quarter SD resolution, so not the best, but it does it's job for the few hundred $s I spent on it. I set up the DVR to record only when the amount of movement hits a certain threshold (so moths don't set it off).


Hows the range on the wireless and also how is the low light quality? I found some paint ball splats on the side of my house recently.... I think this economy is bringing out the riff raff. I don't mind breaking some skulls but I need to identify them first. :)

[Dan Hintz]

I think right now the range I'm working with is around 30-40', give or take, depending upon camera. Low light quality is okay, but it drops off in distance relatively quickly... a higher power IR floodlight (compared to what's in the cameras already) would likely help. If I was willing to spend more money (say $1k), I'd look into more of a full-SD, or better yet low-HD, so I could positively identify people who were far away.