wireless security camera

aidanki

question for those using an IP wireless camera

how many MB do you consume using it in a month?

say I used it 5 times a day for 10mins a time, how much bandwidth would it consume?

had I 2 cameras would I consume twice as many MBs?

I will be accessing probably from 200m away

I will be pumping broadband from house to camera location using some form of wireless router

Arciphel

If its on your internal wireless network it doesn't consume any data, no? Or does it communicate via a server? What make is it?

aidanki

Arciphel wrote: »

If its on your internal wireless network it doesn't consume any data, no? Or does it communicate via a server? What make is it?

nothing bought yet

don't know about Point 1

CreepingDeath

aidanki wrote: »

question for those using an IP wireless camera

how many MB do you consume using it in a month?

I don't really count it... but here's some figures to give you a rough guide.

I've a VGA resolution camera, that's 640x480 resolution.
I've just saved a single snapshot of that, it's 44.8 kB, lets say 50kb.

If you view a video at around 5 frames a second, that's 250kb per second.
So it would be 1MB for every 4 seconds of footage.

But if you can restrict the framerate, and only refesh the video every second, then it's 1MB per 20 seconds of footage.

So the bandwidth is a function of the resolution of the camera and the frame rate.

* In reality it also depends on video encoding...
A simple MJPEG camera will use up more bandwidth than one with H264 encoding, which compresses the video size down further.

aidanki wrote: »

say I used it 5 times a day for 10mins a time, how much bandwidth would it consume?

Using the ballpark figures above... 5 x 10 mins = 3000 seconds.
So 3000 seconds at 1MB per 4 seconds = 750Mb

aidanki wrote: »

had I 2 cameras would I consume twice as many MBs?

Yes.

aidanki wrote: »

I will be accessing probably from 200m away

I will be pumping broadband from house to camera location using some form of wireless router

If you're using one of those fancy long range directional wireless routers then why worry about bandwidth?
You won't be charged for using your own router and router signal on your local network.

If you've a long range wireless router in your house and a shed is 200m away, then you don't need the internet.

But if you're mixing up a wireless router with a 3G dongle to receive/broadcast the video feed, then yes bandwidth is a factor.

aidanki

whats to look out for when buying an IP camera?

vibe666

aidanki wrote: »

whats to look out for when buying an IP camera?

that's a real "how long is a piece of string" type question, it's going to depend very much what you want to use it for, how you want to be able to access it and what extra features are important to you.

is it going to be indoors or outdoors, if it's outdoors will it be exposed to the elements or sheltered from the rain, do you need night vision, what are the lighting conditions where it will be placed, do you need to pan and tilt the camera or will it be fixed in a static position, do you have some kind of 'always on' local or remote file server to save captured images to or will you just use a memory card plugged into the camera, are you willing to pay a premium for HD video or would you be happy with a lower quality image, are you likely to want to add more cameras later?

if you can answer as many of those questions as possible, we'll be able to give you some good options.

CreepingDeath

As vibe666 says... you need to paint us a picture of exactly how you want to use it, where, etc.

The main questions are
1) is the location indoors or outdoors ?
2) do you just want to view the video feed, or also want to record it ?
3) will the area be well lit, or require visible lighting or invisible infrared light at nighttime
4) how large will be area be if nighttime viewing is required?
5) Do you want the video feed to be accessible via an smartphone too?
6) Do you have a limited budget in mind?

kevthegaff

well lads
im putting my camera in a shed 40 metres from the house, i have vodafone 3G toggle in the house, im getting 6m download and 0.5 m upload. im using two nano stations to get the net out to the shed.
Im looking to connect the camera upto the nano.

I need a camera that can take dampness
Can tilt and pan 180%
Is clear, doesnt need night vision
simple and easy to connect via network cable to nano
any suggestions? oh ya need to see it on my iphone:)

aidanki

kevthegaff wrote: »

well lads
im putting my camera in a shed 40 metres from the house, i have vodafone 3G toggle in the house, im getting 6m download and 0.5 m upload. im using two nano stations to get the net out to the shed.
Im looking to connect the camera upto the nano.

I need a camera that can take dampness
Can tilt and pan 180%
Is clear, doesnt need night vision
simple and easy to connect via network cable to nano
any suggestions? oh ya need to see it on my iphone:)

pardon my ignorance whats a nano station?

CreepingDeath

kevthegaff wrote: »

I need a camera that can take dampness
Can tilt and pan 180%

That combination is pricey.
There's indoor pan & tilt cameras for around €100, but the outdoor pan & tilt ones tend to be like outdoor security cameras for warehouses/outside shops etc.
So outdoor pan & tilt seem to be in the €300+ range.

You could probably get two outdoor non PTZ (pan/tilt/zoom) camera for half the price of one outdoor PTZ.

I used to be a FosCam fan boy.... (Chinese company makes IP cameras)
I've a indoor pan & tilt camera overlooking my driveway, which gives very reasonable low light nighttime photos without turning on the IR leds.
(IR leds can't be used through a window, they just reflect the glare back)

My FI8918W for reference
Although they've an enhanced version here FI8910W Link


It's reliable and I can view it with in an Android app ( IP Cam Viewer ) on my smartphone. ( I don't have a iPhone so can't recommend an app there )
It's indoors and has limited motion detection.
You really need a dedicated PC/plug computer to constantly record the video stream if you want it for security.

I bought the latest FI9820W (hi-def version) for my christmas gadget and it was so bad I had to return it immediately. I got a refund on the camera, but not on the return postage charge yet, so I lost €16.
So I'm in two minds to recommend FosCam... I'd only buy again if it was not a new release, got good reviews and was tried & tested.
But it'll at least give you an idea of what's out there...

Here's a link to their outdoor camera range... FosCam Outdoor cameras

aidanki wrote: »

pardon my ignorance whats a nano station?

A long range wifi router.
No experience of them, but seems to have a range of a few miles.
You buy two, put one in your house and the other in your remote location, and the two nanostation routers can talk to each other (for free).
As opposed to using the likes of a 3G internet dongle in the remote location and facing 3G mobile charges.

Not sure if you need line of sight between both routers though, but I don't see any obvious directional aerials on them, so maybe not...