WiFi Video Camera

[tacticool]

I want to add some exterior cameras. I can get AC power to them but wired video is not practical, unless the camera does IP over the power line. Is anyone using a WiFi video camera to monitor their front door and/or driveway? Cost is a definite factor in the Obama economy, but so is value. The resolution should be good enough to read a license plate at 20' in moderate lighting. B&W is fine but color is better if the cost is similar. Must be able to survive Texas rain.

[Keith B]

I want to add some exterior cameras. I can get AC power to them but wired video is not practical, unless the camera does IP over the power line. Is anyone using a WiFi video camera to monitor their front door and/or driveway? Cost is a definite factor in the Obama economy, but so is value. The resolution should be good enough to read a license plate at 20' in moderate lighting. B&W is fine but color is better if the cost is similar. Must be able to survive Texas rain.

You won't find inexpensive cameras that will read the plates at 20 feet. Just not enough resolution to do that and I don't know any out there that are not $500 plus that will. I have an Airlink AICN500W camera on my driveway. You an see about what resolution you will get by looking at these videos. Nighttime will be less, even with lighting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2THBZvPedQE" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5RJkM94IDQ" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[tacticool]

Thanks. The price looks reasonable ($75 to $100 online) and the video looks decent at first glance, but (as you said in another discussion) the resolution isn't good enough to positively ID the bad guy. Maybe I need to wait a few years for consumer grade gear to improve. The 720p webcams are getting cheap and 1080p should follow. I think that would be sufficient for my needs.

[Keith B]

Thanks. The price looks reasonable ($75 to $100 online) and the video looks decent at first glance, but (as you said in another discussion) the resolution isn't good enough to positively ID the bad guy. Maybe I need to wait a few years for consumer grade gear to improve. The 720p webcams are getting cheap and 1080p should follow. I think that would be sufficient for my needs.

The problem is finding a high resolution web cam that is wireless. The do make wireless USB hubs and servers like this that you could possibly hook a higher resolution web cam into, and that might give you a better image. As for recoding software, I use Blue Iris and that works really well for recording and storing the videos that are captured.

[tacticool]

Another problem is finding one that's suitable for outdoors. I have to mount the camera on the fence or a tree to get a good view down the driveway. Many webcams look like they'll give up the ghost the first time it rains.

Anyway, thanks for the sitrep on what's currently available and affordable.

[Keith B]

The cam I have is actually a indoor cam and not weatherproof. I built a housing that covers it and has a Plexiglas front to shoot through. Works fine and has been outside now for about 2 years.

[sugar land dave]

There are some Foscam wireless cams, including those with pan & tilt, 8 meter night vision, or fixed camera with 30 meter night vision, all for about $100.

[snatchel]

These are for outside security, correc? And you just hook them up to wifi internet, which you can watch from any PC anywhere?

[jimlongley]

My friend's wireless system was interfered with, and interfered with, her other wireless devices, which reduced usable resolution and I switched her over to wired.

What is it that makes a wired system impractical?

[sugar land dave]

You won't find inexpensive cameras that will read the plates at 20 feet. Just not enough resolution to do that and I don't know any out there that are not $500 plus that will. I have an Airlink AICN500W camera on my driveway. You an see about what resolution you will get by looking at these videos. Nighttime will be less, even with lighting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2THBZvPedQE" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
...<snip>...

In the last frame of the video, it looks like your right arm enters the frame and appears as if your hand is perhaps on your holstered firearm. The guy was lucky he didn't hang around.

[sugar land dave]

My friend's wireless system was interfered with, and interfered with, her other wireless devices, which reduced usable resolution and I switched her over to wired.

What is it that makes a wired system impractical?

Only the wiring. Cat-5 specs out to 100 meters maximum between devices. Added expense and difficulty of installation. It's a wireless world these days.

[jimlongley]

My friend's wireless system was interfered with, and interfered with, her other wireless devices, which reduced usable resolution and I switched her over to wired.

What is it that makes a wired system impractical?

Only the wiring. Cat-5 specs out to 100 meters maximum between devices. Added expense and difficulty of installation. It's a wireless world these days.

Go with Cat 6, but seriously, do you really have the space to max out a 100 meter limitation? Having installed telephones and terminals for more than 20 years, I don't see any difficulty and my friend's wireless system, with exactly the same cameras, was more expensive than the eventual wired one, which offset the cost of the wiring, and she pretty much broke even. (Of course I did the wiring for her)

I have spec'ed out my house for a similar system, but haven't bothered to follow up for other reasons, and my maximum cable run would be 50 feet for house cameras, and about 100 feet each for the two fence cams.

[sugar land dave]

Go with Cat 6, but seriously, do you really have the space to max out a 100 meter limitation? Having installed telephones and terminals for more than 20 years, I don't see any difficulty and my friend's wireless system, with exactly the same cameras, was more expensive than the eventual wired one, which offset the cost of the wiring, and she pretty much broke even. (Of course I did the wiring for her)

I have spec'ed out my house for a similar system, but haven't bothered to follow up for other reasons, and my maximum cable run would be 50 feet for house cameras, and about 100 feet each for the two fence cams.

Ah now there's the rub, isn't it? Most people cannot run their own cable or have a friend do it.

You and I are lucky that we can choose.

[tacticool]

What is it that makes a wired system impractical?

Can we just go with wireless being part of the technical specs? If not, pretend I rent the house and my lease prohibits drilling holes in exterior walls.

[sugar land dave]

Here are some examples of outdoor ip cameras.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_ ... oor+camera