Author Topic: What webcam and software should I buy?  (Read 576 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline canlab

  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 13
What webcam and software should I buy?
« on: August 03, 2022, 06:19:52 PM »
I'm interested in adding an outdoor webcam to my weather website. Anyone have any recommendations of what I should buy? Also what do I need to do time lapse or live streaming? Does live streaming take up a lot of bandwidth? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Offline Gyvate

  • Forecaster
  • *****
  • Posts: 3296
Re: What webcam and software should I buy?
« Reply #1 on: August 04, 2022, 02:36:20 AM »
in principle any IP webcam should do the job if it allows two/three things:
1.allows snapshots to be made and saved
2. save the data on a medium which you can access online in an automated way
3. access the data stream and snapshots remotely
e.g.
- SD card (not always accessible online or not in an automated manner)
- save via FTP or NFS to a NAS or server (e.g. RaspberryPi or a 24/7 running computer [if you want pictures/streaming 24/7])
- save into a cloud only is imo not preferrable

the bandwidth for the data stream depends on the resolution (2 MP, 3 MP, 5 MP, 8 MP or 720p, fullHD, 4K ...)
a constant stream of a 5 MP video consumes a bandwidth between 200-300 KBytes/s
(inside a local network that's usually not important, via the internet using a hosting service it will eat bandwidth and the application for publishing the video will consume CPU load)

I use three IP cameras to cover a 270° view from my location - and use snapshots made every minute displayed in my web template - you want to get an idea, use the link in my signature and select PWS Dashboard on the landing page).

2 of the cameras are 5 MP PTZ IP cameras which is rather luxury. One is a 2 MP camera. They were offered for video surveillance. Important for me was that they are water-protected. They are connected via LAN cable which also provides power supply via PoE. One has a separate power supply.
There are also WiFi models (no PoE), combined models (LAN/WiFi) and running on batteries only models.
You have to figure out what suits your needs and wishes.

Technically each camera save a picture ever minute to my NAS (FTP or NFS) where the pictures end up in a day-directory for each camera with their minute-timestamp name.
,
I have Windows 11 running on a RapberryPi (RPi4-B 4GB) 24/7 and a few jobs (scripts/batch files whatever you want to call them) run regularly every minute via the Windows scheduling service (you can also do the same on a Linux operation system with CRON jobs) which pick up the latest created picture file, copy it, rename it to a fixed name and transfer the file to the web server (in my case my local NAS) where the template displays the pictures with that name - and  refrehes the picture display every minute.

The pictures in the day-directories can then also be used to create timelapse videos. There are a few timelapse video creation programs in the market, usually not for free, especially when you want resolution/display size > 640x480.

The programs should be able to create a standalone video file in your desired resolution and not only show the timelapse video when the application is opened - not all do this.
Again, it depends on what you want - all programs I have seen can be tested for free.

WS2350 1.6.7, GW1000(3) 1.7.7,WH2650 WiFi (2) 1.7.7 (test/backup), GW1100 2.3.1, GW2000(3) 3.1.1, HP2551 1.9.5,5.1.5;HP3500 1.7.2,WS3800 1.2.8, WN1910 1.2.3,WN1980 1.2.3;
Ecowitt WS90(2)1.3.5/1.4.0, WS80(2)1.2.5, WS68, WS69, WH40, WH31, WH31-EP, WN30, WN34L, WN35, WH32, WH32-EP, WH32B, WH57 [Lightning], WH41 [PM2.5], WH51, WH45, WH55
MeteobridgePro(2)[test,prod] 5.8 Mar 01 2024, 15185 - Blake-Larsen Sun Recorder - RPi4/weewx 4.8.0/4.10.2/CumulusMX 3283/Meteobridge RPi4B-2GB(3169)
Barani Meteoshield Pro, MetSpec Rad02 - Ecowitt 5763,34418;WU ISAARB3(WH4000SE),ISAARB22(HP2553), http://meshka.eu

Offline weatherdoc

  • Senior Contributor
  • ****
  • Posts: 180
    • Willowsford Farm Weather
Re: What webcam and software should I buy?
« Reply #2 on: August 04, 2022, 07:49:15 AM »
I have a Reolink RLC-510A PoE camera and I use IPTimelapse for capturing and processing images and video. For my live feed I use YouTube. I wrote a topic on how I setup my webcam here:

https://www.wxforum.net/index.php?topic=43546.msg444552

Here's links to my still image (update every 3 seconds), Live, Timelapse, and Archive (for August 2022):

https://novawx.dscloud.me/wxcam.php
https://novawx.dscloud.me/wxcamlive.php
https://novawx.dscloud.me/wxcam-lapse.php
https://novawx.dscloud.me/202208.php

Offline Daali

  • weather n00b
  • Senior Contributor
  • ****
  • Posts: 223
    • The weather in Jefferson, GA
Re: What webcam and software should I buy?
« Reply #3 on: August 04, 2022, 09:25:18 AM »
may not fit your needs, but iptimelapse just works.  I've run it for almost 7 or 8 years now.

Offline wxperson

  • Senior Member
  • **
  • Posts: 62
Re: What webcam and software should I buy?
« Reply #4 on: August 07, 2022, 03:37:36 PM »
I like AMCREST for weather related images (SKY)...   Has more controls than many cameras to allow background compensation, etc..

The one I got is actually on sale today at Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0837485XG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1


Online Rover1822

  • Forecaster
  • *****
  • Posts: 1989
    • Mini Wind and Solar Data project
Re: What webcam and software should I buy?
« Reply #5 on: August 07, 2022, 04:05:05 PM »
I have no problem with Amcrest, which used to be Foscam USA. , but they had a falling out and made there own line (had made) . My only problem with the ones I have is that they have to have an internet connection or at least the one I have.

I have 11 cameras, I use Blue Iris on a dedicated doze server , with 12 TB of storage and recording 24/7. Yes I know, this is excessive. I do like Blue Iris. I have cams from pretty much all the major vendors, amcrest, hikvision, foscam, dahua, and others. Basically , pick your cam on use and compatibility with whatever software you will be using. I don't have any of my cams uploading directly anywhere, it all goes through the NVR , and you can pick whatever flavor or program, OS you want on those (they all pretty much have the same options), but it does make it easier to manage. I do have one dedicated as weather cam, it is working fine, unfortunately my hosted site is having issues out of my control for the last week, so ignore my signature link. It has nothing to do with the cam's functionality, I can get it on my LAN no issue, this is temporary issue with my hosted site

That being said, Just about any decent decent cam will ftp or send images to a site on its own. Funny part about getting into the cams, one is never enough.


« Last Edit: August 07, 2022, 04:16:49 PM by Rover1822 »
Ambient:
  WS-2000
  PM 2.5(2)
  WH31B(2)
  WH40E
  WH31P
EcoWitt:
  GW1100
  GW1000(4)
  WH31(2)
  WH57
  WH51(12),
  WH40
  WH5360B
  WN34S
  WittBoy WS90 + GW2000
  WS90 (other one) + GW1100
Personal Sites: Weather Cam

Online Rover1822

  • Forecaster
  • *****
  • Posts: 1989
    • Mini Wind and Solar Data project
Re: What webcam and software should I buy?
« Reply #6 on: August 07, 2022, 04:44:12 PM »
I have no problem with Amcrest, which used to be Foscam USA. , but they had a falling out and made there own line (had made) . My only problem with the ones I have is that they have to have an internet connection or at least the one I have.

I have 11 cameras, I use Blue Iris on a dedicated doze server , with 12 TB of storage and recording 24/7. Yes I know, this is excessive. I do like Blue Iris. I have cams from pretty much all the major vendors, amcrest, hikvision, foscam, dahua, and others. Basically , pick your cam on use and compatibility with whatever software you will be using. I don't have any of my cams uploading directly anywhere, it all goes through the NVR , and you can pick whatever flavor or program, OS you want on those (they all pretty much have the same options), but it does make it easier to manage. I do have one dedicated as weather cam, it is working fine, unfortunately my hosted site is having issues out of my control for the last week, so ignore my signature link. It has nothing to do with the cam's functionality, I can get it on my LAN no issue, this is temporary issue with my hosted site

That being said, Just about any decent decent cam will ftp or send images to a site on its own. Funny part about getting into the cams, one is never enough.
I kind of gathered that you wanted to host your own, or have your own cam location site. If you are looking  at a cam  for like a specific weather site, say a commercial weather station vendor, well they want to lock you into their product. I have no desire to do that. Few are allowing generic uploads cam uploads etc. WU killed theirs , which never really worked anyway. But if you are rolling your own, my basic criteria is that the cam supports ONVIF, and has the focal ,length, resolution for what I want. Try to ignore a PTZ cam on something you will be posting somewhere else. You will pay premium for that , and you will rarely use the PTZ function . I have 3 PTZ cams, 2 at 20X Zoom , I use them for other things that require that. For a weather cam... yeah , just get a static cam , 120 degree field of view, and anything 720 or better. I mean 720 is low, but you are uploading images somewhere, you do not need real high def. (Of course when the cam bug bites, this may change_
Ambient:
  WS-2000
  PM 2.5(2)
  WH31B(2)
  WH40E
  WH31P
EcoWitt:
  GW1100
  GW1000(4)
  WH31(2)
  WH57
  WH51(12),
  WH40
  WH5360B
  WN34S
  WittBoy WS90 + GW2000
  WS90 (other one) + GW1100
Personal Sites: Weather Cam

Offline BaseLine

  • Senior Contributor
  • ****
  • Posts: 184
Re: What webcam and software should I buy?
« Reply #7 on: August 08, 2022, 03:29:39 AM »
Start by asking:

Can I use LAN (no LAN, then no PoE.),Wifi, something else?
What power supply can I use?
What is the operating temperature range?
Sun cooked nothingburger of climate change hysteria with a side order of peak-oil nonsense fries.