Author Topic: Cam Conundrum.  (Read 4423 times)

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Offline worachj

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Re: Cam Conundrum.
« Reply #50 on: December 21, 2021, 05:43:28 PM »
I've only owned Reolink cameras and I've been happy with the three different versions I have (RLC-511w, RLC-810a & Argus 2). Their main use is to capture the critters wondering though my yard.

One thing I would be careful of is matching the capabilities that you want in a camera with the actual Reolink camera. They all act and do things a little bit different, from motion detection, app & Client options, image resolution, alerts, FTP etc. Everything can be very confusing so be careful what you purchase.

(Dale, grew up a Packer fan in a suburb of Milwaukee during the Lombardi era and went to school in La Crosse. I'm now rooting for the Vikings ... sigh. The Pack will win the super bowl this year if they have a healthy Rodgers).
Gotta ask. How do you grow up a Pack fan during the Lombardi years and switch to the Vikings?
 

Ya, my dad has disowned me  :shock: . Just easier to follow the local sports team. I moved to Minnesota in 1982 when the Packers sucked, before Favre & Rodgers.


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Offline ocala

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Re: Cam Conundrum.
« Reply #51 on: December 21, 2021, 05:49:20 PM »
A long time hope of mine before I get brain rot is to have a camera mounted on my tower.  I live in a heavily Oak tree woods, which were about 50' high when I moved here and now are 60 to 70' high.  I had to trim some back and we dropped 7 last winter to keep them from overhanging the house, and were really encroaching on my ham radio tower.

The plan was to make some sort of box, run power to it, find some way to have a reasonably clear outlook to the west and watch, real time and via time lapse, incoming thunderstorms and sunsets, and if we ever get them again, aurora.

Now with some wireless cameras of good sensitivity and resolution, this seems still possible in the time I have  (one never knows, does one?)

I have 60' of Rohm 65G and it is solid as a rock, but still don't like to be on it, and with my hand strength going, hire a young buck who like doing tree work with ropes and thinks this tower is like climbing a ladder.

My latest hiccough in the plan is my house windows need cleaning at least a couple times a year, with pollen and dust and wet surfaces with windy conditions collecting all sorts of stuff.

Unless I can come up with a wiper situation like the old Volvos had for their headlights, I may still be thwarted in having my eye on the sky.
You seem like you have the same aspiration as me. Always wanted a cam on that tower to watch the storms roll in. Mine is supposed to be here on the 24th. Going to attempt to get it up to 35ft with a death grip on that tower. Putting the anny at 30 ft was nerve racking. Got the RJ45 and POE injector today. Will probably pick up a SD card tomorrow. That camera also has a time lapse feature. Looking forward to  getting that set up.
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Offline DaleReid

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Re: Cam Conundrum.
« Reply #52 on: December 21, 2021, 07:30:20 PM »
The one 4k that I can find on Walmart is the 810.  $65, with 'good' reviews.
Is this substantially different from the 811?
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Offline DaleReid

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Re: Cam Conundrum.
« Reply #53 on: December 21, 2021, 07:38:42 PM »
Replying to my own question:  Even though I did a search for 811, I got nothing.  then did search for 4k and found it.  I guess I'm just not a good search string thinker.
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Offline weatherman172

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Re: Cam Conundrum.
« Reply #54 on: December 25, 2021, 05:33:04 PM »
The problem with the Reolink cameras is that it won't let you name the file you are sending to an FTP server.  It date stamps every file and the URL reference in HTML code needs to point to the same image file name.  Has anyone found a camera that will do this?  Basically, I want it to upload the same image name and overwrite the file on the FTP server each time, every 10 minutes.

Offline PaulMy

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Re: Cam Conundrum.
« Reply #55 on: December 26, 2021, 02:01:23 PM »
Quote
The problem with the Reolink cameras is that it won't let you name the file you are sending to an FTP server.  It date stamps every file and the URL reference in HTML code needs to point to the same image file name.  Has anyone found a camera that will do this?  Basically, I want it to upload the same image name and overwrite the file on the FTP server each time, every 10 minutes.

There is a script that can rename the dated image file on your server to a fixed name.  It is in the looong Hikvision thread Search Results (wxforum.net).

Enjoy,
Paul


Offline gabba

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Re: Cam Conundrum.
« Reply #56 on: December 27, 2021, 02:12:46 AM »
Hi

There's some help here if you want to use Linux - I documented what I did when I did my Rasbperry Pi setup. You might be able to adjust it for your purposes. It's based on a Reolink IP Cam (RLC-511)

https://weather.net.nz/education/the-raspberry-pi-weather-stations/capturing-ip-camera-images-to-your-raspberry-pi

I produce a dated/time animation file and a jpgwebcam.jpg file to upload to my website (overwrites the last file created).

Here's the image:
https://www.huttweather.co.nz/pwsWD/image_popup.php?nr=wcam1

It's a great camera - I got the optical zoom feature so I could zoom in and avoid all the neighbours roofs! There is a bit of curvature on the horizon though which is the only dissapointing part, but I can live with it
« Last Edit: December 27, 2021, 02:16:01 AM by gabba »

Offline worachj

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Re: Cam Conundrum.
« Reply #57 on: December 29, 2021, 10:07:20 AM »
 Its -7°F here this morning and my three battery operated Argus 2 cameras are all still working and recording, downloading and sending alerts.

But, and a big but is that the solar panel will not recharge their batteries unless the temperature is above 20°F. I had to bring one of them into the house and warm it up and recharge it. Luckily it was easy to reach and bring into the house.


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Offline DaleReid

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Re: Cam Conundrum.
« Reply #58 on: December 29, 2021, 10:43:54 AM »
That is very strange that the solar panels won't put out voltage and current when cold.
I wonder if that has to do with the type of solar panel (if there are different types, I am not sure) because my ancient Rainwise Mark III both regular and long range panels will take a station with a marginal battery and give it enough boost when the sun hits them to let them work until maybe an hour after sundown in any temperature.

I will need to specifically do a diagnostics mode to see what the voltage is.

Dale
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Offline DaleReid

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Re: Cam Conundrum.
« Reply #59 on: December 29, 2021, 10:50:39 AM »
GABBA
The information in the link on how to grab and IP camera image and send it you referenced in your last message is great.
While I just 'skimmed' through it, I did learn a lot already, and realize that the whole Rasp platform with the stuff provided is a really powerful setup.

I will study this more later and whether or not I'm bright enough at this stage of my life to bring this on line, it is EXACTLY what I would like to do. 

I would be patting myself on the back if I'd been able to do the research and develop the code and sequence to do it reliably, but for now I'm pretty pleased others have done the work and were willing not only to share, but write the information in a  way that is understandable.  Thank you    Dale
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Offline PaulMy

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Re: Cam Conundrum.
« Reply #60 on: January 07, 2022, 12:10:24 AM »

Looks like my Argus 2 experiment has failed.  I have it less than 20 feet from my modem/router.  I get ok connection if I place it indoors in front of a window above the door, but no motion detection because it is behind glass.  If I move it outside in front of that door window, less than 2 feet away, I can get motion detection, but the camera quickly loose connection and then won't reconnect.  My WiFi is good throughout the house for all other devices.  Reolink has been quite helpful but they say:
Quote
Thank you for your testing. I have understood the problem now. From your description. it seems that our camera can not meet the needs of this scene. I can not provide a better solution now. Terribly sorry for that.

They further say:
Quote
Are you willing to have a look at Wifi cameras like E series 510W, which do not use PIR detection? But the IR lights will reflect the glass and cause false alarms at night. 

Are you willing to keep this camera by now?

Any thought on the E series 510W, or other suggestion for battery powered, motion detection and video recording?

Thanks,
Paul

Offline gabba

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Re: Cam Conundrum.
« Reply #61 on: January 07, 2022, 02:53:56 AM »
Hi Paul

You'll have no luck running a camera on IR at night behind glass. If you plan to do that without running the IR, watch for reflections. I had a setup like that and it turned out you could see half the inside of the house when the internal light was on!

Have you considered running a PoE camera? Something like the 510A, 810A, or 812A. You have to run a power cord to the wifi camera outside anyway, so why not run network and power in the same cable. Then you have a hard connection to the camera and no wifi issues.

Was there a reason you wanted to go down the battery route originally?

Cheers
Andrew

Offline worachj

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Re: Cam Conundrum.
« Reply #62 on: January 07, 2022, 08:51:53 AM »
20ft to the router shouldn’t be a problem. I wonder what’s going on there.

Found these router settings to be more effective for my Argus 2 cameras (I have 3).

Channel = Auto - Let the router decide which channel to use.
Channel Width = 40 MHz - Allows more data 
If you can limit the wireless mode to n.  (IEEE 802.11b/g/n)
Use WPA2-PSK for WIFI Security setting





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Offline ocala

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Re: Cam Conundrum.
« Reply #63 on: January 07, 2022, 06:17:39 PM »
Paul the 2 Argus 3 Pro that I have connect just fine. Both are about 20--25ft from the router using 5G. Maybe try using the 2.4G channel. It has a longer range then the 5G.
The blues had a baby and they named it Rock & Roll

Offline PaulMy

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Re: Cam Conundrum.
« Reply #64 on: January 07, 2022, 07:21:27 PM »

Quote
Maybe try using the 2.4G channel.
Thanks Dave, I know very little about network and settings, but it shows on my devices listing as WiFi 2.4G and I don't see any place to make changes on that. 


Just strange that just walking with it through the door to outside and then it quickly looses connection.


I got a reply from Relink on other cameras and will be going through them.  I like the Argus, just not suitable for my setup.


Enjoy,
Paul




Offline CNYWeather

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Re: Cam Conundrum.
« Reply #65 on: January 08, 2022, 05:48:40 AM »
Is anyone using the Reolink Cams broadcasting them live to YouTube?
Tony




Offline worachj

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Re: Cam Conundrum.
« Reply #66 on: January 08, 2022, 10:03:41 AM »
Is anyone using the Reolink Cams broadcasting them live to YouTube?

No personal experience to share, but was curious and found these two links.

5 Steps to Stream IP Cameras to YouTube/FB & Set up RTSP URLs
https://reolink.com/stream-ip-camera-to-youtube/

Is Reolink Camera Compatible with Streaming on YouTube Live
https://support.reolink.com/hc/en-us/articles/360038791973-Is-Reolink-Camera-Compatible-with-Streaming-on-YouTube-Live



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Offline CNYWeather

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Re: Cam Conundrum.
« Reply #67 on: January 08, 2022, 12:32:33 PM »
Thanks! I've looked at those. Was wondering if anyone here went that route.
Tony




Offline gabba

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Re: Cam Conundrum.
« Reply #68 on: January 08, 2022, 04:31:07 PM »
Hi

I gave that one a go! If I remember correctly there is a 24 hour limit on the stream so it became a pain to reset everything up every day.

I did it using the Raspeberry Pi, and I documented what I did here:

https://weather.net.nz/education/the-raspberry-pi-weather-stations/use-your-raspberry-pi-to-stream-your-ip-camera-to-you-tube

There are versions of OBS for Windows or Mac if that is your flavour. I believe the screens and setup will be the same.

Yell out if you get stuck!
Cheers
Andrew




Offline CNYWeather

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Re: Cam Conundrum.
« Reply #69 on: January 09, 2022, 06:00:50 AM »
Thanks Andrew.

I use OBS for my gaming streaming. I've got a Raspberry Pi laying around too. Curious about the 24 hour limit.
didn't think YouTube had a limit since i've seen other streams up for months on end.
Tony




Offline PaulMy

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Re: Cam Conundrum.
« Reply #70 on: January 11, 2022, 11:21:04 AM »
I like the Argus 2 but it was frustrating getting it up and running.  But with Reolink support I am progressing.


The camera would connect if it was inside, but just a few feet outside and it would loose connection.  I added another WiFi POD (previously provided by my internet service provider) and placed it close to where the Argus 2 is.  I placed the camera outside but still very close to the door and POD and it now stays connected, at least for the past 24 hours.  I will next move it a few feet higher and hope the connection still works.


On the Surveillance email issue, Reolink provide a link on how to set it up.  I had the SMTP and port correct, but the password needs to be the Google 16-characters that you can obtain through GMail app.  I now have this working.


Enjoy,
Paul

Offline PSJohn

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Re: Cam Conundrum.
« Reply #71 on: January 18, 2022, 02:34:00 AM »
I received my Duo camera and plugged it in.  What they didn't tell you is that there are two separate streams, two cameras in one housing.  It's not stitched together as a single image/stream.
I'm trying one of the Reolink Duo Cameras. I kind of like the idea of having a 150 degree span. The camera does a good job at aligning both channels and keeping the brightness between the two equal. I have two Sebec instances capturing each channel and then stitch them into a wide image on webpage.

You have to get used to the horizon distortion, because its a lot. Also the low light performance is pretty good.



You can see live images on my cam page: https://desertweather.com/webcam.php
John Slama
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Offline CNYWeather

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Re: Cam Conundrum.
« Reply #72 on: January 23, 2022, 03:57:26 PM »
Gave up screwing around trying to get the Nest Cam streaming on YouTube.
Got a Reolink  RLC-410 5MP cam streaming to YouTube now 24/7 without much of a problem.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCmytbC1cnjoHlWJzH1Hj_w
« Last Edit: January 23, 2022, 04:14:56 PM by CNYWeather »
Tony




Offline ocala

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Re: Cam Conundrum.
« Reply #73 on: January 23, 2022, 06:18:53 PM »
Gave up screwing around trying to get the Nest Cam streaming on YouTube.
Got a Reolink  RLC-410 5MP cam streaming to YouTube now 24/7 without much of a problem.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCmytbC1cnjoHlWJzH1Hj_w
nice. night image looks good. Will have to look at it out tomorrow.
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Offline DaleReid

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Re: Cam Conundrum.
« Reply #74 on: January 23, 2022, 07:06:12 PM »
Ocala, were you the one who tipped me off to the Reolink 811a cameras being on sale through WalMart?

I know it was around the Christmas holidays and maybe they were just trying to attract business, but want to eventually snab a couple more since these, for my purpose so far, are working well.

If it was you, did you just happen to see it, or is there some web site that lists good sales that I should be looking at for them sometime again?
Dale
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