Hi
I am having a hard time finding a good security camera for my mountain cabin so I thought I’d ask you guys and see what we can come up with. The internet at the cabin is weak and averages out around 3mbps so all high def cameras I’ve tried won’t work. I’m hoping to get the best definition possible while still being able to stream live view. The requirements are: exterior mount, plug in 120v, and prefer to control direction with phone app. Thanks in advance for your help!

Maybe this: Pan Tilt Solar Battery Camera Outdoor Wireless

It's 1080P, but can probably be turned down to lower resolutions.

I use a Wyze pan cam at my house. It is setup on my front porch so it isn’t directly exposed to the elements. However, it was relatively inexpensive, I can pan it using the app, and I can switch between SD and HD. I know Wyze continues to upgrade their line since I receive their emails, so you may find something you’re looking for there.

Is your 3 mbps internet speed upload or download ? If you say your internet speed is weak, then this is probably your download. You want to find our what your upload speed is to determine what camera(s) will work for you.

I am using the Wyze v3 camera (each camera uses 120v plug in, 14-day rotating free upload to the cloud and as small, descreat and easy to setup). Each camera uses : HD 50 - 100 KB/s , SD (same as HD) and 360p 10 - 20 KB/s. I only watch the live view one camera at a time and not all three at once.

Check your upload speed and let us know.

I'm also a fan of the Wyze cams and I know they can be tweaked to use less bandwidth.

I've got them set up as child/baby video monitors for my children's rooms and they work well.

IIRC around $40 each on Amazon and easy to set up

You might look for a way to compress the video with H.265/HEVC encoding. It can take Hi-def video & save/stream a MUCH smaller size, without much loss in quality. With H.265, I can reduce almost any video I have tried to about 10% of original size without noticing a loss in quality (there are some factors that can screw that up, but I'd say 90%+ of what I've tried works great, and I'm in the 1000s of tries). I don't have a suggestion for hardware, but I have seen some cameras that have the hardware for encoding on-board. Probably not the cheapest cameras, thought.

I've played around ZoneMinder, a server-side app that can do what you are asking (compress video & allow streaming), but you probably aren't looking for a huge, complicated system. I was able to take a cheap 1080p(?) pan/tilt/zoom wifi camera, have server-side motion detection for stills capture (and have the raw video saved), and stream compressed 1080P to my phone on my 768kbps internet & control the P/T/Z from my phone. Pretty slick once it worked, but it was a resource hog & a pain in the ass to configure. I was just playing around with what I had sitting in my junk drawer.

BlueIris & MotionEye are other software I've seen that might have similar capabilities, but I haven't looked closely. ZoneMinder is old & I believe no longer supported, so if I were to try again, I'd pick something else.

Thank you all. The wyze cam seems to be preferred, does it require any subscriptions or payments in order to simply view the camera feed on my phone?

Well dang it. I looked over their website and the only exterior camera they offer is battery operated which is not an option for me.

quote:

Originally posted by cheeze:
Well dang it. I looked over their website and the only exterior camera they offer is battery operated which is not an option for me.

Did you look at the product I posted?

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:

quote:

Originally posted by cheeze:
Well dang it. I looked over their website and the only exterior camera they offer is battery operated which is not an option for me.

Did you look at the product I posted?

Yes it is battery operated and full 1080p. I’m looking for plug in and 720p

I use the Wyze CAM v3, but not a solution for you.

And I'm thinking for you to re-asses your needs.

3.0 Mb/s to view SD video (480p)
4.0 Mb/s to view HD video (720p, 1080p).
5.0 Mb/s or more for 1080p.

Amcap has a USB Camera Testing Software Download (Only for Windows )
Here: Amcap usb camera testing

Perhaps then, consider the ELP CCTV solutions?
These are generally domes, black in color, pan/tilt, 720p, and USB cable.
Mount it high and to the side of the front door, same side as the lock, almost invisible.

The ELP-USB100W05MT-DL36

ELP HD IR Dome 720p USB camera

1/4in / 3.6mm lens, different resolution and frame sizes, USB2.0 cable (5m I think?)

Amazon for around $40.

Look at the other products, some suited for the home hobbyist.

quote:

Originally posted by cheeze:
Well dang it. I looked over their website and the only exterior camera they offer is battery operated which is not an option for me.

Wyze offers a cover to turn their cameras into one for exterior use…

https://www.amazon.com/Bracket...b3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl

I apologize for not mentioning that it must be WiFi operated as well. There is no computer for it to plug into, only a wireless network. It seems to be a bit of a unicorn of a camera after all.

quote:

Originally posted by cheeze:

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:
Did you look at the product I posted?

Yes it is battery operated and full 1080p. I’m looking for plug in and 720p

Look again. Yes: It has a battery. The battery can be charged (kept topped-off) by either a solar panel or plug-in USB charger. And, as I wrote in my first reply, you can almost certainly cut the resolution down to what you want. (The user's manual is probably available on-line.)

quote:

Originally posted by cheeze:
I apologize for not mentioning that it must be WiFi operated as well. There is no computer for it to plug into, only a wireless network.

WiFi or cellular? The camera I pointed-out is WiFi connected.

The Wyze cameras are Wifi and as someone pointed out, they have a kit to make one of their indoor models an outdoor one and those are all plug in (small plug in brick then USB to camera)

This message has been edited. Last edited by: PASig,

Link Amazon

5MP wireless IP dome camera, images show an external power connection as well as a standard network interface port in addition to WiFi.

That might be a good solution, run network cable to the camera and relegate the wifi connection to backup, you should get more reliable connectivity with hardwire.

The one Ensigmatic shows has external USB power so it would connect to 120 and it has a battery with solar charging, which would be even better as it would allow the camera to run in the event the cabin loses power, as long as you have a battery for the router.

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:
5MP wireless IP dome camera, ...

Dome cameras are generally a bad idea for outdoor use because the domes collect dust and pollen. Since the IR emitters are inside the dome, they end-up becoming more-and-more blind as that stuff accumulates.

For that reason, turret and bullet cameras are generally preferred for outdoor use.

Turret cameras are generally preferred over bullets because they are less inclined to collect spider webs.

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:
5MP wireless IP dome camera, ...

Dome cameras are generally a bad idea for outdoor use because the domes collect dust and pollen. Since the IR emitters are inside the dome, they end-up becoming more-and-more blind as that stuff accumulates.

For that reason, turret and bullet cameras are generally preferred for outdoor use.

Turret cameras are generally preferred over bullets because they are less inclined to collect spider webs.

You are correct.
Dome cams work fine in the daytime but can get IR reflections that cause issues at night

I use these and have had great luck with setup and use. No subscription to buy to just view the video but you can purchase features as needed.
You’ll have to assess how it will work with your Internet limitations. Hope this helps. They may have other models suitable for your needs.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d...ef=dp_ob_neva_mobile

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:
Maybe this: Pan Tilt Solar Battery Camera Outdoor Wireless

It's 1080P, but can probably be turned down to lower resolutions.

If I'm reading correctly this means if the battery takes a dive you have no choice but to trash the whole unit or run it off the usb port loosing the solar/battery if it will run at all with the battery going kaput.

Solar/Rechargeable Battery-Powered: Argus PT comes with a long-lasting but non-removeable rechargeable battery.