Security Camera

50Twuncle

We want to fit a security Camera up in our garden

I have been looking at IP ones - to connect (wirelessly) to the router - a TalkTalk Huawei one, with a USB port (to which, I assume/hope) it is possible to plug in a USB hard drive - to save having to leave a PC running 24/7 ?
We want to cover a fairly wide area - so are wondering whether any cameras can cover 180 degrees (with software re-formatting the image to a "flat" image) - rather than having to use 2 cameras ?
Power for the camera. I am wondering whether a solar panel, charging a 12v battery was an option ?
How much power do cameras use ?

Any advice welcome.

Le_Kirk

Check the battery specs for power consumption. Wireless, battery operated burglar alarms work with solar powered charging of a 12 v battery but don't know how much power they consume.
Not sure that you can get a lens that will cover 180 degrees but maybe someone will be along to let you know of one.

kwikbreaks

I doubt you'll find an IP camera that will record to a USB card in your router. Some do come with SD card slots but I'd worry about their weatherproofing and it's pretty much guaranteed that any incident you want to see will happen when you've forgotten to switch cards.

I'd suggest that your best bet is a purpose built CCTV DVR. Typically they will record from 1-4 cameras with some supporting 8. A couple of simple dome cameras will cover a pretty wide field of view. Somebody will doubtless recommend Maplin but there are cheaper sources. This would not bea wireless solution though.

Owain_Moneysaver

It is possible to record to a USB drive attached to the router, but
- your router must support this (usually a SAMBA network share)
- your camera must support this (look for SAMBA network share in its file upload / network specifications
- often the upload will be multiple small files which can make browsing and finding the recording you want difficult.

180 degree cameras are available but because you have such a large viewing angle, the useful resolution will be much lower than a camera with a narrower angle.

bod1467

Are you actually trying to capture something? Or are you merely wanting it as a deterrent? If the latter then a dummy camera might be just as useful as a fully-working system. (Especially if it has a battery-powered LED in it).

50Twuncle

bod1467 wrote: »

Are you actually trying to capture something? Or are you merely wanting it as a deterrent? If the latter then a dummy camera might be just as useful as a fully-working system. (Especially if it has a battery-powered LED in it).

We have two reasons for wanting to record from a camera
1. We have animals digging holes in the garden and are wondering what they are
2. We sometimes find the garden gate open, first thing in the morning - so are looking for a deterrent