how to monitor home via camera/laptop?

blackcloud

Hello all

I am wondering if anyone can recommend a camera of some kind to monitor a room in your property and be able to watch it from your laptop when you are not home or if you are abroad on holiday? Something that also has night vision? I just want the cheapest possible thing available. SOmething simple too as I am not technically minded at all.

ALso can anyone recommend something that is battery operated a light of some kind that gives the appearance that someone is home if you are out? I know there are plenty of mains powered fake tvs etc but I would feel nervous leaving something like that plugged in if I happen to be away.

googler

The Arlo system allows you to switch camera on/off from your mobile device, or leave it dormant, to be activated by motion, at which point the system alerts your mobile to the activity. Night vision included. You need an operational wireless router with internet connection.

Many mains timers are available to switch lights on/off at random. If you're nervous about leaving it whilst you're away, set it running a fortnight before you leave, operating whilst you're in the house. If it doesn't fail then, it's no more likely to fail while you're away.

blackcloud

THanks for the reply.
Do you know of any battery operated lights that I could put on a timer?

Do you think a battery operated light is safer than a light plugged into a wall socket?

forgotmyname

Not really battery items can short circuit also, batteries can also leak.

Cheapest thing an IP camera off ebay?

Nervous of leaving something plugged in? Do you power your router off when not using it? What about your cooker or boiler or other heating systems?

Pull the fuse from your lighting circuits?

Just dont buy unbranded chinese power adapters. I buy lots from China but the PSU's go in the bin and i make my own or buy UK, branded ones.

You need an always on internet connection to access your camera etc. This is to protect one room? Wont the other residents notice your not there when you do not come and go for a few days? Especially if shared facilities.

My neighbours know we are going away before we do.

bsod

not much of a holiday staring at cctv from afar worrying about break-ins... alarm.

blackcloud

Not really battery items can short circuit also, batteries can also leak.

Could a Battery operated LED light catch fire?

forgotmyname

I had an LED lamp from the £1 shop explode. It was one of those ring lights.

I inserted the batteries and turned it over to see all the lights. It wasnt very bright, with one orange LED not white.
Turned it over again to check the batteries, all seated fine. As i turned it over again the orange LED exploded and a piece hit me on the bridge of my nose.

Very luckly it didnt get me in my eye. So the answer is yes, anything electrical can start a fire.

Seen the electric fly swatter bats? I used one of those to light my gas torch when the self ignition failed. 2 AA batteries = enough power to give you a good zap and more than enough to make a vicar swear. A decent sized spark also.

Ever more demand to get more and more light from an LED so they drive them harder and harder, LEDs used to be dim little glowworms that drew virtually no power. Power one for weeks from an virtually dead battery with a jewel thief.

You think your turning everything off at the mains, but how many of those appliances have large capacitors that have stored a charge in them?
Watch some of the electronics channels on youtube, they often short out capacitors before touching any circuit. Even if the device has not been used for a long time.

I took a thro away camera apart and the flash was powered by a large capacitor and oh my did it go with a crack when i shorted it, the thing was so old the batteries were totally dead and had leaked and eaten the battery terminals.

Everything in lifes a risk. If electricity scares you then you wouldnt want to live near me. I took an angle grinder to a gas bottle, sparks oh yes lots...
I melt aluminium and create castings in the back garden temperatures of over 800 degrees) and currently building an electric furnace from some £1.25 wire off ebay.

When i plug that in you will probably hide behind the couch

forgotmyname

Sidetracked. Your internet needs to be always on and your camera needs to be always on and it needs some form of lighting. And unless you watch it 24/7 yourself you need something to record which needs to be on 24/7 also.

Mr_Toad

I bought a cheap Chinese remote IP camera off fleabay, mainly just to play with and see what they were capable of.

It cost just under £20 and for the money it's very impressive. I can control it from my mobile, it usually sits on the window sill looking out but I can remotely turn it to look indoors. What really surprised me was the picture quality, it really is better than I thought it would be for the money.

You can listen to what's going on via the built in mic and even speak through the internal speaker.

Something like this.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Tenvis-Wireless-WiFi-HD-720P-IP-Camera-Home-Security-Network-CCTV-Night-Vision-/262578716953?hash=item3d22e94119:g:tZsAAOSwo4pYNuo4

As already stated I did replace the Chinese power supply with a UK one though.

blackcloud

Thanks for the replies, it funny because people say if you go away then you have to turn off all electrics, so I was going to buy some of those timed switches for the lamps and a fake tv to plug into the wall which are suppose to be for when people go on holiday but then people said oh no you cant leave electrics plugged in if you go on holiday....?? So thought well Ill buy some battery operated LED lights but now from what people are saying is that they too can catch fire...so just dont know what to do if Im on holiday....? either use the battery operated LED lights or use no form of burglar deterrent

victor2

Switch off many things, such as the cooker, TV etc. Buy a mains driven timer socket and use it to control a table lamp with an LED bulb in it. Set the on/off times to something appropriate for the time you'll be away, such as 6pm to midnight.
We have that and use it all year round in the hallway, as it's nice to come home in the dark to a house you can see in.
Forget monitoring the house remotely. What are you going to do if you see an intruder and you're sitting on a remote beach somewhere? Enjoy your holiday, don't spend it monitoring your house.