[SOLVED] Live Feed Local-Only Security Cam

[harryrutland]

Hello all--

We have a coyote problem in our neighborhood, so I've set up a system to watch our yard live to keep track of two small dogs. Using an old Windows PC with a USB camera and an app called Yawcam, we live-stream to another computer inside the house just by hitting the outdoor computer's IP in a browser, all on our home network.

My wife would like to replace the big weather-proof box I built to house the computer/camera with something small, but I've run into issues. All the "IP Cameras" we've looked at require that the viewing computer runs special software--and some don't even have that, you can only run the app on a mobile device. I assume it's streaming up to some server on the cloud and then we have to pull it back down, because the lag is several seconds.

I guess what I'm looking for is kind of a CCTV system, maybe?

Is there a type of camera or setup that can duplicate this? I need to be able to view the feed live with little to no lag on a large monitor, not a phone or tablet, and I'm sure my wife will strongly object if there's an additional piece of hardware, like a DVR or something, so I'd love to be able to see it using the PC that's already there. I don't need any recording capacity.

Thanks for your help!

 

[kanewolf]

Hello all--

We have a coyote problem in our neighborhood, so I've set up a system to watch our yard live to keep track of two small dogs. Using an old Windows PC with a USB camera and an app called Yawcam, we live-stream to another computer inside the house just by hitting the outdoor computer's IP in a browser, all on our home network.

My wife would like to replace the big weather-proof box I built to house the computer/camera with something small, but I've run into issues. All the "IP Cameras" we've looked at require that the viewing computer runs special software--and some don't even have that, you can only run the app on a mobile device. I assume it's streaming up to some server on the cloud and then we have to pull it back down, because the lag is several seconds.

I guess what I'm looking for is kind of a CCTV system, maybe?

Is there a type of camera or setup that can duplicate this? I need to be able to view the feed live with little to no lag on a large monitor, not a phone or tablet, and I'm sure my wife will strongly object if there's an additional piece of hardware, like a DVR or something, so I'd love to be able to see it using the PC that's already there. I don't need any recording capacity.

Thanks for your help!

I have amcrest cameras -- https://amcrest.com/ip-cameras.html they don't REQUIRE anything other than a web browser for live view. Yawcam should support them also.

 

[harryrutland]

Thanks--any recommendations on particular models? Looks like at least one of them is showing someone holding a cell phone, leading me to suspect something similar to the ones I've already seen/tried.

 

[kanewolf]

Thanks--any recommendations on particular models? Looks like at least one of them is showing someone holding a cell phone, leading me to suspect something similar to the ones I've already seen/tried.

Can you use a cell phone? Sure. Do you HAVE to? No.
Is setup with a cell phone simpler? Maybe. If you aren't comfortable setting up devices by using the built-in webserver, then maybe these aren't the right choice. I didn't have to do anything other than plug it into a POE injector adn search in my router for the DHCP address that was assigned.

 

[harryrutland]

Oh, that sounds pretty much the same as Yawcam! So you just aim a browser at the IP of the camera? Do you need to specify a particular port?

 

[kanewolf]

Oh, that sounds pretty much the same as Yawcam! So you just aim a browser at the IP of the camera? Do you need to specify a particular port?

I believe you can specify specific ports. The 4K night vision camera is $100. That is what I have over my front door. If you DO want an app for phone or tablet, I recommend IP Camera Viewer.

 

[USAFRet]

I have a set of Reolink cameras that would do exactly this.
Currently 2, soon to be 4 once I get them new ones installed.

PoE (power over ethernet) so you just need the one cable per camera.

Application on a PC, or optionally also on the phone.

PanTiltZoom, good night vision, fully waterproof, etc, etc.

Reolink RLC-423 (Refurbished) - 5MP PTZ PoE Security IP Camera | Reolink Official

Meet Reolink RLC-423 (Refurbished), a 5 megapixel pan tilt zoom PoE security camera for outdoor/indoor use. 4X optical zoom, night vision, motion detection, remote live view, etc.

reolink.com

I have mine recording 24/7.
30 days of recording is ~1.5TB drive space.

 

[harryrutland]

I re-tried one of the IP cameras I had before, and I couldn't find it on my network (looking at connected devices on my router), despite being able to see it using their app on my phone. Why would it not show up there?

 

[kanewolf]

I re-tried one of the IP cameras I had before, and I couldn't find it on my network (looking at connected devices on my router), despite being able to see it using their app on my phone. Why would it not show up there?

Static IP devices don't always show up in the device list on a router. Use the fing app on your phone -- https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.overlook.android.fing
That app will list all pingable devices on your network.

 

[harryrutland]

I didn't set it up on a static IP--it should have been assigned by DHCP. I'll try that app, though.

 

[harryrutland]

Alright, I believe I was able to get the correct IP address using the fing app, but when I point a browser at it, I just get "no response." Fing says there's only one port open, but adding that to the address doesn't get me in either. Does this mean I just need to get a different camera, like one of the Amcrests?

 

[punkncat]

I am/was a (low voltage) security professional in a previous incarnation. I have installed a whole bunch of camera systems from back in the Siamese cable days where 480 was considered a good resolution, up to modern wired and wireless versions. I have come to very much enjoy camera systems such as Arlo and Nest. They are super simple, easy to deal with, and they just work well for what they are.

I typically use the Arlo where it's tough or unsightly to get a cable to, and a Nest (which I prefer) where I can.

 

[harryrutland]

Can you connect to the Nest via a browser on a PC?

 

[punkncat]

Can you connect to the Nest via a browser on a PC?

Yes.

 

[harryrutland]

thanks all! Looks like I need to do some additional shopping for one of the above-mentioned pieces of hardware.