OT Digital camera mod

There is a hill between the camera site and my wireless router, will a wireless tcp/ip camera work at 1000' with a hill in between? What kind of transmitter is on the camera? I've never used that kind before.

Free men own guns - www(dot)geocities(dot)com/CapitolHill/5357/

Reply to
nick hull
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1000 feet isn't that far really. Co-ax could handle it with a signal amp on the feed end. Then you could connect up a cheap camera and have a live feed.
Reply to
Steve W.

Should work - it's radio. If it doesn't, put a repeater at the top of the hill. Same kind of transmitter as in the wireless adapter on your notebook, or in your wireless router.

Reply to
clare at snyder.on.ca

The R/C hobby industry has many wireless video modules for onboard video. Cheap. Range over 1k ft. You could run it real-time to the receiver and to a loop or frame program in a computer with a video card. JR Dweller in the cellar

nick hull wrote:

Reply to
JR North

Check your camera menu -- or (shudder) manual if you still have it. My Oly C2500 of similar vintage can be set to not turn itself off. Also, with the shutoff time set at one minute, I found that doing something with the IR remote (which I think is the same as used on the D300) periodically keeps the camera on. I just hit the W and Z zoom buttons.

The camera would need an external power supply of course, or the batteries will be consumed in a couple of hours. The IR remote could be simulated with an IR LED and appropriate drive elex.

Reply to
Don Foreman

Arcnet will do 2000 ft irrc. Wonder if they ever made pci cards for it?

Wes

Reply to
Wes

Why not the USB cameras ? Might be able to wireless some.

Look at Sams and Costco and like stores for security systems. For ideas. Martin

Mart> I know this is WAY OT but I need some clues to get started. I want to

Reply to
Martin H. Eastburn

Hmm ... note that the thing which seems to slow down the power-up cycle of most digital cameras is involved with the autofocus and the "live view" display.

In contrast, a *good* digital SLR (interchangeable lenses with the older film cameras for the most part) can power up much more quickly. An example is my Nikon D70 -- which (assuming that I've left the lens cap off) I can switch it on as I'm lifting it to my eye, and by the time it is there, it is ready to take pictures.

But the longest that it can be set to stay powered up is 30 minutes, IIRC. Note that just a touch on the shutter release button (to half-depressed) will wake it up as quickly.

The Digital SLRs happen to be the most expensive digital cameras in general, so are probably not what you want.

However -- what I would suggest is that you look at some of the digital video cameras. You'll need a video capture card on your computer to grab what it sends, of course, but it will stay on full time. These cameras can be obtained for very little (IIRC, I got one -- uncased but with lens -- for about $25.00 at a hamfest last summer. These are *made* to be security cameras.

Try looking at eBay auction #170182244508 for an example of a packaged one.

If you can involve a computer, and you simply watch and then hit a button to tell it to save a picture -- this should do.

Look at a used Digital SLR. Anything which does not try to use its display as a viewfinder should be pretty quick to turn on. And maybe you can find one inexpensive enough. Do you want to put it in a weatherproof housing -- or just bring it in when the weather threatens?

Good Luck, DoN.

Reply to
DoN. Nichols

They *do* go to sleep -- but wake up instantly with a half-press of the shutter release.

The D40 (or any of the Nikon Digital SLRs) are very close to instant on. If I switch my D70 on as I'm raising to my eye, it will be ready to take a picture by the time it gets there. And if the light is not terrible, the autofocus will be quick enough to be no problem.

Otherwise -- you can turn off autofocus -- and if you know how far away your subject will be, you can prefocus to eliminate even the little autofocus time.

Enjoy, DoN.

Reply to
DoN. Nichols

OK, the price is reasonable for the co-ax. There would be some problems routing & burying it but it's definitely possible. (since I would have to bury it I can also bury other wires in the same trench) Video cameras are reasonably cheap, the problem then comes in data processing inside my home. I do NOT want to watch live video and am most interested in events that occur when I'm gone or sleeping, so I guess I would need some gismo that would record when x pixel changes occur. Does that mean a dedicated computer with a huge hard drive? My present Mac only has 6 gB, I assume I would have to buy another dedicated computer and software for the application - what is the software called?

nick

Free men own guns - www(dot)geocities(dot)com/CapitolHill/5357/

Reply to
nick hull

OK, I get a vision of camera-(radio)-wireless router-computer. I tried googling on wireless cameras but never saw any mention of range. Do I look for a dedicated radio and how does it fit to the camera? I have a cheap camera now, what is the (radio) called that transmits the camera to my wireless router.

May sound like stupid questions, but my computer has no wireless connection so I'm using a wireless router with wires connected (Linksys WRT54G).

Free men own guns - www(dot)geocities(dot)com/CapitolHill/5357/

Reply to
nick hull

I guess I need to find a semi-cheap one with a mechanical on-off switch. I found one on ebay but it has no provision for remote operation.

Free men own guns - www(dot)geocities(dot)com/CapitolHill/5357/

Reply to
nick hull

I don't need autofocus, I know the distance to a good enough approx., and I would not use the live view display. How do I look look a camera that LACKS these common features?

A nuisance to be sure for remote opeation

True, the camera will be at risk from weather and vandals.

Finding a video camera is easy, getting the signal 1000' and recording it is tougher. I cannot simply capture the entire feed, often 24 hrs goes by without a significant 'event'.

I want it principally when I CANNOT watch, when I'm sleeping or gone.

It will stay in the weather 24/365, I'll make a housing to protect it.

Free men own guns - www(dot)geocities(dot)com/CapitolHill/5357/

Reply to
nick hull

This camera

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a digital SLR, and it does have a setting where it stays on. The LCD display is not active except possibly after a shot -- and that can also be turned off.

It can be triggered by IR remote. There is no direct connection to the camera, but an electrically-triggered (and silent) IR remote would be simple enough to make -- or modify the one that comes with the camera or an available replacement. (They're available for about $29)

I have one of these cameras. It's dated, but still an excellent camera. I don't lust for a newer one.

There is no provision for external power supply, but one could easily contrive something to go in the battery compartment. It uses 5 to 5.2 volts DC, normally supplied by four NiMH AA cells.

Another possibility might be a cheap laptop 'puter and a webcam. House the laptop in a suitably secure container. A cheap laptop would cost considerably less than a current-model digital SLR. Thousands of .jpg images can be stored on the harddrive of even an old laptop.

Reply to
Don Foreman

Have you ever tried to send usable video over miles of coax, without the proper equalizers? We used a modulator/demodulator to move video a half mile, over .500 75 Ohm hardline for a live feed at a TV station, back in the late '80s. You can pick up a lot of 60 HZ hum, due to ground differentials at a half mile, as well.

Reply to
Michael A. Terrell

Hi Nick,

Have you found this do-it-yourself trail camera site yet?

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They have some boards, mods, a bit of camera info that may be helpful. I haven't dealt with them, just came across them while searching for something...

Sometimes the site is a little pokey loading, be patient.

Reply to
Leon Fisk

How about wireless networking cameras?

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Reply to
Michael A. Terrell

A program called Gotchya! does just that, triggers a few second of video or snapshots from a web cam, when ever selected areas (you select them) change by some percent.

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have used the share ware version.

jk

Reply to
jk

Boo----Hisss---- Those jackasses are NOT worth dealing with. jk

Reply to
jk

I wonder how much bandwidth an ordinary 56K dialup modem requires to work. Phone lines are nominally 300 Hz to 3000 Hz but I think most are better than that.

Inexpensive voice-bandwidth "walkie talkie" VHF and UHF radios are readily available that easily work over a range of 1000 feet (more like miles) without direct LOS contact.

A webcam probably needs a PC to work, but old PC's are easily found for 50 bux or so. Once you get it going, it needn't even have a monitor. I see a used 600-MHz Dell Portege laptop on Ebay for $159 with 6 minutes to go.

Reply to
Don Foreman

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