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kittysmitty
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# Posted: 19 Aug 2018 06:50am
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I did not want to hijack sha748 post "My new satellite security camera", so I though i would post a new one.
I have a remote camp,solar, and not bad cell signal most of the time.
I'm also looking at a way to monitor the property remotely. To sum it up, I'm cheap. The satellite system is way to rich for my blood.
so if i read this correctly, I can have 100MB of Internet for $10 monthly.
https://www.bell.ca/Mobility/Cell_phone_plans/Turbo-Stick-and-Turbo-Hub-data-plans#IN T=SEARCH-Mobility-Cottage
What I am looking for is a system that I could send a request, and ask to have a low res picture sent or viewed. In addition it would be great to have an on site alarm system that I could check the status from time to time.
Looking forward to your comments.
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Brian Ray
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# Posted: 19 Aug 2018 11:21am - Edited by: Brian Ray
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I'm using the Blink XT cameras with a cellular hotspot https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XZWHBJ4/ref=fs_ods_vicc_BlinkXT
Example video of my property here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BT1aeavMOag
I have video quality set at 2 out of 3.
The system notifies of activity through an android/iphone app. Motion detection can be disabled to save data and snapshots can be taken at any time.
The cameras are battery powered and the base unit is powered by micro usb, the cellular hotspot I use is also micro usb powered. I haven't measured current draw, but It shouldn't take much of a solar system to keep it going. The cameras use lithium AA batteries, mine have been going about 7 months now.
I initially tried the Reolink Argus camera. I really wanted this camera to work being standalone, no base unit required. Unfortunately, the batteries would only last a few days. I replaced the camera thinking it was defective, second camera had the same problem. A friend bought the argus about the same time, his batteries last about 3 months. The batteries are a not so common type and a little spendy. I noticed Reolink has new cameras out now, maybe they've improved. Might be something to look into.
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Brian Ray
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# Posted: 19 Aug 2018 12:59pm - Edited by: Brian Ray
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Another thought – If the camera was inside the cabin, you most likely wouldn't get any motion detected unless there was an intrusion. You would use minimal data this way, yet still relieve instant notifications.
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Moomps
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# Posted: 20 Aug 2018 01:54pm
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I’ve been using the SPYPOINT link-EVO for over a year now and it works great. I put Lithium batteries in it last year and they’re still working. Mine works on the Verizon system and for $5/month I get 250 pictures a month. Here’s a picture of the door to my hunting cabin - the camera’s hanging up in a tree.
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kittysmitty
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# Posted: 20 Aug 2018 03:34pm
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Interesting. So once you bought the camera the only additional cost is $5 a month. Are you in the US? Is there no need for a cell phone plan? Does the camera send a picture once motion is detected? Thanks
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Moomps
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# Posted: 20 Aug 2018 07:41pm
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Yes - the cost is nothing if you can handle 100/month. It’s $5.00 per month for 250 pictures. I have mine set up to check the camera 6 times a day and to show me if there were any triggers. It can be set for instant response, but that may burn a lot of pictures. There are quite a few options.
I am in Minnesota and have good Verizon access. There is an option for ATT to I think.
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Wilbour
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# Posted: 21 Aug 2018 08:00am
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Quoting: kittysmitty Interesting. So once you bought the camera the only additional cost is $5 a month. Are you in the US? Is there no need for a cell phone plan?
I am fortunate enough to have a cabin near the Canada/US border. I believe I can receive a Cell signal from Verizon while located in Canada (will verify next time I visit the cabin)
I queried Skypoint and they said if I purchase a camera from an American retailer it will have an American Sim card. If I buy one from a Canadian Retailer it will have a Canadian sim card
The American plan is $5US for 250 pix/month while the Canadian plan is $10CAN for 250 pix/month.
Even with the exchange it's cheaper to use the American service.
Or just use the 100/month free plan. I believe Cabelas Canada had the cheapest camera for $299
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jhp
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# Posted: 17 Aug 2021 02:42pm
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If you want to step up to a system that is more interactive than a trail cam, you should be able to get by with wifi-enabled cameras.
Wyze (https://wyze.com/) makes inexpensive (~$40 USD each) wifi-only cameras that you can configure to record 24x7 to the local SD card and upload motion detection events to the cloud through your hotspot.
Using your cellular hotspot, you should be able to deploy these cameras and have a lot more "remote control" over them including getting live feed when you want and making adjustments right from your phone.
Wyze doesn't charge for the basic functionality and they allow unlimited posting of 12 second video clips to the cloud at no charge. Unlimited length motion detection is available for $2 per month per camera.
If you disabled the cloud upload event detection, you can still pull data from the camera on-demand over the web. Between that and just using it to provide a short few second live view maybe a couple times a week I would think you could fit that into a small data plan.
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