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Webcam at my allotment.

Seek assistance with all types of tech. - computer, phone, TV, heating controls etc.
Avantegarde
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Webcam at my allotment.

#429735

Postby Avantegarde » July 22nd, 2021, 6:22 pm

I would like to install some sort of camera on my shed at my allotment plot so I can see, via my phone, what is going on when I am not there. Friends have suggested a Ring video doorbell. The problem is that there is no power supply to the plot. Can I sensibly rig up something using a battery to power the camera? And how would I go about establishing the wi-fi link which I presume will be necessary?

GrahamPlatt
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Re: Webcam at my allotment.

#429737

Postby GrahamPlatt » July 22nd, 2021, 6:27 pm


GeoffF100
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Re: Webcam at my allotment.

#429749

Postby GeoffF100 » July 22nd, 2021, 7:31 pm

As one of GrahamPlatt's links suggest, I can be relied upon to suggest a Raspberry Pi solution:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YUM7jio6dk

If the allotment is out of range for WiFi, you will need a cell phone connection:

https://magpi.raspberrypi.org/articles/ ... i-cellular

Battery power:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPyDtuzYE5s

GeoffF100
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Re: Webcam at my allotment.

#429772

Postby GeoffF100 » July 22nd, 2021, 9:42 pm

Another approach is to remote control an old mobile phone, e.g.:

https://www.freshtechtips.com/2016/02/r ... ablet.html

Mike4
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Re: Webcam at my allotment.

#429814

Postby Mike4 » July 23rd, 2021, 4:47 am

GeoffF100 wrote:As one of GrahamPlatt's links suggest, I can be relied upon to suggest a Raspberry Pi solution:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YUM7jio6dk

If the allotment is out of range for WiFi, you will need a cell phone connection:

https://magpi.raspberrypi.org/articles/ ... i-cellular

Battery power:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPyDtuzYE5s


AND you can use a solar panel to keep the battery charged indefinitely, so no need to keep taking it home to re-charge it.

yorkshirelad1
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Re: Webcam at my allotment.

#429879

Postby yorkshirelad1 » July 23rd, 2021, 10:54 am

Avantegarde wrote:I would like to install some sort of camera on my shed at my allotment plot so I can see, via my phone, what is going on when I am not there. Friends have suggested a Ring video doorbell. The problem is that there is no power supply to the plot. Can I sensibly rig up something using a battery to power the camera? And how would I go about establishing the wi-fi link which I presume will be necessary?


and make sure the camera only covers your own property, and not other people or other people's property or you might want to read up on GDPR.

Infrasonic
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Re: Webcam at my allotment.

#429968

Postby Infrasonic » July 23rd, 2021, 4:39 pm

https://www.androidcentral.com/how-turn ... ity-camera

How to turn an old Android phone into a security camera
Cont.

kempiejon
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Re: Webcam at my allotment.

#429978

Postby kempiejon » July 23rd, 2021, 6:52 pm

yorkshirelad1 wrote:
Avantegarde wrote:I would like to install some sort of camera on my shed at my allotment plot so I can see, via my phone, what is going on when I am not there. Friends have suggested a Ring video doorbell. The problem is that there is no power supply to the plot. Can I sensibly rig up something using a battery to power the camera? And how would I go about establishing the wi-fi link which I presume will be necessary?


and make sure the camera only covers your own property, and not other people or other people's property or you might want to read up on GDPR.


As per the op
so I can see, via my phone, what is going on when I am not there.
that sounds like a live feed - in my limited knowledge as they're not keeping any data (recording the feed) that's be outside of scope of GDPR. Still perhaps the OP does want to record so probably worth checking how the GDPR impacts anyway.

Bminusrob
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Re: Webcam at my allotment.

#430079

Postby Bminusrob » July 24th, 2021, 9:34 am

Avantegarde wrote:I would like to install some sort of camera on my shed at my allotment plot so I can see, via my phone, what is going on when I am not there. Friends have suggested a Ring video doorbell. The problem is that there is no power supply to the plot. Can I sensibly rig up something using a battery to power the camera? And how would I go about establishing the wi-fi link which I presume will be necessary?

To answer the original question re Ring video doorbells:

You could use a car battery - something with a fairly large store of power. You can then connect a car cigarette lighter connector to the battery using one of these:

https://www.eurocarparts.com/p/carpoint ... -550775000

Then you need a power inverter such as:

https://www.duracelldirect.co.uk/pno/drinv15-uk.html

This provides you with 2 240V sockets (and 2 USB sockets). Plug your Ring device into this, and Hey Presto, power.

pochisoldi
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Re: Webcam at my allotment.

#430138

Postby pochisoldi » July 24th, 2021, 4:32 pm

Bminusrob wrote:
Avantegarde wrote:I would like to install some sort of camera on my shed at my allotment plot so I can see, via my phone, what is going on when I am not there. Friends have suggested a Ring video doorbell. The problem is that there is no power supply to the plot. Can I sensibly rig up something using a battery to power the camera? And how would I go about establishing the wi-fi link which I presume will be necessary?

To answer the original question re Ring video doorbells:

You could use a car battery - something with a fairly large store of power. You can then connect a car cigarette lighter connector to the battery using one of these:

https://www.eurocarparts.com/p/carpoint ... -550775000

Then you need a power inverter such as:

https://www.duracelldirect.co.uk/pno/drinv15-uk.html

This provides you with 2 240V sockets (and 2 USB sockets). Plug your Ring device into this, and Hey Presto, power.


An inverter is a last resort device - it gives you two layers of inefficiency - the DC to AC conversion is inefficient, and the AC to DC conversion is inefficient, and the two figures compound losses - a 90% efficient inverter married with a 90% efficient adaptor will turn 1VAh of battery power into 0.81VAh of camera power (1 x 0.9 x 0.9). (And 90% efficiency is the best you can hope for). Or put it another way a 12v 7Ah battery directly feeding a 12V @ 500mA load (i.e. zero losses), will nominally run for 14hrs, feed the same load through an 90% efficient inverter and a 90% efficient adaptor, and you'll get 11.34hrs.

If the device being powered can handle 11 to 15V, connect it directly to the battery via an appropriate fuse. (the fuse is not optional - a lead acid battery can deliver a lot of current, easily enough to start a fire)

If the device requires 5V (or can run at 5V) and pulls less than 2A, then use a car USB adapter - again with a fuse in the 12v supply.
Note that some devices that claim to need 7.5V or 6V are happy running on 5V, albeit with a higher current demand.

For devices requiring >5V and upto 12V, I'd use a switched mode power supply module from eBay, again fused 12V supply, with the output adjusted to suit the device.

For more than 12V, the choice is either get two batteries in series, and use a power supply module, or go for the inverter+adapter route, or look for a device which is less fussy.

If the device takes batteries, then 3x 1.5V batteries can be replaced by a 5V usb adaptor.
4x1.5V batteries may work with a 5V USB adaptor, but some devices may complain, as 5V may appear to the device as four dead/dying batteries.

Also note that a wet "car battery" is designed to be regularly deeply discharged when starting an engine and then charged up straight away. If this type of battery gets deeply discharged it won't last as long.
A wet "deep cycle" or "Leisure battery" is designed for long discharges, followed by a full top up, and will survive a few cycles of being left deeply discharged. Another alternative are lead gel batteries (aka AGM battery) which have the advantage of working in any orientation (i.e. nothing to spill out).

servodude
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Re: Webcam at my allotment.

#430201

Postby servodude » July 25th, 2021, 1:23 am

If you would rather not roll your own there are off the shelf products
Here's one example:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Reolink-Security-Rechargeable-Cellular-Colourful/dp/B07WVZFTMQ/

-sd


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