Surveillance/ Security Camera

[baltimorebear]

We have set up our trailer at a seasonal campground and are considering installing a battery operated camera to monitor any activity that may occur when we are not there. The campground power is shut off at the end of October to around the 1st of May. I have a few questions that I'm hoping someone can help me with. I'm looking at the outdoor type of camera that hunters use.

-if I set the camera up inside the trailer, pointing outside, will it still take pictures through the glass or will the motion detection be reduced ?
-what camera has the best battery life?
-which camera has the best quality photo?

Any suggestions, recommendations would be appreciated.

[Mustang65]

A few questions:
- How are you going to save/send the video? WI-FI/Cell Phone? Small computer?
- Are you leaving your TT batteries connected over the winter?
- Do you have a solar battery charger?
- Does the campground turn off the WI-FI over the winter?
- If you do not have a method of transmitting the video, there is not much use in the system. If someone breaks in they will take the camera and data storage.


I have 2 cameras (WI-FI) on the TT that I purchased from AirSight? The indoor camera has Left/Right/Up/Down movement if I want it. It uses wifi and I can look at it on my tablet anywhere.
- The video is not a major drain on a TT battery, but the combination of video and Night LED's will drain a more power. You will need to get them charged daily.
- Yes the motion detection will be affected, but should still work.
- The common cameras are 400TVL and 600TVL, I included a picture of both.
- AirSight has 2 versions of their cameras, wide angle/regular. The wide angle (not really that wide of an angle) will not give you the clarity of a regular camera (30 degree view).
- The higher the TVL (Television Lines) the more storage/data will be used.
- I have a NightOwl system on the house with both 400/600 TVI,
- if you have a sky-light in your roof, get a small solar panel/small battery controller and mount it under the sky-light, that should be enough to keep the TT batteries charged over the winter. Run the leads from your solar battery controller to the inside 12VDC plug.
- Pull the 12VDC fuses that go to the radio/CO sensor so they do not put a drain on the battery
If you want any additional info, let me know
Don
Picture on left is 400TVL, right is 600 TVL

[baltimorebear]

Thanks Mustang65 for your reply

A few questions:
- How are you going to save/send the video? WI-FI/Cell Phone? Small computer?-there is no wifi at the campground.

- Are you leaving your TT batteries connected over the winter?-Due to our cold winters I had planned on removing it, I believe you can buy auxillary battery packs to extend the camera battery life

- Do you have a solar battery charger?- no, but was thinking of getting one.

- Does the campground turn off the WI-FI over the winter? - no wifi.

- If you do not have a method of transmitting the video, there is not much use in the system. If someone breaks in they will take the camera and data storage.- I thought of that and my alternative location was in my storage shed that faces my trailer. The campground owner has a permanent residence at the entrance to the park and does check the parked trailers regularly. We live about 1/2 hour from the campground and was planning on doing a snow accumulation check after any major storms.

[Mustang65]

You still need a way to store the data collected by the camera. The extended battery pack will probably give you an extra day or two with the camera running 24/7, so that is not going to be an option, with out charging it. You need to get something to power the camera, data storage device and maintain a charge on the battery, as the battery will provide the camera power over night. I will check the power requirements on my cameras this afternoon. That should give us an idea as to how much power you should need, for the camera.
Don

[mikmurphy]

Our situation is not exactly the same, but I wanted a record of whomever enters our ranch. The driveway from our house to the highway is .9 mile; and the gate there is the ONLY access point to the ranch. For the past two years, I've used Dakota Alerts, battery-powered radio transmitters that are situated along our driveway. (They both are line-of-sight to the house.) If zone one alert goes off, followed by zone two alert, 30-45 seconds later, that tells me there is a vehicle on our driveway. Either one going off, w/o the other, likely indicates a deer, or other critter, or in times of high wind, pasture grasses. That works okay, but I still have to go outside to scope the driveway to see who might be coming in.

This summer, one of our new deer hunters clued me into a motion camera called the Little Acorn. Got one from Amazon for around $300. Signed up for an ATT sim account, and stuck the card in the camera and programed it to send a text image to my iPhone. Now, when something breaks the beam up near the gate, I get an image of whatever it is on my phone in about 45 seconds. Many times, it's just a deer or other critter; but when it's a car, I usually get a good view of the back of the vehicle including the license plate. The camera stores these images as 5 mp files on a 16GB SD. When it runs out of room, it starts over-writing the oldest files. When the AA batteries get low, I get a "low battery" text message.

This new system works very nicely for our situation; but it does require a) cell coverage, b) fresh batteries once a month, and c) the capability for you or your representative to see who might be arriving.

[Leigh and Barb]

I can't imagine having my camper in a campground where I would need a camera for security. The trailer would be coming home with me for the winter. We camp at a jellystone and never even lock the camper door when we go out. We use our camper in the winter and even at home, no locks. I feel bad for you all that have such issues. To me camping is supposed to be in nature where there is no stress. Good luck with your problem.

[baltimorebear]

Originally Posted by Leigh and Barb

I can't imagine having my camper in a campground where I would need a camera for security. The trailer would be coming home with me for the winter. We camp at a jellystone and never even lock the camper door when we go out. We use our camper in the winter and even at home, no locks. I feel bad for you all that have such issues. To me camping is supposed to be in nature where there is no stress. Good luck with your problem.

I certainly don't want to leave the wrong impression here, I have absolutely no problems with where my trailer is. I don't "need" a camera here. There has never been a "problem" at the park where we are. It is strictly peace of mind, being a retired police officer, I want to be prepared in case something does happen and I have potential evidence to pursue anyone who is of that frame of mind.

[clubhouse]

IMO, save your money on a camera solution and make sure you have quality insurance. Although if something did happen I too would want pictures for prosecution. In reality though, taking the whole trailer seems to be more common than simply getting in for contents, and if that is the case a camera inside leaves with the trailer.

[Mustang65]

Originally Posted by baltimorebear

I certainly don't want to leave the wrong impression here, I have absolutely no problems with where my trailer is. I don't "need" a camera here. There has never been a "problem" at the park where we are. It is strictly peace of mind, being a retired police officer, I want to be prepared in case something does happen and I have potential evidence to pursue anyone who is of that frame of mind.

If you really need to monitor your TT while in storage, I would go with Mikes suggestion using the camera/cell phone circuit. If I were in your position, like they suggested, I would just get a good insurance policy (read all the fine print first) and check on it monthly. Either way, you will need to replace the battery on Mike's suggestion monthly. Our TT is next to the house (surrounded by a 6' privacy fence), the TT's WI-FI runs 24/7 and the video (motion activated) is transmitted/stored in a secure location in the house, and I have a motion sensor on the inside of the TT and one by the batteries. The only reason I have this setup is because our house is on the county trail (runs for 39 miles, great for long walks/bike rides), and at night there have been some questionable individuals that use it heading south. No issues yet in 15 years, but better to be safe.

If it makes you feel better, pull any police reports for that storage location and base your options on that.

Don

[tinlizzie23]

I can identify with Leigh and Barb on this. Here in Page County VA, we seldom have crimes against property, and many folks do not lock their doors on their houses, let alone campers. But, maybe that has something to do with the fact that a substantial portion of our local citizens have concealed carry permits, and neighbors look out for one another. We also have a very good sheriff here, and his deputies keep a close eye on property.