paddock camera for a non-techie

[Samigator]

Need some advice from any of you who have outdoor cameras for your paddocks.

I’m interested in setting up a camera (similar to a video baby monitor) on the outside of our barn that can look into our paddock. The reason for this is that the barn is 200’ from the house and we can’t see the main paddock from the house (it’s blocked by a garage and some trees). I’d like to be able to look at the monitor and see what the horses are doing if need be (noises, inclement weather, etc). A lot of the systems look like they record off of motion, but I want it to be a system where I can view it real-time any time I request, vs only when there’s motion detected, and don’t need recording ability. Having the ability for this to broadcast to wifi so I can check it on my phone or computer from off-site when I’m at work would be even better. We need good night vision and cold temperature tolerance being we live in Minnesota. The barn has electricity, but no wifi or phone line run directly to it, but I understand there are some devices or amplifiers that can help with that? We could have a line run to the barn next year if need be. The barn is also not heated or insulated, if that makes a difference for equipment.

I know I’ve seen a few suggestions floating around here and there, but wondering if anyone has experience with particular systems or advice on choosing one? Thanks in advance for your help!

[clanter]

@Samigator;8948028

but no wifi or phone line run directly to it, but I understand there are some devices or amplifiers that can help with that?

apparently so as the nearest house to me is 300 feet away, when I check my computers available connections I am getting 14 connections available with at least 2 bars

[ArabDiva]

I don’t have any experience with it, but I’ve been eyeing the Canary Flex for the same purpose.

https://canary.is/flex/

[FreshAir]

[QUOTE=ArabDiva;8949054]
I don’t have any experience with it, but I’ve been eyeing the Canary Flex for the same purpose.

https://canary.is/flex/[/QUOTE]

This looks interesting but it also looks like it is in beta mode. Weird that your plan splits the time between devices if you have more than one. The Nest system seems popular. We need a Consumer Reports or Wired article on this! So many features to sort out.

[FreshAir]

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2475954,00.asp

[Amwrider]

I just use a baby monitor that I got at WalMart. It doesn’t require wifi, it has camera and sound and infrared so it still shows a clear picture at nighttime.

The system I got has two cameras that I can switch back and forth, my barn is about 400 foot from the house I think.

I paid about $130 for it. The only drawback is that it doesn’t record.

[Samigator]

thanks for the suggestions! one issue I seem to be finding is that a lot of the cameras don’t work when it’s real cold outside… the canary and another one we looked at (Arlo, I think?) are only rated to 14 degrees… so they won’t do us any good for a couple of months of the year when we probably need them most…

Amwrider- is that baby monitor camera good outside in the cold/wind/rain? I could see a baby monitor working well inside the barn, but I’m talking about outside.

[Samigator]

FreshAir- from what I’ve found researching today, Nest does seem to be the best. I’m confused about their subscription service though. Sounds like you have to pay if you want recorded video history and instant motion alerts. Since I’m not really using it as a security camera so much as just wanting to be able to see the area on demand (and I sure as heck don’t want motion alerts or it would be dinging constantly!), I don’t think this is such a big downfall… but maybe I’m not reading it right?

[gypsymare]

Correct on the subscription. You don’t have to pay just to see the live feed.

[Samigator]

thought I would follow up on this for anyone interested.

I decided on the Nest products which seem to be the most widely available, highest rated and dummy-proof camera system with the type of set-up I’m looking for with the best temperature range. I then installed a Netgear wireless extender in our detached garage to get the signal out to the barn. Now our wifi is pretty slow to begin with, so the video is not ideal, but I might reposition things to see how that affects the quality.

Anyhow, so far so good! I can pull up the video on my laptop or iPhone whenever I want and get a view into the paddock. It doesn’t see super far, but again, I think I can work on repositioning it as it’s probably getting some interference from our yard light mounted nearby, inhibiting it’s night vision.

[FreshAir]

Thank you for posting this. I am getting ready for one in the spring.

[ArabDiva]

nice! thanks for the update!
i’ll be really interested in how the Nest performs in colder weather.

[Amwrider]

Amwrider- is that baby monitor camera good outside in the cold/wind/rain? I could see a baby monitor working well inside the barn, but I’m talking about outside.

I am in FL so I do t know if it works in the.cold. I have it under the roofline of the barn so it isn’t directly exposed to wet weather. it is aMotorola MBP25

[ThirdCharm]

Ring.com has a outdoor night vision wifi cloud recording security camera which can be powered by rechargeable battery or optional $50 solar panel. -5d to 120d Fahrenheit operating temp range. I’m going to try one of those at our barn with a wifi extender since it is a ways from our house… No computer required, just your smartphone.

Jennifer

[BroncoMo]

Following so I can find this again

[Samigator]

I believe the outdoor nest cam is rated 120 F to - 4 F. That will do for most of our year. It does get below that range here for a short time, but we will see what happens.

Thought I would share some short clips so you can see its performance.

daylight (feeding last evening just before dusk):
day time

night time (2:30 this am- I will admit the true night vision is not that great from what I’ve seen on our other cam, but it’s quite good in low light- this is positioned pretty close to where we have our yard light on the barn): night time

I like that this one plugs in to power as I don’t want to be monkeying with changing batteries, though I can understand the battery feature would make them more portable with a greater variety of placement options. I also like that this one isn’t just triggered by activity (I believe Arlo system only shows video if there is activity, whereas I can open up the video on my phone any time of day or night and see what’s happening on demand).

[Paige777]

[QUOTE=Amwrider;8950992]
I just use a baby monitor that I got at WalMart. It doesn’t require wifi, it has camera and sound and infrared so it still shows a clear picture at nighttime.

The system I got has two cameras that I can switch back and forth, my barn is about 400 foot from the house I think.

I paid about $130 for it. The only drawback is that it doesn’t record.[/QUOTE]

Would you mind sharing the name/brand of the system that you ended up buying? It sounds like exactly what I’m looking for. Thank you!

[ThirdCharm]

After reading online reviews it sounds like the ring.com camera doesn’t have great night vision, so I’ve ordered the nest. Not going to do the subscription route since I only want it for monitoring barn activity (mainly broody mares at night). I am planning on getting the ring stickup cameras for areas with no power access that I want daytime live monitoring on (our driveways), and I am thinking for areas requiring ‘intruder ID if anything is missing’ capability a high-res nighttime trail cam might be best. No subscription required…

Samigator, what model net gear extender did you setup? Did you need a laptop/cd drive to set it up?

Jennifer

[Samigator]

@ThirdCharm;8957345

Samigator, what model net gear extender did you setup? Did you need a laptop/cd drive to set it up?

I got the Netgear AC750. It’s kindof a middle of the road product, but it does the job okay. I think it has to extend the signal 100 or so ft beyond where the existing wifi range covers. If I had to do it again, I might get one with a little more oomph even, but didn’t want to spend a lot on it. I’d highly recommend ordering one on Amazon- best prices for sure!

None of the extenders specify their range in actual measurements of feet or otherwise. rather frustrating! Set up was very easy following their instructions that were included. I did need to use my laptop, but no CD or software needed. set up is easier if you have a router with the proper buttons on it (mine is not that fancy, so I had to do it the “hard way,” which in the end just took a few minutes longer but wasn’t technically difficult).

As to the night vision- if you have true darkness it’s not very good except for within probably 10-15 feet you can make out shapes. If you have some light, even snow on the ground or light pollution from a city in the background, that helps tremendously. The night video I posted is near a very strong yard light, so it really lights up the area well.

[TheJenners]

Wow this is excellent! Totally what I want…

Somewhat off topic but related: how do the live feed Web cams work? Like the nesting eagles, etc. Was considering putting the burrito paddock live for enjoyment of all plus extra security for dogs.