Looking into buying a camera for my coop.

[Chicken_man_J]

Planning on getting a camera that I can install in my coop, I searched this site and many without determining my choice. I know there are several versions. Want to get one without a subscription. Let me know what you use and how you view it. Not looking to spend a lot of money. Please give me suggestions with pros and cons. Thank you.

 

[Intuit]

Planning on getting a camera that I can install in my coop, I searched this site and many without determining my choice. I know there are several versions. Want to get one without a subscription. Let me know what you use and how you view it. Not looking to spend a lot of money. Please give me suggestions with pros and cons. Thank you.

Were has a decent camera. It's wifi and you don't need a subscription.

 

[Mother of Chaos]

Were has a decent camera. It's wifi and you don't need a subscription.

Did your phone change the brand name from Wyze? I haven't heard of a Were. (I've been looking, too.)

My phone's auto-corrupt is almost out of control these days.

 

[Intuit]

Did your phone change the brand name from Wyze? I haven't heard of a Were. (I've been looking, too.)

My phone's auto-corrupt is almost out of control these days.

yes sorry for not checking the spelling

 

[Anon112]

I've used two kinds of cameras in my time:

1) A battery powered wildlife camera. This takes several batteries and you put an SD card inside of it. You have a choice of taking stills or recording video.

Pros: Not connected to the internet, so no risk of someone hacking it to see what the camera sees. I have this little USB thing that you put the SD card inside and put in my computer, super easy. Made to capture images in the dark. Very easy to mount. I used the straps that came with it to put it on a vinegar jug filled with water then I put the jug so the camera is pointed where I want it.
Cons: Obviously you have to manually remove the SD card every time you want to see what the camera has captured.

2) Ring cameras. I have a Ring camera plugged in on the exterior of my house that points at my chicken run.

Pros: I can see a live view at any time from my phone, even when not home. It is motion sensor, and you can program which areas of the yard it pays attention to and which it ignores. It keeps video for a while, so I can go back a few days to check out activity. Takes like 5-10 minutes to install and connect to the phone.

Cons: All the usual worries about having video footage on the cloud/via wifi. Doesn't work when my power goes out.

 

[Mother of Chaos]

I've used two kinds of cameras in my time:

1) A battery powered wildlife camera. This takes several batteries and you put an SD card inside of it. You have a choice of taking stills or recording video.

Pros: Not connected to the internet, so no risk of someone hacking it to see what the camera sees. I have this little USB thing that you put the SD card inside and put in my computer, super easy. Made to capture images in the dark. Very easy to mount. I used the straps that came with it to put it on a vinegar jug filled with water then I put the jug so the camera is pointed where I want it.
Cons: Obviously you have to manually remove the SD card every time you want to see what the camera has captured.

2) Ring cameras. I have a Ring camera plugged in on the exterior of my house that points at my chicken run.

Pros: I can see a live view at any time from my phone, even when not home. It is motion sensor, and you can program which areas of the yard it pays attention to and which it ignores. It keeps video for a while, so I can go back a few days to check out activity. Takes like 5-10 minutes to install and connect to the phone.

Cons: All the usual worries about having video footage on the cloud/via wifi. Doesn't work when my power goes out.

Nice summary!

 

[thecatumbrella]

Aqara cameras have no subscription. Same with Eufy (to my knowledge). I really want a 24/7 cam in my chicken run that I can stream to my laptop. Shopping around now. We're using a Ring cam at the moment, but it cuts you off after 20 minutes (and requires a subscription).

 

[Zanja]

I use an older Arlo camera. Uses battery and wifi. As for constant streaming I don't think it will do that but you can log in and watch for a bit

 

[Airyaman]

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CZ41MQF9?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_2

Solar powered, no prescription, can pan and tilt.

 

[SnackMeat]

I use a knockoff solar charging one though I haven't hooked up the solar panel yet. I just grab it to recharge inside and then it's good for two weeks or more.

It does use O-Kam Pro app which is a trash app that you should just assume it taking your info.

I don't buy the subscription and I get around 3 days of video before I have to delete.


For live video I can turn on a light, an alarm, talk to whoever through the intercom. Hearing sound back isn't the greatest though. I suppose it would be better if installed in a complete windbreak.

My SO needed to install a mesh network to expand ( https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesh_networking )

to get coverage the hundred or so feet out to where we needed it. I haven't tried running a camera inside one of the outbuildings that previously blocked wifi, so not sure how well it works with stucco/cement/metal possibly messing with signal.

This is what the O-Kam dashboard looks like on my phone. You can have a tablet and have a bigger picture, or sometimes if the possums are being especially curious, I can choose one of the cameras (each camera is actually two cameras. A stationary one and one that can pan left/right/up/down.) I have a second camera and soon a third camera so once those are installed, on my app dashboard I can pick one: say, The Birbs, The Entrance, The Garden and when I pick one, the camera wakes up (of not already active) and I see the split screen of the two cameras like I posted below.