Looking into buying a camera for my coop.

Chicken_man_J

Songster
Apr 21, 2023
148
351
143
SE Florida
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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!
 
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).
 

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