Question time again on a wireless cam for coops

[karlamaria]

I know there are plenty of posts on cameras but they are old and the links are outdated or no longer available. I ordered a web cam and it broke right away, I need a good cam to see my chickens , one that tilts and pans so I can see who is laying what. It's so cold I hate to keep running out side to see if there is an egg when all I have to do is watch on my iPad. ( I need one that I can watch on my iPad ) I would like two, one for my enclosed pen, and one for the coop. Anyone have a good suggestion for a camera that is simple to use yet has a good picture ? I appreciate any help you can give me.

Oh and I do have electricity in my coop .

 

[DuginMT]

Hi Karla, long time no talking! Hope all is well with you and yours. I bought a webcam off Amazon about 3 years ago, it was a Chinese unit that panned and tilted and had all kinds of features, and seemed pretty durable. I think I paid about $80 for it. I had it in the coop when I first started, then used it in our playhouse. It was controllable about 80' from my wireless modem, through two walls. However, I found the instructions very hard to follow (typical Chinese electronics), and when I tried to re-program the unit I lost control of it. It did work fine for about a year, and is still not broken, but I could not get the network set up right the last time I tried. If I ever get time I would like to get it going again. It even saw in the dark for a few feet, with infrared. If you are a wireless internet expert or know someone who is, and can interpret Chinese instruction manuals and would like to try it, I would sell it to you cheap! Or, if you buy a new one, I hope you get a good set of instructions! Input from you on my last post under the Montana thread would also be appreciated - we are going to try to hatch some chicks! Good Luck!

 

[lynnehd]

I know there are plenty of posts on cameras but they are old and the links are outdated or no longer available. I ordered a web cam and it broke right away, I need a good cam to see my chickens , one that tilts and pans so I can see who is laying what. It's so cold I hate to keep running out side to see if there is an egg when all I have to do is watch on my iPad. ( I need one that I can watch on my iPad ) I would like two, one for my enclosed pen, and one for the coop. Anyone have a good suggestion for a camera that is simple to use yet has a good picture ? I appreciate any help you can give me.

Oh and I do have electricity in my coop .

Is this going to be used inside your coop, in a dry area? If so, you can technically use an indoor camera.
(I say this because 1)the outdoor cameras are more expensive and 2)I actually have an outdoor Foscam camera, and the infared night vision function is awful- the indoor cameras work much better at night!).

I have been using a Foscam indoor camera in my coop run to monitor them, make sure the automatic door shuts, etc.
Despite the dust, it has worked well so far. This is the one I have:
http://foscam.us/wireless-ip-cameras/foscam-fi8910w-wireless-ip-camera.html
It is wireless, maybe 60' from our modem. I use Foscam Pro, and app for about $5 on my phone to monitor it.

Now Foscam sells 'plug and play' cameras, where you just scan the QR code to activate the camera. Much easier to set up!
(I'd go to their web site, and click on the 'plug and play' cameras; there are some that are similar to mine).

 

[DuginMT]

Mine was also a Foscam Karla, an older, white version. I agree they work well in dusty environments. The quick QR setup on the new ones seems like a definite plus.

 

[lynnehd]

Mine was also a Foscam Karla, an older, white version. I agree they work well in dusty environments. The quick QR setup on the new ones seems like a definite plus.

I'm glad you've found the same about dust + Foscam cameras.

 

[karlamaria]

I found a wonderful cam, it is so clear , we love seeing the chickens and who is or is not laying. Heck we found an off white egg and would never know who laid it if we had not seen it laid lol and the night time pictures are just as clear ! . Vimtag is the name of the camera.

 

[SuzCor]

...

I found a wonderful cam, it is so clear , we love seeing the chickens and who is or is not laying. Heck we found an off white egg and would never know who laid it if we had not seen it laid lol and the night time pictures are just as clear ! . Vimtag is the name of the camera.

[/quotexting

We are looking for a good cam for our coop, we have tried a DLINK and the 1st one we got the sound went out on it, so we returned it and got a replacement. Both cams we got keep freezing up or has such a bad lag time. Does this one that you are recommending have pan/tilt on it and have you had any problems with it. Our coop is not very far from our house so it is getting a good signal from our router.