Webcam

[Blicj11]

I'm still shopping around for a webcam. I found a camera (Dropcam Pro) that records an mp4 file on a cloud server. Will that work with WeatherCat?

[elagache]

Hi Blick and WeatherCat fans,

I'm still shopping around for a webcam. I found a camera (Dropcam Pro) that records an mp4 file on a cloud server. Will that work with WeatherCat?

If you can get from Dropcam a URL so that WeatherCat could download the file. it should work.  See the Webcam preferences in the WeatherCat manual around page 150.

Cheers, Edouard 

[Blicj11]

If you can get from Dropcam a URL so that WeatherCat could download the file. it should work.  See the Webcam preferences in the WeatherCat manual around page 150.

Thanks Edouard. I had looked at the manual but not close enough to figure it out. It turns out that DropCam will record to a URL only for an extra subscription fee. If you don't subscribe to the iCloud service, you can only view live footage in their app on your Mac or iOS device. Sounds like I need to keep looking for a camera.

[LesCimes]

WebCams have come a long way since my first USB cam that I adapted for weather; gave up on it, so bad was the quality. Decided to try one of the new wireless cams (DropCam is one of many available now). Ordered the D-Link DCS-2330L which is "HD" and rated for outdoor use. It will work with EvoCam and/or will upload pictures to the D-Link site from which I should be able to import to WeatherUnderground or into WeatherCat. Will update when it arrives via free and slow delivery from Amazon.

[JosBaz]

Hi LesCimes,

I went through this same issue 2 weeks ago when upgrading to HD. The first camera I bought only offered the 'cloud service view', and I ended up sending it back - replacing it with something else (an Axis M1004-W indoor IP camera).

When using an IP camera, WeatherCat will want to grab a JPG or PNG image (believe these are the formats supported). So it is important to buy a camera which offers a URL to allow for 'grabbing' the image. In my case this is http://<camera ip-address>/jpg/image.jpg for my Axis M1004-W. For the previous camera I used (a D-Link 930L), it was simply http://<camera ip-address>/image.jpg (I suspect it could be same for your DCS-2330L).

Unfortunately not all camera's have this functionality, and for those that do, it may require some help from Google as it is not always mentioned in the manual.

Jos

[Steve]

LesCimes,

Are you still using the previous (3.7.6) version of EvoCam, or have you moved to the newer (current 4.x.x) version? I've tried v4 a couple of times since its release, but never got it to work as good and with the features of 3.7.6.

Steve

[LesCimes]

Jos, appreciate the tip on capturing the image directly from the cam.  I'll certainly  give that a try. Wasn't sure how I was going to do it. Thanks!

Steve, I did download and install the newer version of EvoCam. I noticed it had profiles for D-Link cams but not sure how it will look with my new cam.  Am looking forward to giving it a try. Been too long since I used the older  EvoCam with a crude USB desktop cam. So I didn't even think twice. I just saw there was a new version and downloaded it; plus I figured there wouldn't be compatibility issues with Yosemitee. I'll post updates as to how the setup is going when the camera arrives. Thanks for the feedback.

[Blicj11]

Are you still using the previous (3.7.6) version of EvoCam, or have you moved to the newer (current 4.x.x) version? I've tried v4 a couple of times since its release, but never got it to work as good and with the features of 3.7.6.

Steve:

I have had a number of WeatherCat crashes related to WC trying to grab my webcam image. When I get a chance, I am going to give Evocam 4 a spin. I've never used it so the newer version is the only option for me, but I am hoping it might resolve some of my issues. I'm using one of the new IP cameras from Sharx and both Sharx and Evocam Tech support said my combination should play nice, although Evocam says they haven't tested my specific camera. I'll keep you posted.

[LesCimes]

The new D-Link DCS-2330L cam arrived. It is "high definition" and rated for outdoor use. Setup up fairly easily, though instructions are a bit technical, i.e. not very well written. It is also wireless which makes it quite convenient to place outside near the house. Am using EvoCam 4 to capture the image and upload to WeatherUnderground. Attempted to setup WeatherCat to grab the image from the camera but couldn't figure out how to get that to work. So, for now, I'll use EvoCam to to the job until I can figure out the configurations via WeatherCat.

Now all I need to viewers to enjoy it. For those so inclined... http://www.wunderground.com/personal-weather-station/dashboard?ID=KGAGRACE1

[Felix]

I've had my eye on that HD cam as well, Les. But the 500+ one-star "reviews" on Amazon gave me pause so I hesitated. Your experience may give me the needed push.  ;-)

Was looking at your bird feeder earlier this morning (in B&W) and then I hit refresh to get a feel for how frequently you're uploading and very next shot (somewhere around 0720) came up in color. Very nice quality pics!

[Felix]

Whoops, looks like I spoke too soon. Went back to look again after I wrote the above and see that the feeder shot hasn't been updated since 7:49:58 a.m.  :-(

[Steve]

When I get a chance, I am going to give Evocam 4 a spin. I've never used it so the newer version is the only option for me.

If you find v4.x doesn't work for you, note that v3.7.6 is still available under Evological's "Downloads" pull-down menu, and works with my Sharx cameras. There is a bit of the software that is outdated, so it quits twice a day, but I wrote an AppleScript to check to see if EvoCam is running, and if not, to restart it. That breaks up the daily time-lapse videos, but that's not a problem for me.

Steve

[Blicj11]

Thanks Steve. I'll keep that in mind. Still haven't had time to give Evo a 14 day trial.

[LesCimes]

Whoops, looks like I spoke too soon. Went back to look again after I wrote the above and see that the feeder shot hasn't been updated since 7:49:58 a.m.  :-(

Appreciate the input on the WebCam. I have it set to upload a new image every two minutes, but WeatherUnderground doesn't seem to refresh its image that often. EvoCam log doesn't indicate any problems with the uploading. So, I'm not sure what is going on. It is one of the things that I anticipate digging into.
The camera comes with an Infrared light that activates at sunset and deactivates at sunrise. Therefore the picture is black and white when using the "night vision" and then goes full color once it get light enough outside to automatically drop the infrared.

[Blicj11]

Appreciate the input on the WebCam. I have it set to upload a new image every two minutes, but WeatherUnderground doesn't seem to refresh its image that often. EvoCam log doesn't indicate any problems with the uploading. So, I'm not sure what is going on. It is one of the things that I anticipate digging into.

I'm not sure how often WU actually uses a refreshed webcam still shot. I am set to upload every 5 minutes and that used to work but lately I have noticed WU doesn't refresh more than a few times an hour. I am going to play around with the WC preference setting and see what happens on the WU end.

The camera comes with an Infrared light that activates at sunset and deactivates at sunrise. Therefore the picture is black and white when using the "night vision" and then goes full color once it get light enough outside to automatically drop the infrared.

My Sharx indoor IP camera has the same feature. It's quite nice for running around the clock. Uses less bandwidth at night.