WebCam Recommendations?

[jhoke]

So... I have my Vantage Pro2 weatherstation up and running for about a year now, and with Wim's templates running pretty damn good without too many hiccups ... now its time to go from functional to sexy and add a weather cam (or two?) to the setup, UV/Solar Sensors and perhaps to make my better half happy some ground moisture sensors for the garden area

The sensors are straight forward, no bubbles/troubles there - but the weather cam... thats where things get funky.

I have a two story home plus attic and basement - when I built the house I ran CAT5e throughout the entire house - except the attic - so for weather cam options - either way I will need to drill through to the outside (Power over ethernet or for the transformer/power supply).

Questions/Recommendations for weathercams - either PoE or WiFi that will work with our Macs (mine a Mac Mini on the first floor)? Pros/Cons of each? IR or nonIR, so many choices and honestly so little information - or my GoogleFU is failing

Thanks in advance

[Blicj11]

I like your website.

Take a look at Sharx cameras. Several of us use them. Mine is wireless. I tried an inexpensive webcam before and could never get my network to recognize it. Text support via email from China was a joke. Sent it back and bought the Sharx SCNC2900: Sharx Security VIPcella-IR?. Could not be happier with it. I mounted mine inside and point it through an upstairs widow. Too cold here in the winter to mount outdoor cameras without a heated enclosure, which I have for my security cameras but didn't want to spend the cash on a weathercam. Only drawback is you have to keep the lights off in the room in which it is mounted or you just get a reflection of the room off the double pane glass at night. Have tried various means of eliminating that without success.

https://www.sharxsecurity.com

[jhoke]

Thanks Blic!

I am going to take a serious look at a couple of these - i think I can get this together through the attic for the weathercam - but I may buy a couple of different from the vendor for security cams ...

I'm up in Northeast PA - temps dont typically go down below 0F here - so I may be ok with this outdoors. There is little you can do with the glare - other than possibly putting a small nightlight outside the window below the camera to minimize it (other than what you've done ... keep it dark <G>)

Only downside - need to wait till the fall - way too hot up there at the moment to wire jack or sh**

[Blicj11]

Only downside - need to wait till the fall - way too hot up there at the moment to wire jack or sh**

Ha ha ha. I lived in Houston, Texas for 25 years so I know all about staying out of the attic this time of year.

[xairbusdriver]

I'm using a Sharx 3905, POE with 100' cable between the injector and the camera. Their email support is great. Located in NE USA. Wasn't smart enough to find the right camera (this was the third one I tried) before the temps went up, running the cable was the worst! We had Cat 5 cable run when building the house, too. But never even knew of PWS back then, and who needs TV in the garage?!

Highly recommend the company, also: Sharx Security. Inc.
Live view of the 3905 model

[Steve]

I've been running my two Sharx Security cameras outside in northern Ohio for five years now without any temperature problems. Currently they are running on wifi using extension cords for power, but at some point I want to learn how to run them via POI and get rid of the double ziplock bagged wall warts that power the cameras.

[wurzelmac]

So... I have my Vantage Pro2 weatherstation up and running for about a year now, and with Wim's templates running pretty damn good without too many hiccups ... now its time to go from functional to sexy and add a weather cam (or two?) to the setup, UV/Solar Sensors and perhaps to make my better half happy some ground moisture sensors for the garden area

The sensors are straight forward, no bubbles/troubles there - but the weather cam... thats where things get funky.

I have a two story home plus attic and basement - when I built the house I ran CAT5e throughout the entire house - except the attic - so for weather cam options - either way I will need to drill through to the outside (Power over ethernet or for the transformer/power supply).

Questions/Recommendations for weathercams - either PoE or WiFi that will work with our Macs (mine a Mac Mini on the first floor)? Pros/Cons of each? IR or nonIR, so many choices and honestly so little information - or my GoogleFU is failing

Thanks in advance

Hello jhoke,
a bit late, but let me put in my 2 cents:

Maybe it is an alternative to take a DSLR Camera to get the best out of your area. I use two of them (Canon EOS 1100d) as you can see here and here.
The first linked webcam is powered by the Mac mini that serves WeatherCat, the second one is driven by a Raspberry Pi that puts the picture onto my webspace. Maybe its overkill, but I like to view my area (West & East) in high resolution. 

Ok, there are several things additionally to do to get this project working, but the result is worth tying it!  Just take a look to gphoto2 and ImageMagick, build your script, let it run via Terminal - and enjoy! 

[wurzelmac]

Now here is where I got the hints and helps to build my own DSLR webcam (unfortunately only in German, maybe there is something equal available in english?):
https://www.foto-webcam.eu/

Cheers,

[Blicj11]

Reinhard, your webcam photos are terrific, mate! Are the cameras mounted inside? If so, how do you eliminate interior light reflecting off the glass?

[wurzelmac]

Hi Blick,

thanks for the flowers! Both Cams are mounted outside within a box. See this picture.