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Post by rmc on Oct 29, 2024 20:27:55 GMT
Do these camera record to a SD card or do they need to be connected to a host network the majority of the time? If they can operate independently, then all you are looking at is a power supply to keep the batteries running overnight. Come next day, you can download the video to a computer. If all we are dealing with is the camera, we don't actually need to DC to AC inverter. We could save a lot of losses by keeping the whole system in DC. One question, how much power do these things actually pull? I wonder about something basic like 4 12VDC deep cycle motorcycle batteries wired in series. You can run the camera off that at night and then charge the batteries during the day. You can get a 48V charger or charge each one on their own. The ReoLink Argus 4 Pro is purely battery powered with its own internal battery. So, just slapping that camera onto the outside of my car and then go driving along could do it without the ability to immediately check on what has been recorded. But, that's not what I'm after. If I see a flash above while driving I would like to pull over and check on what the camera possibly captured without needing to either pull out the card right then or wait til the next day. Furthermore, I've seen with my home wifi/ReoLink Lumus system if the WiFi is down, some cameras either record nothing OR start slapping down inexplicably weird timestamps, making it very hard to accept the footage if there is any. I've just shut off my wifi here at home (wifi here is strictly for the Lumus cameras) and will turn the wifi on again in about an hour to verify the mess that, that causes. |
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Post by GTCGreg on Oct 29, 2024 21:31:44 GMT
I have a Garmin dash cam that I think will do exactly what you are looking for. I have two of them. One looking forward and one looking out the back window. They are completely self contained and record to an Micro SD card. You can monitor them on your phone via Wi-Fi in real time or go back and review the recordings on the SD card. You don't even have to remove the SD card from the camera. If you see something you want to keep, it will download the video to your phone. You can then email the recording to yourself if you want to display it on a laptop or desktop computer. You can also remove the SD card and play the video back that way. They draw little power and could probably operate all night on a small lead acid or lithium battery. I'm not sure how low light they are but they do seem to make a pretty decent recording while driving at night. www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07R638L8N/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 |
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Post by rmc on Oct 29, 2024 21:54:28 GMT
The group of sky watchers at the university are experienced in security cameras as well as many other cameras and telescopes. This list of security cameras includes IR type, dashboard type and other CCTV types.
Everyone at this "council of experts" were blown away by ColorX by ReoLink.
These ReoLink do not need to be on the internet. They don't need subscription. They have slots for onboard SD card storage, etc. Some use batteries for power. Some use PoE. Some require AC.
So, if you flip back and forth on the information available over the internet, it is possible to lose track of which is powered by what.
Anyway, I know the camera night vision system that I want. It's just a question which camera it will be that runs ColorX.
I don't want to drive 300 miles to end up hoping the camera is recording, or needing to test record and pull the SD card to see if it recorded, and then reinsert the SD card and then hope it started recording again.
What I want is the ColorX system offered by ReoLink. And to get to my distant location with the ability to tap into what the camera is currently getting, while it is getting... as if it had a viewfinder ... though it doesn't.
A cellphone or computer using WiFi having software like the ReoLink App is how one controls the camera and ensures the correct timestamp is posted since the camera obtains its timestamp from the cellphone in my case.
I just completed my hour off test of the WiFi but was unable to recreate the issues I mentioned earlier. This fits with what I'm concerned with actually. The non wifi recording is just too uncertain to depend that it will always turn out the way that it just did: timestamps normal, recordings all normal.
A quote from ReoLink explains the ColorX night vision platform:
"Reolink ColorX technology uses a combination of a large lens aperture, a sensitive image sensor, and image signal processing (ISP) technology to capture color images in low-light conditions."
This link to the Argus 4 Pro found at the beginning of this thread has a video showing the feature.
I don't want a "dash cam"
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Post by wvengineer on Oct 30, 2024 11:53:22 GMT
It may help if you can list everything that you want to power and what power does it need? By what power does it need, what actually goes into the device? If we forget about the wall transformer for a bit, what DC voltage and amps are actually required by each device?
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Post by rmc on Oct 30, 2024 15:34:03 GMT
It may help if you can list everything that you want to power and what power does it need? By what power does it need, what actually goes into the device? If we forget about the wall transformer for a bit, what DC voltage and amps are actually required by each device? I am certain enough now, at this point that I think I can close out this thread. Basically, I started this thread initially wondering if I needed a gasoline operated generator. Then pretty quickly moved on to the battery powered power-station, having an inverter included internally. Now, that I see that I'd like to be driving along during my recording of the sky, I'm closing this thread out with me being settled on simply getting an inverter meant to be powered by the battery of a vehicle. The optimal consideration for my needs being that said inverter be "pure sign wave" and offering no more than maybe 300 watts. There is room for debate if 300 watts is "too much" or not... But, until I am exactly settled on the specific security camera and WiFi router, or any other alternating current devices I plan to operate on the intended road trip, I'm happy enough to stop here. And now, I might open a "technical help needed" thread on the supposed accepted legality of driving past an active missile silo... If agreed that this next question is worthy of debate in such a new thread, I'll open one up and lay out my initial arguments and requirements there. Thank you for the insights thusly. |
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Post by wvengineer on Oct 30, 2024 16:37:45 GMT
Once you have a better idea what your final equipment setup is like, then we can always revisit. If all you are looking at is 300W/120vAC, do you have battery yard tools? There are some inverters out there could work and are low cost if yo already have the batteries. I have one of these: www.homedepot.com/p/331450067 Works well to give an additional use for the batteries I already have for my yard tools. |
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Post by rmc on Oct 30, 2024 22:15:04 GMT
Once you have a better idea what your final equipment setup is like, then we can always revisit. If all you are looking at is 300W/120vAC, do you have battery yard tools? There are some inverters out there could work and are low cost if yo already have the batteries. I have one of these: www.homedepot.com/p/331450067 Works well to give an additional use for the batteries I already have for my yard tools. I have only tools that I use for minor construction and they are all corded. I do, however happen to have a rather powerful, portable battery. It's a 48 volt, 20 Amp Hour battery used for my ebike. But, I doubt I actually want a portable inverter... meaning one I could haul around outside of my car. If I get pulled over in the panhandle of Nebraska near Kimball, I wouldn't want my video recording system to look too portable. Such that an officer could assume I'd park somewhere and then embark, on foot, on some adventure. I'll be quite happy that it does look more like a "dashcam" than anything else. But, I plan on obtaining a camera that has many times the capabilities of the typical dashcam. |
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