Camera for remote monitoring

[Nbuuifx]

We are going through the process of purchasing a field a few minutes away from the house.

We would like a camera so that we can keep an eye on the horses and the land when we aren't there.

I like the reolink cameras and was going to go for one of these.

I'm not sure though if I should go for the solar 4G one with a sim card on a data plan, or if I should go for the solar wi-fi one and then purchase a 12V 4G router.

I plan on installing a 100W solar panel and leisure battery to power lights and the electric fence, so the router could be powered from that.

My thinking is that a separate router would allow additional cameras to share the same SIM card, however I like the idea that the standalone 4G camera is simple and less to go wrong with the connection etc.

Phone signal seems to be excellent 4G signal there.

 

[Sandstone1]

Reolink are good.
I have had issues with mine but reolink replaced them. I would say make sure the camera is under some kind of shelter as mine did not cope with getting wet.
If you use the solar panel you will probably find you do have to charge on the mains from time to time. Also I think people are having trouble with the vsim card by vodaphone as I think its being discontinued. Mine is still working at the moment. In general they are good cameras.

 

[meleeka]

I have both systems, although my router is plugged into the mains. A friend doesn’t have electric and it’s inconvenient to have to keep changing batteries for the router. I’m not sure why her solar panel doesn’t keep it charged, I think it should, but she now has power banks that she changes each day. The other problem is that if the router isn’t used much, they can go on auto standby and then you have to manually push the button to wake them up. Not very helpful if you aren’t there. I do like that I can have multiple cameras though.

On balance, I’d have at least one Go, with solar panel, so that one’s always working. I’ve had mine over 2 years now and it’s very reliable.

 

[TheMule]

Reolink Go with solar panel is brilliant- I have mine mounted on a moveable post so I can move it as the horses rotate between different fields

 

[Nbuuifx]

With the reolink is it possible to charge as well?

I'm thinking of getting the solar version, but I'll have a larger solar setup connected to a leisure battery. Would it be possible to top it up from the 12v battery as well? Perhaps a switch to connect it?

 

[Nbuuifx]

Reolink Go with solar panel is brilliant- I have mine mounted on a moveable post so I can move it as the horses rotate between different fields

How does the moveable post work? How do you secure it?

 

[meleeka]

With the reolink is it possible to charge as well?

I'm thinking of getting the solar version, but I'll have a larger solar setup connected to a leisure battery. Would it be possible to top it up from the 12v battery as well? Perhaps a switch to connect it?

The charging port is a micro USB so anything you can plug into it would charge the built in battery.

 

[Nbuuifx]

The charging port is a micro USB so anything you can plug into it would charge the built in battery.

Brill, is the solar panel normally plugged into that though, do you have to unplug the solar panel to plug in the micro USB? Or is the micro USB an additional option. Our current solar charge controller for lights in the current stable, has a couple of USB ports on it, so it could plug directly into there, but I'm thinking of it having its own solar panel and just using that to top it up. I'm planning on putting it high up so I don't really want to be climbing up to swap the cables over.

Does the app show you the battery level of the camera, so you know when to top up?

 

[meleeka]

Brill, is the solar panel normally plugged into that though, do you have to unplug the solar panel to plug in the micro USB? Or is the micro USB an additional option. Our current solar charge controller for lights in the current stable, has a couple of USB ports on it, so it could plug directly into there, but I'm thinking of it having its own solar panel and just using that to top it up. I'm planning on putting it high up so I don't really want to be climbing up to swap the cables over.

Does the app show you the battery level of the camera, so you know when to top up?

The solar panel has a micro usb plug so that goes directly to the camera. I currently have mine plugged into the mains via the micro USB socket because it’s near power now. The app shows the battery level and also whether it’s actually charging. Mine hasn’t gone flat yet despite the solar panel only being small, so it might be simpler to just use the one they sell with it and see how it goes.

 

[Nbuuifx]

The solar panel has a micro usb plug so that goes directly to the camera. I currently have mine plugged into the mains via the micro USB socket because it’s near power now. The app shows the battery level and also whether it’s actually charging. Mine hasn’t gone flat yet despite the solar panel only being small, so it might be simpler to just use the one they sell with it and see how it goes.

Yes I might just go for simplicity to start with and then it can be moved around etc.

As a (hopefully) final question, if in the future I did get a wireless router, can I connect this camera via wi-fi to the router so I don't need two data contracts / SIM cards.

 

[meleeka]

Yes I might just go for simplicity to start with and then it can be moved around etc.

As a (hopefully) final question, if in the future I did get a wireless router, can I connect this camera via wi-fi to the router so I don't need two data contracts / SIM cards.

No I don’t think you can.