Wanted to Borrow: Outdoor IP security camera

Forums › Gadgets, robotics, home automation, electronics (including wearables) › Wanted to Borrow: Outdoor IP security camera

deadlyllama

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#198924 28-Jul-2016 10:51

I have a problem. My chickens keep escaping their run in our backyard. I've fixed all the gaps I knew about, but they are still escaping.

I don't have time to spend the day in the rain watching them until they escape. A camera would do a great job of this. I have 12V DC available down one fenceline and very good (11g) wifi. But it seems crazy to buy a camera to use for two days, tops.

Does anyone have one I could borrow? I'm in Whanganui but happy to pay for shipping to/from you. It doesn't need to have good night vision or anything like that, and if the camera angle doesn't cover the whole run I can always move it when the chickens escape.

deadlyllama

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#1600093 28-Jul-2016 10:54

In an effort to elicit sympathy I shall include a picture of the two major offenders:

xpd

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#1600097 28-Jul-2016 11:01

If you've got an old smartphone with camera, just use that with some security software, put phone into a Sistema container or similar thats clear and point at offenders :)

Gavin / xpd / FastRaccoon / Geek of Coastguard New Zealand

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#1600116 28-Jul-2016 11:29

Chickens Fly .... sort of .. once one gets out, others will follow.

Though I am surprised at the 3" gaps that they seem to be able to squeeze thru.

sbiddle

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#1600129 28-Jul-2016 11:52

I've been amazed over the years at some of the gaps my chickens have been able to get through.

deadlyllama

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#1600132 28-Jul-2016 12:00

They used to fly but since their wings have been clipped it's more like extremely excited hopping. They can't get over a 1m fence anymore. Several of our neighbours have dogs so it was either clip their wings or wait for them to jump the fence and immediately get eaten by a dog.

There were a few places where they were getting under the fence... and beginning to dig away and make themselves even bigger holes to get through. I'm pretty sure those gaps are closed, now, with piles of bricks that are chicken-scratching-resistant. They've probably found a new place where they haven't scratched enough to make it obvious.

The run is long and thin -- it runs down the edge of the property, connecting several garden beds that need the sort of weed control chickens provide -- so there's lots of fence they could be escaping under.

The fence itself is windbreak material stapled to garden stakes so it's not especially strong. Kept the chickens in until they started digging under it.

SepticSceptic

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#1600365 28-Jul-2016 21:47

Even with clipped wings they still can escape - they just flap faster .. did you clip both sides, or just one ? Apparently one is supposed to clip one side more than the other, so when they manage to get semi-airborne, they just turn and burn ....

Nothing for them to hop onto ? Tree branch, coop ?

as @xpd mentioned, best try an old smartphone if you have one. I have a spare outdoor IP/Wifi camera if you dont have a spare smartphone.

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/P2P-ONVIF-Megapixel-720P-HD-802-11b-g-n-Wireless-Wired-IP-Camera-WifI-IR-Outdoor/32313211840.html?spm=2114.10010108.1000023.1.8pNeVk

They're cheap enough to have a spare ..

deadlyllama

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#1600868 29-Jul-2016 15:01

My collection of old smartphones is a collection of dead or extremely obsolete smartphones.

They have been behind a fence this high for about a year, and it's only when I extended it with what in retrospect is probably slightly too cheap fencing material that they started to escape on a regular basis.

Wings clipped only on one side. Before they did that, they would roost on a trellis that was supposed to be part of the chicken-fence.

How well does that camera work? After paying for couriers both ways I might be better off just buying one...

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SepticSceptic

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#1600904 29-Jul-2016 16:19

Yeah, I was figuring you'd work it out that it would be just as cheap to buy one from Ali , and you'd get to keep it .. don't forget to order it with a AUS/NZ wallwart - the wall wart options are somewhere on the page.

The firmware that I have in the current camera has FTP and SMTP issues, but the current shipping release should have fixed this. So you can do motion detect, and get the images emailed to your email account. I haven't tried that method as yet.

I use iSpy, which is an open-source DVR, and works with the camera via ONVIF. Or you could use the DVR software supplied. But I wouldn't due to security issues.

It will capture video and stills on motion detect - I have a little trouble with rain at night - the rain reflects the infrared too well, and triggers motion capture. But other than that, image is quite good for a cheapie camera.