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I want to get a camera to put in the van to keep an eye on the dog (already have wifi in it).
Blink cameras are on Amazon for £20 at the moment, does anyone have any feedback on them or a suggestion of what else to look at?
Might also want to put one or two at the house at some point and would seem sensible to get all the same system.
Cheers 🙂
All these plug n play cameras generally need a paid subscription to use remotely so factor that in to the cost! IIRC the Blink Mini can’t store footage locally without an extra plug-in thing but that might not be an issue with your use-case.
Can’t comment on Blink quality. I bought some Tapo C110s recently for a similar price to use as bird-box cams, really impressed for the money (slightly higher res I think?) They can be used as regular IP cams as well as through the Tapo app, which is a big plus point for my setup!
As an aside, what are you using for WiFi in your van?
I have blink at home:
-4 cameras and the doorbell
I'd say they're REALLY good, and easy to use.
No need for a subscription - you can store MANY clips in the app, but i basically delete them as it's just me in my pants looking at my bikes etc...
I've not used other systems, but the TRUE wirelessness of them is great.
DrP
Eufy cameras in use at home. We have the 2C Pros which don't require a sub but do require a hub plugged into the router to work and are slightly more expensive as a result.
As an aside, what are you using for WiFi in your van?
A Huawei E5577 mifi with a roof puck aerial. Works well enough for my needs but sure there’s something out there better if you’re a heavy user.
I’ll check out the Tapo cheers.
I have blink at home:
-4 cameras and the doorbellI’d say they’re REALLY good, and easy to use.
No need for a subscription – you can store MANY clips in the app,
how does that work without the cloud storage? I thought I’d need a subscription (looks like £2.50/month for a single camera) if I wanted to see anything other than live view? Does the phone have to be on the same wifi?
require a hub plugged into the router
cheers, not an option in the van though.
And same question about the Tapo. Can locally stored (on the SD card) videos be watched on the app NOT connected to the same wifi?
(Although lack of usb charging is a big negative for the Tapo in a van)
I have the original Blinks, they're very good- I wasnt keen to buy into an amazon ecosystem but it means theres no sub, and the app is excellent. No doubt theres better options now but I do rate mine.
interesting...
So it seems the subscription is 'free' until jan 2023...
Then you gotta pay. Will be £80 per year.
DrP
don't know, only used the app to set them up initially, and don't have any SD cards in them (they're connected to a software NVR on my home network). Looking at the manual quickly though, it does imply that you can (without the cloud sub)... I can give it a test later!And same question about the Tapo. Can locally stored (on the SD card) videos be watched on the app NOT connected to the same wifi?
yeah fair enough, I assumed you had a leisure battery in there or something given that you had WiFi!!(Although lack of usb charging is a big negative for the Tapo in a van)
So it seems the subscription is ‘free’ until jan 2023…
Then you gotta pay. Will be £80 per year.
I use 3x Blink cameras.
Have a USB- memory stick plugged into the Sync Module - I can save videos and photos and view them for no additional fee.
yeah fair enough, I assumed you had a leisure battery in there or something given that you had WiFi!!
I do but they seem to come with mains adapters and I don’t have an inverter, but do have plenty of USB sockets available.
I can save videos and photos and view them for no additional fee.
remotely away from your home wifi?
Yes.
Get camera notifications when out and about and everything.
( Have just taken a photo of my shed using the phone on mobile date.)
The sync device is plugged into the mains (via a USB B power cable) and is connected to my home router.
The cameras connect to that
adds an extra cost/hassle, but they're only 9V drawing a measly 0.6A, so you could run them from a USB socket... solder up your own step-up cable or get one off eBay/amazon. Or if you've got 12v available use a buck-converter to regulate that to 9v (which is how I'm running my bird box cams... you might even be able to power them with 12v directly, I never actually tried!)they seem to come with mains adapters and I don’t have an inverter, but do have plenty of USB sockets available.
Saw an interesting video where savvy thieves can easily block wi-fi cameras with a very cheap bit kit if it bothers you
I’ve been hesitating over buying a system (Eufy the current favourite) cos I’ve been asking myself- suppose I see a baddy breaking in, what then, if I’m on my sun lounger in Greece (other sun loungers available)?
I've got three Blink cameras - the functionality is ok, but the notifications to your phone won't wake you. I've got one on the front door, one in the garden and one in the summer house/office. I struggle to get them all to reach the hub in a small modern house - weirdly, it's the front door which is closest that I have most problems with and I've tried switching them around
Got a Eufy doorbell which came with a hub, and another Eufy camera. All very good, easy to set up, and record to the hub with the OPTION of cloud storage if you want off-site storage.
I'd say the only problem with the Blink camera is that you'll get a notification ping on your phone every time the dog moves.
Cheers just ordered the Blink, I think it’s probably the neatest, cheapest option for what I want.
I’d say the only problem with the Blink camera is that you’ll get a notification ping on your phone every time the dog moves.
I presume I’ll be able to disable the notifications on my phone, I can for all other apps.