I've got an apartment garage that I want to have a security camera in.
I've got a cheap Kogan WiFi camera that will do the job, it includes motion sensing/alerting and night vision.
The only problem is that I don't have WiFi in the garage.
I'm thinking my cheapest option is to get a second hand router that has 4G capability and stick a cheap simcard in it and use the wifi network from that.
Does that make sense, and is doable? There are 4g security cameras but they seem to go for around $450..
Not possible
It works fine for me.
Most affordable cameras are not very robust though, could be pretty easily smashed or .. stolen
Also consider a lot of the cheaper ones (and even some more expensive ones) have quite a delay in trigger to record. By the time it starts you might only be catching them as they walk out of frame.
The camera I'm going to use is a Kogan one I have laying around. It triggers instantly when there's motion and is surprisingly good tbh.
Would you post the link for us?
Wifi extender.
I use a wifi 4g dongle with an Amaysim $99 365 day sim in it. Use it with a old Yi Outdoor wifi camera with a 16gb sd card - the unit it set to record to sd card and notify me on movement (this way data isn't being used all the time). Something like the Reolink argus would also work (plus their cloud offering is hosted in Australia if that matters to you).
Cameras are mains powered from a USB charger so don't have to worry about any battery related sleeping delays.
I used to use a tp link mr3420 router with a usb 4g modem but switched to the dongle because simpler and I had all this equipment lying around unused.
Sounds pretty much the set up I'm looking for. My camera is also USB powered.
What's the wifi dongle you used?
Just one of these - https://consumer.huawei.com/au/routers/e8372/ I've got both Telstra and Optus ones, used the Optus one since Amaysim is an Optus MVNO. Also use the Wifi with a wofea wifi garage opener (again, had spare parts laying around :) )
If I didn't have spare parts I would have gone with the Reolink Go. This garage is no where near my primary place of residence with it's associated nbn connection hence the LTE solution.
Ah great. Are all 4g dongles able to be used without being attached to a computer or just ones like this?
@coffeeinmyveins: most of them are able to - look for a wifi dongle and you'll be fine. there are others with built in batteries (that can be powered via usb) that could also do the job
If running a Cat5 cable is out of the question, and if too far for a wifi extender, use a Power to Ethernet (or Power to WiFi) adaptor at each end.
This will take the signal from the camera via the house wiring to the NVR.
PS: Assumption it is an IP camera.
Apartment garage so doubt this would work either
A PoE adapter is very unlikely to work in an apartment garage due to the fact that it is running on a different power circuit than that of the unit itself.
Another thing for op to consider is that some people may complain about a security camera being placed in/recording common area and also plugging something in to the common area power outlet 24/7. If you are trying to protect your vehicle a dashcam with good parking mode might be a good idea.
What distance are you talking from garage to where you want to watch the excitement?
There are 4g security cameras but they seem to go for around $450..
Whats the value of what your 'securing'….
Reolink Go 4G camera $289 and comes with solar panel to power it, or $255 without solar panel. If you wait around, they often have eBay codes for discounts.
This is the same camera I use for my off site storage shed that is about 6km away from me. Has its own on board storage sd card and motion activation with alerts if it senses movement.
What do you do when you get an alert? I assume you have to connect to the camera somehow to check the video. Is that by using their app?
Yep, I get an alert and it starts taking footage.
If I get an alert, I am straight in the car, because the camera is inside the shed. If it goes off, that means that the door has been opened and it isn’t just an animal walking past.
I can live view it as well, so if I get an alert, I can just hit live view to see what’s going on.
Sounds good - what sim card and plan do you use?
@pjetson: Just use an Aldi data sim. It doesn’t use much data unless you are streaming live of recorded videos, so I just buy the 12 month expiration packs.
Have a look at a powerline adapter as it may be the only feasible way, but the chance of it working is very low.
If the intention is to do active monitoring (i.e. receive an alert from motion detection) and then quickly logging on to the app / link to verify if something is happening, an internet or direct connection (ethernet, wireless, mobile) is required. This can become quite hard to manage because camera, link, and motion detection may not be 100% reliable especcially in an area outside of direct control.
Perhaps if there is sufficient physical security in place (e.g. gates / fence, lock on motorbike etc.), and the camera has built in recording function, you can just secure the camera in a good location and check the footage daily / weekly. If possible, the item being monitored should be in an area with less traffic to cut down on false positives.
ethernet