Indoor camera for winter

[Steve s]

I have read in the past of placing a large thermometer in front of a camera and checking in remotely to see if the furnace is still running when on a trip. Dont really need a camera for security just a means to check on temp and have a clock to see if power ever went off. Was wondering if anyone does this and how it worked. My main concern is losing temporary power and the camera and wifi kicking back on. In the past after losing power my wifi always kicked on so may not be issue. Any input will be appreciated. Thank you.....steve

 

[harley]

You could do that with pretty much any wifi camera. I use Amcrest. But for what you want you might consider a wifi thermostat. That will allow you to check the temperature, as well as adjusting it. And it can notify you if there's a loss of connection.

I resolved the power outage problem by putting my router on a timer, and rebooting it on a regular basis. Before I did that I had an issue with the wifi not connecting back up to the cameras. But the regular reboot seems to have resolved the problem.

The clock idea is a good one too. When I check my indoor camera I can see if the oven clock is blinking. But that doesn't show how many times we lost power. An analog electric clock would be a good way to check that. Not digital, since they reset to 12:00 every time the power comes back on.

 

[tulak]

Wyze cameras are cheap and work well. We’ve had power outages and they came back fine after power was restored.

 

[Sunset]

Another trick is we have an answering machine, so if I phone home and it simply rings and rings, I know the power is off.
When the answering machine answers, I know the power is back on.

I regularly unplug one of my wyze cameras (points into the house) and never have a problem when plugging it back in, it simply works, so I would not worry about a power failure for it.

I'm surprised OP doesn't think a couple of cameras ($25 ea) inside are needed, it might be informative to see who breaks in (neighbor, animal, etc).

 

[Steve s]

Thank you for some great replies.

 

[njhowie]

Have you considered smart thermostats? Google Nest or other? No cameras needed and you can instantly tell not only the current temp at each thermostat, but it will give you a historical breakdown of every time the furnace turned on/off as well as daily/weekly/monthly stats.

You can also control the thermostats remotely. I love this for when we go on vacation in the winter and turn the temps down. Then when we're on the way home, maybe an hour or two away, we turn the furnace on so it's nice when we walk in.

 

[Ronstar]

+2 on the Wyze cameras. I have 9 of them. They’re great.

 

[Freedom56]

If you install a Wifi thermostat you can monitor you temperature, furnace/AC status and even the outdoor temperature. I use Foscam pan/tilt cameras to monitor the inside of our home when we are gone.

 

[folivier]

I just received 4 Wyze cameras that I'm going to use to replace my outdoor cameras. I think I have the power issue figured out, I ordered a POE power supply and cat5 to micro USB adapters to provide the 5 volt needed for each Wyze camera while using the cat5 cables for power. Playing with them last night the resolution is incredible for such a cheap waterproof camera.
BTW years ago I also used an answering machine at our weekend place.

 

[marko]

Even better IMO:
I use AccuRite temp weather sensors. They're intended for outdoors but work just fine inside. Shows temp variations in a chart, etc.

I have a set of four for basement, living area, attic and one right over the furnace; that one reads high of course but it tells you each time it come on...or not, by looking at the chart.

FWIW, I also have 6 Wyze cams; easy to set up, they record and save for two weeks and they tell you if there's been a disconnect via email. Never had a problem with them re-connecting after a power fail.

 

[ExPatKiwi]

I have my cable modem and ObiHai VOIP adapter connected to a UPS. They will keep my internet/wifi powered for about 6hrs. I recommend doing this to keep your monitoring systems powered up.

I use the APC UPS models available from Amazon etc.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005GZRUZW/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_JD73NGYC9QXQ7Z5J9F30?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

 

[jimbee]

I use a Raspberry Pi with a camera module and RPI-Cam-Web-Interface software. I have it powered with a UPS, and use a wired network connection. My home internet router supports setting up a personal VPN, and I have my cell phone setup as a VPN client. I can access my home network remotely using this system, and I can access the camera directly. Has worked great since I set it up 1.5 years ago.

 

[CaptTom]

They have indoor drones now you can fly around your house remotely when you're away, to check on things.

Sorry about the thread drift, just thinking about where this is all leading to.

My own smart home stuff all started with a need to do some simple monitoring of the boiler, like the OP. But the more you use this stuff the more you depend on it. Now we've got smart thermostats, smart light switches, and can monitor each heating and cooling zone, both sump pumps, and temperatures all around the house.

 

[Steve s]

Thanks everyone I have so options to think about.

 

[harley]

They have indoor drones now you can fly around your house remotely when you're away, to check on things

I looked into those when I first heard about them. They're pretty cool, but you have to be there to fly them around and set the program. I'm holding off until you can pilot them remotely. I'm sure that's coming soon.

 

[tutan]

I just got a power switch which can gracefully power up my modem and router after a power outage or loss of internet connection (or anything else):

https://www.amazon.com/5Gstore-App-...words=Mega+Systems,+Inc&qid=1626921473&sr=8-3

The switch controls two outlets which can power a modem and a router. You can set a different delay to power up each device. For a graceful power up, I set the router to power up 90 seconds after powering up the modem. There's a LAN connection to the router for the switch to detect loss of internet and to reset the outlets. Also you can schedule regular automatic power resets like daily or weekly. You can access the switch remotely to monitor the switch and reset the outlets manually.

I have lost my wifi on two different trips due to power outage so wanted to find a nice solution. Probably I should also get a UPS for double protection.

 

[Sunset]

I just got a power switch which can gracefully power up my modem and router after a power outage or loss of internet connection (or anything else):

https://www.amazon.com/5Gstore-App-...words=Mega+Systems,+Inc&qid=1626921473&sr=8-3

The switch controls two outlets which can power a modem and a router. You can set a different delay to power up each device. For a graceful power up, I set the router to power up 90 seconds after powering up the modem. There's a LAN connection to the router for the switch to detect loss of internet and to reset the outlets. Also you can schedule regular automatic power resets like daily or weekly. You can access the switch remotely to monitor the switch and reset the outlets manually.

I have lost my wifi on two different trips due to power outage so wanted to find a nice solution. Probably I should also get a UPS for double protection.

I've never had an issue with my modem and router coming back on, whether via a power failure or my shutting off the power bar, wait 10 seconds and turn on the power bar.

For me the order does not matter.

I have thought about putting both on a timer, to reboot each once per day (at 2 am), there I could do one at 2am and the other at 2:05.

 

[Steve s]

Little update ....I received a wyze cam but having trouble connecting to my phone, Presently in a forum trying to figure out why it will not connect after red light flashes and I push setup tab. Could be my phone. Wil try wifes phone next. Hers is a a little smarter phone then mine so will see. Thanks again for the replies.

 

[Sunset]

Little update ....I received a wyze cam but having trouble connecting to my phone, Presently in a forum trying to figure out why it will not connect after red light flashes and I push setup tab. Could be my phone. Wil try wifes phone next. Hers is a a little smarter phone then mine so will see. Thanks again for the replies.

When I first got one, I had issues, until I realized there was a shipping protective plastic over the front of the camera

 

[Steve s]

I got to the next step .Now when I scan the code it will not connect to wifi. But a step in the right direction. My life used to be soooo much easier before all these toys.

 

[Sunset]

I got to the next step .Now when I scan the code it will not connect to wifi. But a step in the right direction. My life used to be soooo much easier before all these toys.

Just guessing here, but I would think your phone has to be connected to the house wifi and not the cellular data.
I don't have cellular data, so mine was by default connected to house wifi.

Also, I connected my phone to the guest wifi in the house, and not my main one. That way the camera's are on the guest network. After being set up the app from anywhere (like friends wifi) can pull up and see the camera's so being on guest network does not harm usability, but makes the network more secure.

 

[target2019]

Camera and phone on same network?

 

[Steve s]

Just a little update. After a week I finally got my wyze cam going. My first problem was I wasn't pushing hard enough on the set up button thinking I would break through the coating. Then I couldnt connect to wifi network. After trying different things over a week period I decided to just reset or reboot the router. Thought my modem wasnt going to kick back on. Just kept giving me a red light then a few minutes later all green. Then router kicked on.
Next time trying to connect cam to app it worked just like the video. Felt pretty good but sure was a lot of time spent on this but cam is working pretty good.