Action cams for security !

old4570

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Dash Cam
Front: 70MAI , Ausdom A261, Mini 0826 , Rear: A118c
I am really beginning to like Action Cameras ..
Was there ever a cam before that could do just about everything ..

Underwater Cam
Dash cam
Action cam
Slow mo cam
time lapse
WiFi

So much in such a small package ..
I am not sure if they do motion detection yet ? ( Not the budget ones in anyway = the ones I have )
Anyhow , what fascinates me is the WiFi mode ..
So why cant you have the Cam in Wifi mode , not actually recording ( lower power consumption ? )
I am currently testing the power draw ..

But been playing with my android , and what I can do is set everything up so I am receiving a video feed to my android .. From my Android I can take a photo , start stop video recording or just use the Android to monitor VIA the Action cam .. ( And this is what interests me )

I can put my Android to sleep when viewing video VIA the action cam .
And then bring it out of sleep mode directly back to viewing the video feed .. ( I like that )

So !

You could possibly in theory power the cam VIA some USB power source , have the cam in WiFi mode and use it like a security cam ...

I think you can even view video via the Android recorded by the cam / stored on the SD card .
Depending on the cam ? I am not sure how low you could go on frame rates ...
Some cams only offer limited video settings ..

But still ...
Your having a nap or sleeping or watching TV , something goes BUMP outside ..
So rather than opening your door , you bring your Android out of sleep mode to see several armed individuals outside your front door .. So besides hitting the record function , you might want to call the police and or anything else you are legally entitled to do .

Honestly , for the money these cams are going for , I amazed at how much they do . ( And the possibilities they offer anyone thinking outside the box )
 
Ok , fully charged the cam ...
running 0.27 to 0.3 amp on current draw ..
So if you had a long enough USB cable , a power source ..
You could almost put a action cam anywhere ..
And running it in WiFi mode , you may not need to record 24/7 ...
Only when your not at home , or possibly when something goes bump ..
Now if only they had motion detect ...
 
I've been re-purposing old dash cams as temporary surveillance cameras for years and they can generally perform well for extended periods of time even though they are not designed for that kind of service.

The Mobius action camera is especially well suited as a portable surveillance camera and I've often used one for short term (day long) temporary deployment on different locations around my rural property using a power bank which will give me twenty hours of service if I so desire. While I rarely use the features, the Mobius also is capable of motion detect and highly configurable time lapse.
 
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I was a little surprised ..
The ELE Explorer allows time lapse in WiFi mode ..
Only problem is night time performance or lack there off ..
Dash cams with good low light performance might be the go , especially as many have motion detect ..
I will have to play with my Dome G90 some more .. It has parking mode and motion detect ... As well decent low light performance .
 
Even though it is possible to run action cams for relatively lengthy periods of time as surveillance cameras, don't get any ideas that you can run them full time or use them like that on a regular daily basis. Using them this way other than temporarily and occasionally will lead to failed devices. If you really want or need the kind of functionality you are talking about here you really need actual surveillance gear.
 
Oh I am looking at surveillance gear ...
But I am also looking at something mobile ... Temporary Solution .. Stealthy !
I am not sure how long a Action Cam would live if run 24/7 ( Sounds like something to find out )
Electronics are funny things I can tell you ..
I used to love the Epox 8RDA motherboard from way back ...
Funny thing , these boards died after about 12 months , almost all of them ..
I had a 8RDA that lived for a very long time , maybe 10 years .. The very last one available in Australia .. My first one died after 11 months and the 2nd board ( last one available in Oz lived for 10 years ) was a warranty replacement .
 
My Mobius has run 24/7 for something like a year now and is still going. I don't expect it to last too much longer under this extreme 'abuse' though ;) One of the better action cams in low-light is the Git1. The price is reasonable for what you get but it's not super-cheap. I was hoping that by now a super-cap version (or conversion) would have emerged for it but that doesn't look likely at this point. The new G1W-S is cheaper and seems to be as good in low-light so that's my new destination instead, but I digress.

Action cams are very versatile but nothing will better a purpose-built security cam in it's prescribed role, and given the proper choice of system that also gives you the ability to add more cams with the one recording device so that by the time you reach 3-4 cams, the action cams will end up costing you more than the security cams will. And with that proper system choice you van upgrade to better cams that will do more for you than any action cam ever will. As quick-and-easy portable security, yes action cams do well. For a permanent set-up go with the right stuff.

Phil
 
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