Backup camera

[Konataffy]

Hi,

I want to put a backup camera on my boat. I have a blind spot that means I cannot see an aft corner of my boat when I have to turn and back into a slip.

Also, I would like to see what craft are behind me when motoring in general.

A bluetooth system would be ideal so I can monitor on an Ipad or laptop.

Any suggestions?

David.

 

[Jeffrey S]

I'm experimenting with WiFi cameras and just got one. They are totally incredible - the Foscam Fl8918W is the one I'm playing with:

- costs under $60
- has full tilt/swivel
- allows any number of viewers (web server, iOS, Android)
- works great to view with phones or tablets
- apps are all free for viewing although there are some more advanced apps for a few dollars that I haven't tried too
- allows remote viewing with an internet connection (you need to know how to do port forwarding and need a router)
- has a built-in IR mode that can automatically turn on for low light conditions
- consumes 3.4 watts
- has modes to flip and invert so it can hang upside down or provide a backward view and flip the image so to not confuse someone looking at it foward

...and on and on.

I'm going to get 3 more of them. They are great in for the engine room too. I just set it up with total darkness in the engine room and it gave a great IR-enhanced image, plenty good enough to read gauges, etc. It consumes 5.2 watts when it's totally dark and using the IR mode.

I'm going to eventually write an article about the whole thing. If I get a moment tonight, I'll post some screen shots of what it all looks like. It's full screen on the iPad providing a very nice live video feed.

We're about to jump offshore, overnight and I'm going to try it in the engine room with all lights while underway out to see how well it works in a real engine room environment.

Anyway, Bluetooth isn't the way to do this. WiFi is...

 

[ksanders]

I have the dlink 2132l at home. I think its around $100 and it works great. It works as a security camera as well with night vision and motion sensing.

It even has built in email, and even an app to allow remote viewing. It does not need to have port forwarding or even a routable IP address to view remotely.

I bought it for the boat, tried it out at home loved it, and am buying a couple more this week to actually put on the boat.

The goal here is to put them up, along with the boats alarm system on our boats web site. This will put all of our monitoring systems on one easy access web page.

 

[Dougcole]

I'd like one of these but the WiFi requirement is a game breaker. Lots of places I go don't have it.

 

[cardude01]

I'm experimenting with WiFi cameras and just got one. They are totally incredible - the Foscam Fl8918W is the one I'm playing with: - costs under $60 - has full tilt/swivel - allows any number of viewers (web server, iOS, Android) - works great to view with phones or tablets - apps are all free for viewing although there are some more advanced apps for a few dollars that I haven't tried too - allows remote viewing with an internet connection (you need to know how to do port forwarding and need a router) - has a built-in IR mode that can automatically turn on for low light conditions - consumes 3.4 watts - has modes to flip and invert so it can hang upside down or provide a backward view and flip the image so to not confuse someone looking at it foward ...and on and on. I'm going to get 3 more of them. They are great in for the engine room too. I just set it up with total darkness in the engine room and it gave a great IR-enhanced image, plenty good enough to read gauges, etc. It consumes 5.2 watts when it's totally dark and using the IR mode. I'm going to eventually write an article about the whole thing. If I get a moment tonight, I'll post some screen shots of what it all looks like. It's full screen on the iPad providing a very nice live video feed. We're about to jump offshore, overnight and I'm going to try it in the engine room with all lights while underway out to see how well it works in a real engine room environment. Anyway, Bluetooth isn't the way to do this. WiFi is...

So you always have a wifi network running on your boat?

 

[Jeffrey S]

I'd like one of these but the WiFi requirement is a game breaker. Lots of places I go don't have it.

That's why it needs an article. You don't need to be connected to the internet with WiFi to have it all work. Connecting to the internet allows you to leave the boat and still watch the live video in your engine room, salon, or wherever the cameras are located. But if you just want to use the video onboard while you're onboard, you need no internet connectivity at all.

So you always have a wifi network running on your boat?

Yeah - there are multiple, low power ways to do that. And again, even at anchor or offshore way outside of all internet access, all of the onboard video and WiFi devices work to connect to each other.

 

[cardude01]

Ahh. Ok. I get it now. That is cool.

Is it hard/expensive to setup the wifi network?

 

[Jeffrey S]

Ahh. Ok. I get it now. That is cool.

Is it hard/expensive to setup the wifi network?

That's like asking if it's easy to pop test a diesel injector. If you know how to do it, sure, it's pretty trivial. If acronyms like DHCP and IP scare you, it'll take longer to figure it out.

From opening the box to seeing live video on my iPhone took about 2 minutes. I was actually pretty impressed at how well they made it all work as a normal web server. To allow it to work outside the boat would require more internet skills and pretty good router configuration knowledge along with an understanding of port forwarding.

 

[ksanders]

So you always have a wifi network running on your boat?

I'd like one of these but the WiFi requirement is a game breaker. Lots of places I go don't have it.

Setting up a LAN with WIFI is as simple as installing a little linksys or other brand home router. As Active Captain indicated it does not need an internet connection.

Another solution, and it still surprises me that more boaters do not do this is to buy a USB MIFI unit from your Cellular carrier, and add it to your family shared data plan. Then use a MIFI aware router to build a network for your boat. With that you'd have internet anywhere you have cell signal, and could have things like a real security/monitoring system Cameras viewable from anywhere...

The possibilities are endless.

Heres a snapshot of my boats alarm system, taken right now as I sit in the Anchorage Airport, a hundred miles from my boat.

If anything goes wrong I'll get a text and a e-mail within seconds, and can dispatch help if needed.

 

[Jeffrey S]

Then use a MIFI aware router to build a network for your boat.

I know it's not the point of the thread but you have to be very careful about that. Many of the MiFi's I've seen allow 5-8 devices to connect to gain internet access over cellular but they do not provide router support allowing the different devices to communicate between themselves. It's likely that a real router would still be needed. I have multiple MiFi's.

A really excellent new type of device that does this function and integrates with MiFi's and other aircards is the Pepwave. It's a more modern and capable version of the older CradlePoint devices. It's hard to spend $99 on a Pepwave.

 

[ksanders]

I know it's not the point of the thread but you have to be very careful about that. Many of the MiFi's I've seen allow 5-8 devices to connect to gain internet access over cellular but they do not provide router support allowing the different devices to communicate between themselves. It's likely that a real router would still be needed. I have multiple MiFi's.

A really excellent new type of device that does this function and integrates with MiFi's and other aircards is the Pepwave. It's a more modern and capable version of the older CradlePoint devices. It's hard to spend $99 on a Pepwave.

Yes, correct. The MIFI needs to plug into a router. The ones you're thinking about appear to be the ones that are a MIFI and a WIFI Access Point built into one. The ones I'm referring to are the USB based units.

If you plug a USB based MIFI into a MIFI aware router then the MIFI number of users/devices limitations cease to be an issue because from the MIFI's standpoint there is only one device, the router.

I'm a big fan of the Cradlepoint routers as a network engineer. They provide easy to configure support for almost anybodies USB based MIFI along with a host of other features most boaters never need. I have a little cradlepoint router I take with me when traveling that cost something like $120 and has both a wired and a WIFI based access solution.

Btw, thanks for the referral to pep link. I just cruised their web site and saw some pretty neat products I'll be investigating further. They appear to be direct competition to cradlepoint in the same market, same capabilities class. That's a good thing.

 

[gwkiwi]

Jeff,
Where did you order the camera, we are slowly catching up to you northbound !

Gerald

 

[Jeffrey S]

Jeff,
Where did you order the camera, we are slowly catching up to you northbound !

This is the one I ordered this week:
http://www.amazon.com/Foscam-FI8918...e=UTF8&qid=1397870002&sr=8-2&keywords=fl8918w

Once this weather clears, we're jumping to Charleston (from St Simons).

 

[jstauffer]

ksanders...what are you using for your alarm monitor?

 

[ksanders]

ksanders...what are you using for your alarm monitor?

I have a sensaphone web600

www.sensaphone.com

 

[timjet]

I have two hard wired IR camera's monitoring ER gauges. They display on my Raymarine MFD.

I have a mirror for monitoring my surroundings, no wiring or WIFI needed.

The hardwired are more of an effort to install but IMHO more reliable. No WIFI to contend with and it always works.

I can't image viewing an image with the inherent slight delay via WIFI to maneuver the boat, but lots of folks do just that.

For security and monitoring away from the boat there are better options.

 

[FlyWright]

I'm considering adding a GoPro camera to the cockpit to record fish catching. The newer models allow wifi feeds to view live video on a tablet or smartphone. My thought was that it might make an effective backup camera when needed. Not sure if they can reverse the video or accept external power, though. I'd like to connect it to a 12V power source.

 

[Jeffrey S]

I'm considering adding a GoPro camera to the cockpit to record fish catching. The newer models allow wifi feeds to view live video on a tablet or smartphone. My thought was that it might make an effective backup camera when needed. Not sure if they can reverse the video or accept external power, though. I'd like to connect it to a 12V power source.

I've been doing that for almost a year. I've done a time-lapse video of every passage we've made along the Great Loop. There's a lot I've learned and I plan to write it all up sometime.

One passage was overnight (another one coming this week). So the camera needs to be on for 24+ hours. The internal battery will power the camera for maybe 3 hours even if it's plugged in. If you use the external battery option, that battery allows external 12v power and it will keep it powered for more than 24 hours because the battery option charges faster than the internal battery (I tested it at 48 hours and it worked that long too). Doing time-lapse requires some additional software - that'll have to wait until I write the full article about it.

Here are some example...

Flight of locks on the Erie Canal:
http://youtu.be/fU0LKx6ewYs

Jamie Witten lock drop on the Tenn-Tom:
http://youtu.be/QiwK22Jl26w

Longboat Key to Sarasota/Marina Jack:
http://youtu.be/sWOomgWmuyA

All of the video was captured in high def so you can click the YouTube gear icon to select better resolution or play it full screen. The videos badly need to have some background music. Here's a test video I did last year before I had the extra battery pack - this shows the full amount of video capture possible with the standard battery - the camera had powered off by the time we reached Hampton Public Piers:
http://youtu.be/nh32rkHt6Pw

That video shows the power of background music. It might not work on iPads, etc because I stole the music and YouTube detects that. It works fine on Windows and Macintosh.

I'd also like to integrate a chart overlay to show the progress along a route - all projects for the next year or so. When done, it'll document one pathway through the entire Great Loop to show what it looks like (and really, how easy it all is). I'd like to have a place where others could leave their own time-lapse passages some day to document routes in a new and interesting way. And of course, all the route file data will be a part of the video display so anyone can see exactly what we followed.

It's been a fun project.