Engine room Cameras

Just wondering what people are using and how are they set up? This could be for engine room and/or security. I would like a few wireless units to monitor things just in case.

These are live shots

Dlink cameras. Less than a hundred bucks each.

Gotta love night vision.

I have 2 alarm systems. One by Lowes Iris, all wireless. One by Sensaphone, hard wired.

I've got similar cameras and setup to Kevin based on a previous thread he posted in. They have been great as I can log in any time using an app on the phone/iPad just to keep any eye on things. The only thing you need is an internet connection for them to hook up to. I've got a little 4G router running off a shared data plan. They use bugger all data if you only log in periodically for a quick check.

No doubt there many other brands with similar capabilities but my experience is only with the DLink range which has served me perfectly to date. One of mine also has pan and tilt capabilities which is really handy in the saloon.

Ryan

Rhinoc said:

I've got similar cameras and setup to Kevin based on a previous thread he posted in. They have been great as I can log in any time using an app on the phone/iPad just to keep any eye on things. The only thing you need is an internet connection for them to hook up to. I've got a little 4G router running off a shared data plan. They use bugger all data if you only log in periodically for a quick check.

No doubt there many other brands with similar capabilities but my experience is only with the DLink range which has served me perfectly to date. One of mine also has pan and tilt capabilities which is really handy in the saloon.

Ryan

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Hey, Ryan, I'm assuming "bugger all" means "hardly any" . . . right?

Spot on Angus ��

Don't you just love spell correct. Usually get at least one laugh a day out of it.

I bought the ?owl from Walmart that is 8 channel with four cameras so I can expand, I love it, put a 24" tv on the helm and I enjoy watching nothing happening. The cheapest bang for your buck in peace of mind there is

My Simrad NSS16 Evo 2 can toggle between the engine room and the "Clorox Bottle Looking" boat warning camera on the stern.

No Internet necessary.

I have 3 cameras in the engine room.

All are cheapy Chinese cams, around £15 each, wired in to a small monitor a bit like a sat nav, with a selector switch to choose which cam is displayed.

One cam looks directly down into the bilge but also shows the fuel filters at the sides, and there is one camera looking at each propshaft, coupling and stern gland.

They're a great reassurance on a long trip, and a big time saver because I don't have to lift carpets, hatches etc as often.

I repurposed 12V home security cameras with bnc connectors and 12V power plugs. I ran the video feed through a push-button switch box and then to my HDTV to monitor ER video underway.

It cost less than $100 in accessories to make the cameras functional on the boat. No recording, no Wifi...very basic but functional and cheap.

The first ER pic is with the lights on. The ER pic with Craig's kid is with the ER lights off...and it's pitch black in there. You can't see the hand in front of your face.

I have 2 more cameras and 2 more available buttons if I want to add more cameras.

Can you guys log into your cameras from home, or only while on board ?

Has anyone here discovered an engine-related problem via camera?

I bought a couple of cheap-o automobile back-up cameras with infrared, just to try them out. The system painted "parking spot" lines on the display monitor. I couldn't find any way to turn the lines off, so that project has languished.

Still, with the right equipment, it ought to be cheap and easy. I bought two cameras and a wireless transmitter/receiver set for one of them, with the monitor, for next to nothing on Amazon or eBay. Being geared toward automotive use, they run great on 12VDC and are mass-produced by multiple manufacturers, keeping prices down.

I have two decent res color/infrared cameras in the ER. One on port aft bulkhead looking diagonally forward, one on stbd forward bulkhead looking diagonally aft. Aimed that way to cover the most real estate. Hard wired to the Garmin GPSMAP 7000 series monitor at upper helm. I conn from the FB helm station almost exclusively.

In practice, I suppose that it would show me a quantity of steam, smoke, or (maybe) streaming water. It's not going to show a loose alternator belt, a fuel leak, or anything outboard of the two engines. It seemed like an idea at the time, but I don't think I'd do it again.

Benthic2 said:

Can you guys log into your cameras from home, or only while on board ?

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I'm at work tonight, and my boat is a hundred fifty miles away.

This is a live shot. I also have several days recordings available, in case there is a security issue that needs to be investigated.

That's very cool. I'd rather see my boat when I'm not there than the engine while I'm on board I think. I guess being able to see it all at all times is even better. Thanks for the response.

Benthic2 said:

That's very cool. I'd rather see my boat when I'm not there than the engine while I'm on board I think. I guess being able to see it all at all times is even better. Thanks for the response.

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Yes, the idea is to see things when I'm not there. When we're on the boat we disable the interior cameras.

Although we have several smoke alarms, and bilge water alarms that will alert us to a problem, its nice to look at the engine room camera for example and see that the bilge is dry.

In my opinion, just as important as cameras is an effective alarm system.
Yes the big things like smoke, and bilge water are important, but the smaller things are very important as well.

Knowing that my shore power is working
Knowing that my battery charger is working
Knowing that the inverter is working
And that the fridge and freezer temperatures are good

Knowing these things provides peace of mind that all is well.

CDreamer said:

Has anyone here discovered an engine-related problem via camera?

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No, but thats why I installed one.

My camera will show any leaks dripping into the drip pan, even the tiniest amount.

It would have early detected both my high presure fuel line leaks. One was also atomized spray so was a very dangerous situation every moment it went undetected.

It would have also shown a loose alternator belt when the alternator bracket sheared a bolt. I could have had a choice of destinations to pick from for the repair. It would also have allowed me to make the decision to stop and investigate before it broke and the engine overheated from losing the water pump.

I've got less than $100 in my system thanks to Amazon. I run it through my Garmin 4208 and rebroadcast it to several TV's in the boat. The engine room camera actually looks better with the engine room lights turned off. I have one camera on the bridge, one facing aft and one in the salon. The aft camera is offline in the photo below.

I use the bow camera on long passages so I can go inside to take care of business and still see around my using the salon TV.

The salon camera is really helpful to see people moving around when I'm on the bridge.

They are day/night LED cameras that cost around $12.00

Amazing how inexpensive these have gotten, and the picture quality.

Sugardog said:

Amazing how inexpensive these have gotten, and the picture quality.

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Agree...it's cheap data. It may not be able to prevent a catastrophic incident, but it sure can give you early notice, and that's often enough.

The cameras are really the simple part, just hooking into your WIFI system. The more complicated aspect in some places would be simply transmitting so you can see it from home but if you have a system set up with your alarms, adding the cameras is easy.

With many of the electronics suppliers, such as Garmin and Raymarine, they offer cameras integrated into their systems. Other companies such as Gost Global also integrate.

Another place nightvision comes in handy as does motion sensitive. You also can tie audio ability in with the video. It can be enjoyable if someone steps on your boat to talk to them.

We have engine room cameras and to my knowledge have never discovered anything with them. However, we have tested them and found them to work well. Also, they reduce the frequency we feel we need to check on the engine room. They can detect whatever you consider important depending on how many you want.

Lorex is a system from FLIR as well. Eye Trax is one i've used in other settings but not on a boat. They're high end systems. IRIS also is a system that integrates with Raymarine although will with anyone, just have a deal with Raymarine. They even promote the underwater camera so you can see the fish that got away. Furuno has cameras but I've never seen one or known anything about them.

Psneeld -
Good to know they can show that level of detail. It occurs to me that a small camera can be mounted/focus on tight locations that would be difficult to see directly when the engine is hot, boat is moving, etc. during a standard ER check.
I was looking at a Selene (from the finger pier) a few weeks back - it had a 360 degree PTZ camera mounted above the aft saloon door. I'm sure the owner could see me from wherever he was at the time (not on board). And it would be useful when backing as well.

I use a laptop for navigation. And my entire setup is a low lux color cam and a monitor that was less than $ 200 and it worked ok even without the engine room lights on.

I think they are an OK idea, but no substitute for regular ER checks. When I was in the process of buying our full time cruising boat, ease of doing comprehensive ER checks when underway was an important specification. I felt more strongly about this after years of actual practice, as the key issues I discovered were from smell or sound or temperature readings.

We have three Garmin units in the engine room, work great and a fourth in the aft cockpit to assist backing into a slip. All are viewed on the Garmin and I can switch from camera to camera which I do while traveling. At the end of a long day a visual inspection is called for. And they work.

Just putting my system in now, I don't feel like wireless will give you the performance to actually spot a problem. Plus it will bog down your network.
Went with (6) HikVision 4MP cameras and a dedicated NVR attached to a touch panel monitor in the pilot house. Detail and frame rate is good enough I can even see how the belts are running and read the gauges next to the engine.
I put the cameras in the following spots.
-aft View
-Forward looking mounted under pilothouse overhang
-forward and aft looking down on the boat from the mizzenmast for docking
-2 in the engine room.