Bumping this because I haven’t received a single response… really need to replace my current camera and don’t want to have to return another camera like I did after discovering it wasn’t going to work.
I highly recommend Ubiquiti UVC, they take a bit of work to set up, but they have worked flawlessly for me for quite a while now. They don’t have PTZ, but they do offer 2 axes of adjustment with the mount. Keep in mind that you will have to have a computer running the NVR software.
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Thanks Mark! I’m leaning towards non POE cameras as wiring is not one of my strong points but I appreciate your input and will look into this further. Thanks again!
Hello,
I use a low-cost vstarcam wifi waterproof camera:
http://www.vstarcam.com/VStarcam-C7816WIP-HD-WIFI-Waterproof-IP-Camera-131.html
It cost 66 US$ here: http://www.dx.com/p/379576
It doesn’t have PRZ but you can move it in two axis. I don’t access directly through a browser but it works very well with my camera surveillance server. It also has a reasonable android app where you can connect several vstarcam cameras and access them from internet (without NAT). HA can also take snapshots from it.
If you want I can send you some images captured with it. The night vision is also acceptable. And it can record video or images on a MicroSD card.
Then, for something better for personal usage I would recommend the Foscam cameras. Those seems to be better but a bit more expensive. But I don’t have any foscam…
Regards,
Alfredo.
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Thanks Alfredo; As l;ong as I can point it in the right direction, PTZ isn’t an issue - I’ll look into this. Thanks again!
You are welcome. If you want something better than Vstarcam then try the foscam. There is one Foscam HD PTZ outdoor solution that looks really good but I don’t know the price.
Regards,
Alfredo.
My indoor cams are Foscams and they work great but I have had zero luck with Foscam outdoor cams. So far I have returned two different models. But I might go ahead and pick up one of the Vstarcams this week and if it works out, I’ll go for the PTZ Dome camera they have (which is pretty cheap at $120.00US). If you’re still willing, I’d love to see one of your images.
Once I get some time, I was thinking of putting together a directory with devices that work with HA and whatever notes or tips go along with utilizing that device. For instance, my Foscam 8918s don’t work with the Foscam component but work great with the generic camera component and basic HTTP authentication in the URL. I think that might be helpful to other HA users and noobs and could be a way of giving back.
POE means running 1 Cat 5/6 wire to the camera and plugging it into a POE Switch. It couldn’t be easier and is what most commercial equipment is using now.
You didn’t mention your location or if you need a heater.
PTZ is overrated, you can set up 2-3 cameras for the cost of 1 PTZ. Plus you often need to mask portions of the video feed for motion detection which is harder to apply to a PTZ system.
Calvin
Thanks for your input! POE is out for me, don’t have the tools or skills for running wire through walls. PTZ isn’t a requirement as I mentioned; more concerned with a mount that allows two axis of motion. But thanks.
Alfredo, when you click on the camera in HA, does it stream? I’m thinking of trying out your suggestion.
Hi,
Yes. When you click on the camera it stream the image.
I framerate is low because it takes snapshots in jpg format but it is good enough for me. I can’t tell you what the real framerate is…
The image is also refreshed from the HA main dashboard.
BTW, if you are planning to set a camera in HA, you might be interested on this post: Attach photo in notification
To send pushbullet with images in your automations.
Regards,
Alfredo.
Hello rpitera,
Here you have an image captured at night (without external light) with the Vstarcam:
Regards,
Alfredo.
Sweet! I bookmarked that link. These pics look pretty good. Thanks for sharing them!
Hey Alfredo, did you get the image notification working?
No… 
I noticed that after sending one image from my pushbullet mobile app to the PC then the max upload size was changed from NaNMB to 25MB. But I still have the same problem.
I will try from another linux PC or I will try to create another pushbullet account. If it is working for you then it is either my linux or my account… Right? I don’t think that the problem could be the linux because we are talking about a simple “post”… and I’m having the same behaviour with perl and curl.
Regards,
Alfredo.
When I was setting it up I put some print statements in the script to see where it was failing, and it was on the last step. I don’t remember why though. Are you using the device iden or the nickname? I’m pretty sure you have to use the iden, I think that is why it was failing for me originally.
In my case, the scrip is failing on the upload step (before the push). I’m sure that it is something related to my account because I have the same problem with another script (based on bash) and also doing it manually with curl.
I will write to pushbullet support to see what happens…
Regards,
Alfredo.
Keep us posted, Alfredo. This would be a nice addition if you can get it to work.
I just bought one based on your recommendation. Thanks for the info and images!
I have a UVC micro and I like it but I can’t seem to get HA to notice any state changes. It is always Idle.
can you please share the config you used?