Best Outdoor Camera for Remote Long-Term Time Lapse

porterble on 19/12/2024 - 12:12
Last edited 19/12/2024 - 12:42 by 1 other user

Going to be doing some construction and renovation work in our backyard over the next 6-12 months, and the swathe of security camera posts recently got thinking that a Timelapse would be pretty neat.

As such looking for a good quality high res camera with a wide angle lens (170deg ideal) that can be hardwired in (pref PoE) with remote storage (preferably to the Synology) and some weatherproofing.

What is out there which fits those requirements?

• 

  Fredfloresjr on 19/12/2024 - 12:25

  -1

  Gopro

  • 

    porterble on 19/12/2024 - 13:59

    +3

    How would you use a GoPro via PoE, and automatic upload?

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  geekcohen on 19/12/2024 - 12:27

  +4

  So you'll have an internet/local network connection and 240V power? I would get a 4 Channel NVR and then get a Reolink Due 2 POE and setup the image capture via FTP. Here is an example of a 24 hour time lapse using my Reolink NVR + Duo 2.

  There is no need to swap out batteries, memory cards or anything. It has the FTP upload and also a remote view, plus it acts as a security camera. Could go a bigger NVR and do your whole house!

  For that solution, probably looking at $500 or less for the smallest solution.

  I even have my main house NVR doing image capture, I think it is set to every 30 seconds.

  • 

    stuffandthat on 19/12/2024 - 12:36

    That was awesome. What FTP settings do you use? Do you FTP to a NAS or PC?

    • 

      geekcohen on 19/12/2024 - 12:42

      I don't have a NAS; I got it FTP uploading to Wasabi S3, but it would be straightforward for a NAS.

      I think I would quickly fill a small NAS with footage. Its only about $7 a TB for Wasabi S3 and I don't have to worry running a NAS.

      • 

        Prophecie on 19/12/2024 - 13:32

        $7 per month

        • 

          geekcohen on 19/12/2024 - 14:03

          @Prophecie: Yeah, $7 a TB per month.

  • 

    porterble on 19/12/2024 - 14:02

    Thanks for the camera recommendation, looks like a good camera solution.

    Given I already have a Synology NAS, which seems to support adding Reolink cameras straight to the NVR app (https://support.reolink.com/hc/en-us/articles/360004124293-H…) I think I can get away with just adding the Due 2 PoE to the Synology and then working out how to get still frames out of the Synology.

    • 

      geekcohen on 19/12/2024 - 14:05

      Yes, that is an option providing you can get the frames to work. Its built into the NVR software, so makes it easy. But yes could save the NVR cost.

      • 

        porterble on 19/12/2024 - 14:15

        +1

        Crontab and ffmpeg should make short work of compiling the timelapses. Probably set up a script to move the recordings to another folder nightly, and then another script to compress the daylight hours down every week or so with tidyup.

        edit: in fact here is a set of scripts which could be automated with cron to do exactly that: https://planet-geek.com/2017/10/09/geekitude/creating-timela…

        • 

          geekcohen on 19/12/2024 - 14:30

          @porterble: Good find!

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  mskeggs on 19/12/2024 - 14:10

  If you can accept average quality imagery, maybe a weather cam?
  I have this one https://shop.ecowitt.com/en-au/products/wittcam

  It produces a daily 16sec time-lapse on the cloud server, or you can set a raspberry pi or similar to collect the images individually every 5mins if you want to control the time-lapse file generation.
  For about $65 delivered it is a cool device.

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  mskeggs on 19/12/2024 - 14:13

  Another cheapo option is the "trail cam" motion sensor cams. Most of the cheap ones have a time lapse setting.
  But those just fill up a local SD card so you would want to manually collect the images from time to time.

  • 

    porterble on 19/12/2024 - 14:14

    Yeah, needs to be network connected. I won't remember to collect images manually.