Robert Tomlin Posted February 16, 2014 Share Posted February 16, 2014 Hey everyone.. got a question to throw out there and hopefully greater minds than mine will come up with an answer! My flying clubs airstrips/fields are quite isolated and remote... we have no mains electric power or telephone land-lines. What i'm after is a solution to getting a series of still images (snap-shots) of the clubs airfield on to the clubs website... remotely. I know there are a few apps out there that will allow a iPhone to be used as a remote camera, and you then log into a website to view the images, but all seem to fall short on some specific critera I require. Like I said, the clubs club-house (shipping container) as no power, so the phone will have to be eventually powered from a larger battery source... like a mobile-home leisure battery, and then conected to the internet using either a data-only sim card in the phone or using a mifi... that bit is sorted! What is the problem I so need help with is; I need to set the iPhone to shoot stills only, say at a rate of 1 image every 15 mins and then upload them to a web server/website, also only to take the pics between set times of the day... afterall it's pointless taking pics in the dark, and also that'll use up data. I've had a look at apps such as 'Manything' and 'Presence' and also done a trawl on the web to see if a solution is available, but i've drawn a blank so far. Any body able to help? Edited By Pete B - Moderator on 16/02/2014 21:14:00 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben B Posted February 16, 2014 Share Posted February 16, 2014 http://gizmodo.com/5878580/transform-your-old-iphone-into-a-home-surveillance-cam suggests you need https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/iwebcam/id332453360?mt=8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Hooper Posted February 16, 2014 Share Posted February 16, 2014 I can't help with an iphone app but can point you at "mobilewebcam" which runs on an android phone. It can be powered from a large leisure battery through a ubec (5v output) direct into the charge port of the phone. The app can be configured to upload images to a web server on a timed basis with defined start and stop times at the beginning and end of the day. It also has the facility to run motion detection. And it is free!! I can also recommend mobi-data as a low cost data sim provider to use with the phone. My club is installing such a webcam at their flying site just as soon as the rain lets up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlexJ Posted February 16, 2014 Share Posted February 16, 2014 Hi Robert, With another hobby, I to use trail cameras. I hear great things about the Lil Acorn cameras, they can be set up to transmit images to a website I understand ( I do not require that facility though). It would save you having a phone on site, these things are entirely self contained, power SIM etc. I am told it is wise to get them through somebody like Ron Bury in the UK, rather than through Ebay, as they seem to be sent from China and do not come with a warranty. Regards Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete B Posted February 16, 2014 Share Posted February 16, 2014 I've removed your framing in the first post, Robert - not sure what you did but it didn't sit well within the forum Can I ask you to post plain text when you reply, please? Ta, Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaunie Posted February 16, 2014 Share Posted February 16, 2014 Possibility of a solar panel on the roof of the container to keep the battery charged? Motion detection would be a really good thing, after all if something naughty does happen data costs are secondary to getting a record of the goings on. Shaunie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Kearney Posted February 16, 2014 Share Posted February 16, 2014 Robert, it might be worth looking at a raspberry pi if you don't already have a spare iphone, that could also be set to read data from a simple weather station too. All in, including case and sd card you should be able to get one for less than 50 quid. Add in a cheap cam and I expect you'll come out cheaper than a spare phone. And I expect you could power one from a battery for a good while. Internet connection might be a different matter but shouldn't be too hard to figure something out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bucksboy Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 What a well timed post! We are in the same position, no mains electricity and no phone line. We would love some sort of web cam feed so that we could keep an eye on the field, see who else is there and the remote weather station information. I contacted another club member with specialist knowledge and his view was that it was unfeasible. We have the leisure batteries in the club house and had a solar panel on the club hut roof, it lasted 2-3 months before someone stole it. Now we have to drag the replacement panel out out and then back in at the end of the day, obviously we lose the opportunity to charge the batteries when no one goes to the field. I know nothing about this area so I'll watch with interest and make notes. If anyone has got the specific details that would be really helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bucksboy Posted May 11, 2014 Share Posted May 11, 2014 Well, we've done it! We've installed a small solar panel on the roof, heavily glued down this time and invisible from the ground. This charges a 12v battery which then charges the mobile phone. This is set to transmit during daylight hours only. We've erected a cheap windsock so that members have a visual clue to the wind speed too. The camera shows the pits and some of the car park, if anyone is at the field, there should be some evidence visible in the webcam. We'll keep our fingers crossed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil 9 Posted May 11, 2014 Share Posted May 11, 2014 and remember big brother is watching Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Tomlin Posted May 11, 2014 Author Share Posted May 11, 2014 Well done 'bucksboy'! Sound very similar to the set-up we're about to use... I've a old iphone 4, with a unlimited data SIM card, and wired to a large car battery... we've worked out that this will keep the phones battery topped-up with power for a few weeks without the need if a solar panel, but we have one also just in case. The phone is transmitting 24/7 its video to a website called Manything, via an app installed on the phone. This is a free video hosting service that records 30 days worth of footage in very high def. We then just give our members the web link to view it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Former Member Posted May 11, 2014 Share Posted May 11, 2014 [This posting has been removed] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Kearney Posted May 11, 2014 Share Posted May 11, 2014 Congrats bucksboy, look forward to seeing the output. Will it be linked from the club site do you know? Any idea how many watts the solar panel provides? I was wondering if the same sort of thing could power a raspberry pi. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Laird Posted July 28, 2014 Share Posted July 28, 2014 Hi, With the UBEC best to check the output current your phone can handle. br Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Privett Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 Posted by Tom Laird on 28/07/2014 15:48:48: Hi, With the UBEC best to check the output current your phone can handle. Not sure if I've missed your point Tom, but if the UBEC supplies 5v, and 5v is the correct input voltage to the phone (which it is for a phone with a mini or micro USB input) then the phone will only draw the current it needs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bucksboy Posted October 9, 2014 Share Posted October 9, 2014 Shamelessly dragging up an old thread but we've been really pleased with this system. Chesham Flying club paved the way and we copied it. The system was a bit unreliable but we've got a mobile phone inside a steel container that sometimes struggles to get a signal. The system costs £60 per year for the SIM card, the phone was donated and we spent about £15 on a solar panel. The Android app (Mobilewebcam) is free to download and use too. We've linked it to the club website so members can see who is at the field before they leave home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Whybrow Posted October 9, 2014 Share Posted October 9, 2014 Bucksboy, what does the phone camera see from inside a steel container? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bucksboy Posted October 10, 2014 Share Posted October 10, 2014 Ah yes, we drilled a small hole and the camera looks out onto the pits area. Members can see some evidence of activity by other members. A car in the car park, a model on the starting tables etc. the camera is protected away from light fingers but it does cause the phone problems getting its signal out from time to time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Hooper Posted June 2, 2018 Share Posted June 2, 2018 To resurrect a very old thread. Our club (Chesham Model Flying) have been using the android mobile phone with the mobilewebcam software to send images to a web server (opensmartcam.com) for 4 years and it has been very successful. Today I learnt that opensmartcam are withdrawing their hosting service at the end of the year. I am looking for another route to display updating snapshots of the field in a similar way. I have been paying for the opensmartcam hosting and anticipate that it will not be a free service from another supplier. Has anyone else found a way to display images to their club website that doesn't involve streaming but accepts a picture every 5 minutes. I know there are a number of clubs who will be in the same boat so we have a vested interest in pooling our resources. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bucksboy Posted June 2, 2018 Share Posted June 2, 2018 Colin, I saw that opensmartcam are stopping at the end of the year, it's a real shame. It's really handy having a beady eye on the club during the day, time to search the net for a replacement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Bott - Moderator Posted June 2, 2018 Share Posted June 2, 2018 If you have time to experiment, have a look at manything.comThey have a single camera (or mobile phone) free account option. That's worth a look. (Sorry it's so long since I used it that I don't remember the pros and cons any more) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisB Posted June 2, 2018 Share Posted June 2, 2018 Hi folks. We've thought about getting some sort of remote access windspeed/direction meter via some sort of sim system. Two things spring to mind: Firstly our container is sheltered and away from the flying are, so the unit would need to be in an exposed flying site to give an accurate reading. Secondly, there is some discussion internally about the use of mobile phones and their impact on radio systems. Albeit many hundreds if not thousands at an event like the Nationals and to my knowledge, not issues of interference despite lots of RF noise. Have any clubs got a remote access system other than a camera? CB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bucksboy Posted June 3, 2018 Share Posted June 3, 2018 We never went down the route of a remote access windspeed / weather station so cannot help regarding the above. Our existing system takes a photo every 5 minutes during daylight hours and this is linked into the Club website. You can see if your mates are at the field before you decide to go or not. A piece of plastic blowing in the wind, deliberately in shot, gives a very rough indication of the wind speed. In the 4 years we've had it the world has moved on. All the apps I've found last night are for beaming a live feed from one mobile phone to another using wi-fi. Be it for home security/baby monitoring etc. This is not what we want so the search continues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Bott - Moderator Posted June 3, 2018 Share Posted June 3, 2018 Here's a possibility. http://www.camsecure.co.uk/WebcamHosting.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bucksboy Posted June 3, 2018 Share Posted June 3, 2018 Chris, Thank you very much, Camsecure seem to be exactly what we need. I see that Raydon Model Aircraft Club already use them. I've emailed both Camsecure and the Chairman of Raydon to see if I can gather further details, looks very promising though. We only use a single photo every 5 minutes as it keeps the power needs of the phone down and allows us to use a cheap SIM card to send the photos from the mobile phone to the website. Our mobile phone looks through a tiny hole that the occasional vandal misses completely, we're keen to not have an external and obvious camera, it will become a target for sure. They found the solar panel fixed to the roof (it was invisible from the ground) and smashed that so an external camera would need to be made of cast iron. Fingers crossed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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