Baby/pet/home video monitor

[Mrs Pingu]

Because Pingu isn't keen to cut a big hole in our wooden front door, and one of the cats has a teeny tiny miaow, we are discussing the possibility of putting some sort of monitor device in our 'airlock', so that we can shut the inner door but still let the cats in when they appear back at Pingu Towers.

I've looked at the typical video baby monitor device which has a screen for the parent unit, but also at IP cameras which require an app to monitor the camera/audio, but now I'm struggling to decide which of these types to go for .
Have discounted the Motorola IP camera which now requires a paid subscription. Had looked at the Foscam IP camera but the reporting of the constant video stream to the app eating the mobile devices battery put me off a bit. Which then puts me back to a typical baby monitor again.

Any advice?

Also, we have no power socket in the airlock, I'd have to run the power cable up through the ceiling into our loft to get power, so a camera with a thin lead and socket would be useful....

[pcolbeck]

No advice on cameras but if you can get one that runs on PoE (power over ethernet) then you only need to run the network cable to the camera not a power cable as well. As you are unlikely to have an Ethernet switch at home that can provide PoE you can get power injectors that will add the requisite power to the cable. Something like this:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ubiquiti-GP-A240-050-24v-0-5A-Earthed-PoE-Power-Over-Ethernet-Injector-Adapter-/161813240676?hash=item25acd21b64

[Kim]

No advice on cameras but if you can get one that runs on PoE (power over ethernet) then you only need to run the network cable to the camera not a power cable as well. As you are unlikely to have an Ethernet switch at home that can provide PoE you can get power injectors that will add the requisite power to the cable. Something like this:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ubiquiti-GP-A240-050-24v-0-5A-Earthed-PoE-Power-Over-Ethernet-Injector-Adapter-/161813240676?hash=item25acd21b64

That's the weird non-complaint 24v PoE that Ubiquiti access points use.  CCTV stuff seems to like using its own non-compliant passive PoE, which may or may not be compatible.  Proper 803.2af PoE is 48V with electronics to negotiate the power at each end.  You can usually get away with injecting passive PoE at 48V.

But none of this is particularly important unless you're running a mixture of PoE kit.  For a single gadget, just use the relevant injector.

Agreed that PoE will make the cabling simpler.  One 6mm hole for a cat5, job done.

[epa611]

Nest Cam?

[pcolbeck]

No advice on cameras but if you can get one that runs on PoE (power over ethernet) then you only need to run the network cable to the camera not a power cable as well. As you are unlikely to have an Ethernet switch at home that can provide PoE you can get power injectors that will add the requisite power to the cable. Something like this:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ubiquiti-GP-A240-050-24v-0-5A-Earthed-PoE-Power-Over-Ethernet-Injector-Adapter-/161813240676?hash=item25acd21b64

That's the weird non-complaint 24v PoE that Ubiquiti access points use.  CCTV stuff seems to like using its own non-compliant passive PoE, which may or may not be compatible.  Proper 803.2af PoE is 48V with electronics to negotiate the power at each end.  You can usually get away with injecting passive PoE at 48V.

Oops didn't notice that that wasn't 802.3af standard. I'm used to everything doing 802.3af as a minimum. As an aside the switches actually do power budgeting using software not hardware either using CDP (Cisco) or LLDP MED. Without this no matter what the device requires 15.4W is reserved per active PoE port.

[Eccentrica Gallumbits]

Can't you just amplify the cat?

[Kim]

Can't you just amplify the cat?

Or teach them to knock on doors.  (Never do this.)

[Pingu]

I was expecting Kim to tell us about the time she molished something with a Box Brownie, an FM radio and a Raspberry Pi.

[Mrs Pingu]

Can't you just amplify the cat?

Or teach them to knock on doors.  (Never do this.)

I already researched, and discounted, pressure sensor pads that would ring a little bell when a cat sat on the mat.