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dreadnought

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hi all,has anyone had any experience with the blink outdoor cctv cameras,im thinking of getting a pair of them for my nb,they are wireless but im thinking will the signal be ok on the steel boat,will it get to the router ok on board,

has anyone got any better cctv systems,many thanks in advance

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Just now, dreadnought said:

hi all,has anyone had any experience with the blink outdoor cctv cameras,im thinking of getting a pair of them for my nb,they are wireless but im thinking will the signal be ok on the steel boat,will it get to the router ok on board,

has anyone got any better cctv systems,many thanks in advance

 

Cant comment on the Blink but we have Ring cameras and doorbells at home and we have found they need a really strong wi-fi to work well. If  the wi fi is even slightly below par they struggle to connect to the router. We solved it by upgrading to a mesh system.

 

You might want to avoid Ring if wi fi signal strength is a concern.

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We have Blink cameras at home, they seem to work really well.  The range that they will connect to the sync hub and the router seems very good, we have once camera mounted on the garage which is remote from the house and it has a good connection to both sync hub and router both located in the house.

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Remember a narrow boat is essentially a Faraday cage so won't allow radio waves in or out save through glass in widows & portholes or wooden doors. The components may need carefully positioning to ensure the cameras and  router are in line of site through glass or wood. Otherwise, I fear this idea may not work.

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That's always the issue with using any of this wireless gear and expecting it to connect with equipment inside the boat. You might be better off with a camera that connects to the router with a cable though a bulkhead if such a thing is available, much like many people do with their WiFi antennas. Or just don't bother with it at all! 

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I've been considering a couple of cameras mounted externally so I can take a quick look at what's happening outside if I hear any unusual noises, or to alert me if someone steps onto the stern during the night. 

 

I found a detailed review (below) where the tester found that the blink camera didnt respond at all well to motion detection situations, and he implied he had heard about this not being a rare issue, so I've decided not to go for the blink, but this one instead, which apparently has a magnetic base and can be stuck anywhere on the steel hull. 

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08TLJRQVY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

My thinking is that although its easy to nick, the scrotes will always assume its mounted with screws, and they wont even bother trying to remove it:

 

I was tempted by the google nest cam which has very good reviews, but the more recent model is pretty large, and I'm worried I'll actually bump into it whilst going through the stern door (next to which my camera will be mounted).

 

As the view radius thingy is only 110 degrees, I'm thinking of getting two cameras, and mounting one on each side of the rear bulkhead- so one next to the door, and another above the gas locker. That means whatever side of the boat is next to the towpath, I'll have a camera that has a good view of anyone stepping aboard. 

 

My other query was around positioning. Even if placed near to the roof and pointing out horizontally, the cameras will only record the legs of an intruder. To record the face, I think they need to be pointing upwards. 

I hope you'll come back and update us with your results using these cameras, I suspect its a issue that a number of boaters will be taking an interest in. 

 

I was worried about wifi reaching onto the stern since my router is at the front of the boat. I can certainly pick up the wifi signal with no problem when stood anywhere on the stern, so fingers crossed the same will be true for a security camera, which I think works with the router. 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by Tony1
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20 hours ago, The Happy Nomad said:

 

Cant comment on the Blink but we have Ring cameras and doorbells at home and we have found they need a really strong wi-fi to work well. If  the wi fi is even slightly below par they struggle to connect to the router. We solved it by upgrading to a mesh system.

 

You might want to avoid Ring if wi fi signal strength is a concern.

Plus, from 1st July 2022, "the price of Protect Basic will change from £24.99/year per device to £34.99/year per device.

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44 minutes ago, Boaty Jo said:

Plus, from 1st July 2022, "the price of Protect Basic will change from £24.99/year per device to £34.99/year per device.

 

Correct, but its the first increase since 2015, and they have added new features. Its a big jump though.

 

We have Protect Plus because we have a Ring Alarm too, and so far that isnt increasing in price, but I expect that will in the not too distant future.

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If the outdoor Blinks are anything like the indoor ones then don’t bother. I got a pair to try out and was not impressed. Slow to respond from the app you have to use, terrible resolution, laggy when viewing live pics, rubbish in low light without IR activated. I have an old webcam connected to a Raspberry Pi running motionEye and it knocks the Blink into a cocked hat.

 

P.S. want to buy a pair of indoor Blinks? :D 

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On 03/06/2022 at 23:17, Alan de Enfield said:

 

There are plenty of battery / solar charged lights that have movement sensors.

 

Yes and a bloody nuisance they are too as you walk the towpath in the dark and they come on and blind you.

 

I really don't get the point of them.

 

  • Greenie 4
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45 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

Yes and a bloody nuisance they are too as you walk the towpath in the dark and they come on and blind you.

 

I really don't get the point of them.

 

 

They illuminate the door locks so the burglar can see what he is doing and thus minimise any damage done picking them... 😅😂🤣

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8 minutes ago, cuthound said:

 

They illuminate the door locks so the burglar can see what he is doing and thus minimise any damage done picking them... 😅😂🤣

 

No they don't. There is an emerging trend around here to put them all along the side of a narrowboat so as you walk along past it, five or six of them turn ON all in sequence like the sun on you, then go out as you pass on to the next. Maybe you've not encountered this yet! 

 

It's a most unpleasant experience.

 

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1 minute ago, MtB said:

 

No they don't. There is an emerging trend around here to put them all along the side of a narrowboat so as you walk along past it, five or six of them turn ON all in sequence like the sun on you, then go out as you pass on to the next. Maybe you've not encountered this yet! 

 

It's a most unpleasant experience.

 

 

In that case they will illuminate the windows and/or portholes allowing the burglar to throw a brick through them without risking hitting the paintwork... 🤣😂😅

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1 hour ago, MtB said:

 

No they don't. There is an emerging trend around here to put them all along the side of a narrowboat so as you walk along past it, five or six of them turn ON all in sequence like the sun on you, then go out as you pass on to the next. Maybe you've not encountered this yet! 

 

It's a most unpleasant experience.

 

 

Perhaps they’ve had enough of you sneaking up at night and nebbing through the windows? :D 

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1 hour ago, robtheplod said:

We have a pair of Blinks, one inside and one on the roof looking along the top - both work fine?

 

I'm sure its a very good camera Rob, Amazon products tend to be very well designed, based on the ones I've tried.

The Fire tablets, for example, are superb value for money and perform really well compared to a couple of others I tried in their price range.

My personal reservations were based on the most recent reviews of the blink on Amazon, and there enough bad reviews (and some comments in youtube reviews) that I decided to go elsewhere. 

The odds are that I'd have been fine with a couple of blink cameras- statistically my chances of getting a dud were very small. But I've learned from bitter experience to pay attention to bad reviews, especially when there is a trend in them, and they are recent. 

You pays your money, and you takes your chance, I guess.

 

Ps- just a note on the siting of them. I found a pair of camera mounts that will hold them about 18 inches above the roof (clamped to the solar panels), so I'm going to give those a try.

My cunning plan is to have the rear mounted camera facing forwards, and the forward mounted camera facing backwards. That way the two will 'cover' each other, and there wont be any blind spots.

But it all depends what kind of threat it is you are worried about. The risks faced by a boater in London, for example, might be different from those faced by a boater moored up for two weeks in a remote rural location. 

Full time liveaboards might also have a different view of the level of security they prefer, given that they may be carrying a few items of high value on board.

 

 

Edited by Tony1
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I like the low-profile WWII tank periscope that a fellow boater down here on the K&A has mounted into his roof. Just stand erect, have a peek, and you get a great sweeping view across the roof and sides forward.

 

Sort of like this on the inside:

 

image.png.a04958e397f77db1f64d1ae01943ae7b.png

 

And perhaps more like this overall:

 

image.png.d688c007c34a475b36b0b2244d6738bd.png

 

 

Edited by Jim Batty
To add pics.
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On 07/06/2022 at 20:01, Tony1 said:

...Ps- just a note on the siting of them. I found a pair of camera mounts that will hold them about 18 inches above the roof (clamped to the solar panels), so I'm going to give those a try.

My cunning plan is to have the rear mounted camera facing forwards, and the forward mounted camera facing backwards. That way the two will 'cover' each other, and there wont be any blind spots. ...

So if burglars keep below the roof line they won't be spotted?  Good of you to let us know! 😀

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I can see the use of these cameras if you're inside and want to look outside -- if you hear something unusual or threatening. I prefer the periscope idea if you want to look outside out of simple curiosity or are sort of in a lazy mood and don't want to put your shoes and jacket on to go outside, or because it's bucketing down, or don't want to disturb the kingfisher on your roof. 

 

But do people install these to record burglars/intruders when they aren't at their boat? Isn't someone intent on breaking your windows or taking a steel pole or angle grinder to your locks probably going to pull the brim of their hat down and chuck a cloth or bag over your cameras before proceeding? Or just steal the cameras into the bargain?

 

 

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