Camera to record at night

[Tanja]

Does anyone have a recommendation for some night time observing? Carl has totally disappeared in the day and we have no idea where he's set himself up ! I wanted to film so I can also see what he likes /doesn't like. We have a wood cage with nesh metal lid.

 

[Maz]

Yes I'm sure everyone will post theirs here Mine's the Eufy one. I like it because the movement shows up in a different colour when you watch the footage back so you can scan through easily. It seems to go up and down in price. This is less than I paid for it but the price has been lower. There are other options that may cost less. I'd just be careful to be clear whether or not it needs a monthly subscription - some are a lot cheaper but have a monthly subscription. This one doesn't - you just buy it and put a micro sd card in it, it records until the sd card is full then starts again so it wipes over old footage. However you can save/download footage clips to your phone.

Like most of them I think, once connected to wifi you can control from your phone or watch live footage on your phone from wherever you are I've sat in bed watching live at times, late at night, and even when we were away on holiday.

The picture on the Amazon listing looks strangely elongated for some reason!

As for where to place it - I have it opposite the cage - on top of a pile of books! Previously I've had it on a camera tripod but that was cumbersome.

Eufy security/petcam

 

[Tanja]

Yes I'm sure everyone will post theirs here Mine's the Eufy one. I like it because the movement shows up in a different colour when you watch the footage back so you can scan through easily. It seems to go up and down in price. This is less than I paid for it but the price has been lower. There are other options that may cost less. I'd just be careful to be clear whether or not it needs a monthly subscription - some are a lot cheaper but have a monthly subscription. This one doesn't - you just buy it and put a micro sd card in it, it records until the sd card is full then starts again so it wipes over old footage. However you can save/download footage clips to your phone.

Like most of them I think, once connected to wifi you can control from your phone or watch live footage on your phone from wherever you are I've sat in bed watching live at times, late at night, and even when we were away on holiday.

Eufy security/petcam

Ooh thank you. Can I be a bore and see how you have set it up? It films without any lighting?

 

[Maz]

No lighting needed - it's infrared when it films in the dark so comes out black and white. During the day it's just normal colour It literally just sits on top of something. It does come with some kind of clip to screw to a wall or door frame etc, but we didn't have anywhere suitable to screw it to that was close enough. Mine gets moved regularly at the moment so don't have a photo right now. But as the cage is side on to a cupboard it's usually on top of a pile of books on the cupboard.

Some people actually fix them inside the enclosure roof pointing down. That is an option but it needs care taking as hamsters can get places they're not supposed to so it needs no wires accessible obviously.

 

[Tanja]

Brilliant thank you. I'll look into it

 

[Maz]

I think @Socks Mum and @Vanessa1 have different options as well

 

[Tanja]

Please do send and any photos if you can how to set up

 

[Maz]

I can't remember the exact set up, but it comes with instructions. You put a cable in the back of it and plug it in then I think download the app for it and that is how it connects to wifi (I think, it's a while since I did it). That's the bit the instructions are for. Put a micro sd card in it. Then you just place it wherever you want it. But I'd say not further away than 6 feet from the front of the enclosure if having it outside the enclosure. Just needs to be kept plugged in. You can manually rotate the front to point where you want, or move it around using the display on the app. In the app you view what the camera sees as well - so you can watch live, but it's constantly recording to the sd card as well so you can watch the recording or parts of it, next day and save or download clips from that onto your phone It's fairly straightforward - I managed to work it out

The tricky bit is deciding where to put it. Whereabouts is your enclosure and is there anything opposite it? Our cage is against a wall at the back of the living room and there is an armchair sideways on to it a few feet away. Behind the armchair is a low bookcase under the stairs, so I either stand the hamcm on a pile of books on top of the low bookcase (so it's the right height) or sometimes just put it on a book on the back of the top part of the armchair! That's why it gets moved around in case someone wants to sit on the armchair. The view is all in the app on the phone so you can see if it's seeing the right height.

I hope someone else has photos of theirs! That might help as well.

 

[Vanessa1]

Hi there, I use a night camera wouldn't be without it mine is the AOQEE outdoor security camera. I just put the cable through one of the vent slits in the side of the enclosure and it's magnetic so I just put it in the top corner of the enclosure. This means you then have full view of the length of the enclosure. It's also totally out of reach of your hammy. I have the Bucatstate 3 1200 enclosure which is metal if yours isn't metal you could try a sticky pad. I can watch hammy live or watch full recordings of what he's been up to Ness

 

[lxjshrss]

I've always thought a ham cam was an unnecessary luxury, but I really like mine and I think I'm slowly converting into recommending it for everyone who can... I took the plunge because I wanted to be able to monitor my hamster while I'm away for a day or two, and to see if there are any weird things happening during the night.

I got the Tapo C110 after trying a very, very cheap camera. (Not worth it. The day mode quality was... fine, but the night mode did absolutely nothing without external light, which kind of defeats the purpose, and night mode was really the main reason I wanted it.) I suspect it also works with infra-red, because it picks up any movement in the dark without fail, and the quality is quite good. It detects motion and sends me a notification when it does. It connects to an app, has an option for a micro SD card for local storage and has a subscription plan. I'm currently using the 30-day free trial (no card needed!) and I'll probably take the plan for the most basic option. It keeps 7 days worth of footage, though I don't know if that's 7 consecutive days of logging, or 7 x 24 hrs. Will report back once I know! The premium plan does the same, but with 30 days, which is not necessary for my use as a ham cam.