Hey guys,
is there any good security camera that you can recommend? It’s important to have a wide angle, night mode and a good resolution. It would be cool if the protocol is Z-WAVE or BidCos. It should be possible to trigger OpenHAB rules based on movements. I’m planning to get myself the UZB Stick (http://www.z-wave.me/index.php?id=28) to connect Z-Wave devices to OpenHab.
Thanks in advance,
Sascha
Never ended up finding a good Z-Wave camera, I ended up going with 22 GXV3674 720p cameras connected to Zoneminder.
Is there such a thing as a “Z-Wave camera”? I’d be surprised since zwave is a low data rate system that is not at all suited to sending video… I’d be interested in any pointers to such devices (good or otherwise 
) if you have any?
Cheers
Chris
Hi,
Z-Wave camera pretty much means that it can send & receive data (e.g. motion has occurred) via Z-Wave protocol. 
Of course it’s not possible to send huge data packages through Z-Wave.
Regards,
Sascha
Amazon.co.uk lists a number of IP cameras with the word “Z-Wave” in their titles; perhaps someone is intending to deceive would-be purchasers? Here is one example among many.
Interesting… I note that the Foscam web site doesn’t mention zwave at all for this camera… I had a look at another couple that looked the same…
Are their any IP camera’s that integrate natively into openHAB? I have an Engenius EDS1130 that I have been able to pull images from the snapshot url (I’m not sure if they have a video stream url as I haven’t been able to find it referenced in Engenius documentation) and have a rule that when my z-wave multisensor detects movement it will alert me and pull 5 snapshots. But I’m looking for something that I could use all the features of the camera (ex. snapshot, video, motion, etc.) in openHAB without having to use multiple devices or programs to implement some security.
Although not a low-cost option, and more geared toward commercial applications, I would recommend you have a look at Mobotix IP cameras. They are freaking sweet! They have recently released a couple lower-end indoor wall and ceiling mount cameras that provide what they call hemispheric technology; in essence there is a wide angle lense which captures in a radial fashion and then software converts it to rectangular image streams. There are many AWESOME things about this, but here are a couple examples. 1) one ceiling mount dome in an open area can provide multiple zoomed camera views of say under the camera in the main part of the room, another looking down the hall, and another at the entrance. 2) pan-tilt-zoom… however there are ZERO MOVING PARTS so action is instantaneous… oh yeah, and you can PTZ RECORDED VIDEO!!! (imagine being able to look behind where the camera is pointing after the video has been recorded)
All sorts of cool stuff… including built in video recorder, intelligent motion detection, day and night sensing, differential recording (only changes in the image). So despite their cost, the idea is that one of their cameras replaces many traditional IP cameras plus the video recording software which is built in to the unit. This is serious stuff though, so no wireless. Check out MXInstaller on Youtube for MANY videos on the subject should you be tempted by all this awesomness.
(I’m not affiliated… just a big fan…)
Check out vstarcam cameras.
They offer HTTP access to MJPEG and FFMPEG streams plus RTSP (incl. audio) on latest models, use IR to work in the dark and to enhance even daylight pictures, two-way audio (to have a chat with your friendly burglar) und full pan-tilt control.
There’s various models, including waterproof + long-range IR lighting ones for outside use.
Oh, and they’re cheap. I got a C7837WIP for less than 50€.
Not sure about openHAB integration yet, though (beyond just including the Web URL in your GUI), so if anyone has experiences to share, please do.
Markus
PS: you likely won’t find a ZWave or BidCoS camera. Both use the 868 MHz band. At least in Germany (where BidCoS components originate from), usage of the band is restricted by law: any device may just send packets for at most 1 % of the time. I guess it’s not different in the rest of Europe and maybe even the U.S.
This restriction leads to a maximum useable bandwidth well below what a live picture stream at say 720p would require.
That’s why all camera vendors go WiFi (2.4 GHz band without such a restriction).
Take a look at Hikvision or Dahua cameras - that’re products from chinese providers with their own brands.
If you want to have more control on them - take a look at ONVIF protocol.
Hey guys,
I ended up building my own security cam.
All you need is the following:
Raspberry 2 (I’m running it on a Raspberry 1 Model B, but I’ll change that… need more performance).
8GB MicroSD Card
Raspberry NoIR camera (if you want to use it at night as well, if it’s for daylight only, then you can use the following cam: Raspberry Camera)
LED Infrared Light + Power supply (needed for night vision only)
Case and Power Supply (Any 2A USB Charger will do!)
Wifi Module
As software I’ve been using MotionPie (which includes MotionEye): https://github.com/ccrisan/motionpie
See image:
And yes: You can actually manage more than one camera with that piece of software.
Setup ist really (really) easy: https://github.com/ccrisan/motionpie/wiki/Installation
Just format the SD… copy the image to the SD and you’re ready to go!
In the Web UI you can then configure everything (including your Wifi stick (beware: This stick does not work in a 5GHz network)).
I’m using this camera for live streaming as well as motion detection (which sends me an email with the latest images and video when something happens).
Works like a charm!
Greetz,
Sascha
Hey Sascha
I’m interested in making my own security cam too. But one question. Did you mount the camera in the ceiling? Can you show us pics of the finished product in situ?
Hey Mat,
did you see my write up using something similar to what Sascha did?
Jason
Hey @crankycoder - I saw your link on Twitter - haven’t checked it out properly yet. Will do tonight! Cheers for the heads up