Mobile Video Solution

[hecklebot]

Is there a good way to implement a mobile camera solution for my car?  I know you can buy dash cams but they never really seem to meet my needs for integration with home network.  What is always lacking is a way to handle live view and video download over wifi.  

What I would like is to put one or more cameras in my car, and have it be a part of my home security system.  The cameras should connect wirelessly to the home network for live view and recording.  However, the cameras should also be able to record if the car is away from home.  This opens up a lot of possibilities for surveillence because you can just move the car anywhere around your house or block.

I suspect if there were a Unifi solution it may need to be cameras and NVR with a wifi adapter all in the car running off a battery.

Has anyone done anything like this, with Unifi or other gear?

[EricE]

There's lots of "car computer" builds out there - pleanty of inspiration:

hackedgadgets.com/2014/01/19/car-computer-build/

walyou.com/blog/2008/09/20/car-computer-desktop-do-it-yourself-mobile-computing-project/

forums.clubrsx.com/showthread.php?t=516644

Sadly carputers.org seems to be defunct

[hecklebot]

Quite overkill for my interests.  I don't even care for a screen.  Does your post about car computers mean that there aren't any good ready made video solutions for what I want?

But I wonder if a cheap laptop makes the most sense.  Storage, power saving design (esp with an ssd), plenty to run NVR software and record for 1-4 cameras.  All you would need is more battery, and I guess UPS could work.

Maybe get one of those fast food car-top signs and stick the cameras in there   Though that could easily get stolen...

[hecklebot]

Maybe I should ask my question this way: what is the lowest power-draw camera + NVR + wifi solution?

[EricE]

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wrote:

Maybe I should ask my question this way: what is the lowest power-draw camera + NVR + wifi solution?

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I have seen purpose built dashcam NVRs that can accept inputs from multiple cameras. Not recently mind you, but if they were out there they should still be out there.   As I posted in aother thread, if you know anyone from Russia they have the coolest dashcam tech since dashcams are increadibly popular there.  Supply, demand and all that. 

[hecklebot]

I think what is probably missing from most car systems is the ability for the car to connect to your network and just act as any other client.  I may ask in the wireless forums how to best do that, given that the car may be parked a block or two away.

[ohnoitscris]

I have a Blackvue DR650 dashcam.  Wifi connected to my Karma hotspot.  I can check in on it, and get updates if the car gets bumped (they call it impacted).  Currently plugged into one of their batteries too.

[hecklebot]

Thanks for chiming in.  Every time I looked at a new dashcam release the wifi feature only supported direct connect with a phone, not linking to a home network.

So with Blackvue you can actually tell the system your home wifi info and have live view up whenever you want?  Any means for having liveview on a computer rathan than a phone app?

[ohnoitscris]

Outside of my home network it connects to my Karma hotspot.  When I get back home it reconnects to my home network (I turn the hotspot off).  You can preprogram 3 of these network connections, so when I drive away from home it automatically searches for my hotspot, then when I show up to work it looks for that access point (which is blocked by my work, they don't allow that).

They do have a Windows Viewer, and I think a Mac viewer.  You can also stream live to Facebook or Youtube.

https://www.blackvue.com/download/blackvue-windows-viewer-cloud/

There is a cost associated with how much streaming you view.  I check in on my car very little, so I don't pay.