Portable IP camera trap

[-jeff]

This project monitors a milkweed plant 24/7 to record plant growth and the many pollinators that help.
The equipment setup includes a remote IP security camera modified for close focus and infrared illumination.



The plant holder is a Wimberley PP-400 held in place with a little camo duct tape.



For power and internet connectivity we used a small trailer pulled by a ATV. On the trailer is a 150 watt solar panel, a weatherproof box containing the electronics and a external omni-directional cellular antenna on a mast..



In the box is a deep cycle marine battery, a 20 amp MPPT charge controller and charge system monitor. To connect and power the camera there is a POE switch, step-up power inverter, a cellular modem and router.



The IP camera is set up to record a still image every five minutes and record video when motion is detected. The still images are uploaded immediately to an FTP server to be viewed by the camera operator. The camera buffers five seconds of video at all times. When motion is detected the camera starts recording five seconds before actual motion detection and continues to record five seconds after motion ceases. Using this feature allows the user to see the insect arrive into the frame and depart. The video is recorded to a micro SD card in the camera and retrieved over the cellular link. Using a cellular link also enables the camera operator to stream live video, adjust the motion detection and camera settings remotely.

The video below is a timelapse of images taken over two consecutive nights.

[ghoot]

Dang Jeff, that is AWESOME!

[Andrew]

This looks great!
Image quality looks beautiful with good contrast and details, so that the bugs can be easily identified.

I have a quick question to ask of the forum gods,

As someone whose on a budget but interested in getting into photographing and filming wildlife (especially in IR), Ive noticed that a lot of the slick looking commercially available camera traps seem to make very substandard images and video. I don't have quite enough for a DSLR, let alone enough to modify one to do IR. would using an IP Camera with a battery like the rig above be my best choice in terms of cost vs. quality?
would love to hear everyone's thoughts on this

Thanks!

[-jeff]

The camera is the cheap part of the IP camera trap. A good camera will run about US$250.00. It's the solar panel, charge controller, battery and a weatherproof place to put it all that adds up. But it still might be cheaper than a IR modified DSLR.