Security cameras on boats?

[Deleted User YDKXO]

We have experienced some minor thefts from our boat this season, nothing hugely valuable but some tools, Ferretti branded glasses and red wine have gone awol. Unfortunately, because I employ a person to look after my boat in the Med and she in turn employs various trades people to do jobs on the boat, I have no control over who goes goes on to my boat. I know there are various security/camera systems on the market now but I have no idea as to what works and what doesnt. What I think I'm looking for is a camera in the cockpit and one in the saloon with some kind of detector which monitors movement in those spaces and alerts me through an app when it detects that movement and also stores any video footage for future viewing. If such a system was part of a general alarm system monitoring other stuff like battery voltage, bilge levels etc that would be of interest too. I dont want kit which is battery powered because I'm away from the boat for long periods

Any ideas or recommendations?

 

[rlw]

Looking at the same thing myself.

After looking around for a system with no monthly/yearly fees I have purchased an etiger set. Still need to get it set up. Does not want to connect to the free wifi in the marina (no pw) so will need to set up a router in the middle or something.
Etiger alarm system: wifi/mobile - alarm, ptz camera with movement detection, pir sensor, doorsensor, smoke detector, water sensor so pretty good combination.
http://etiger.com/eu/security/secual-box-v2/

One I get that up and running might add below for power monitoring and remotely activating power sockets.
http://www.maxmon.co.uk/

Leaving my new boat in the water in Holland this winter. First time as all previous boat were outdrives and came out so looking for a monitoring system to reduce the urge to go and check if it is not sinking every few days.

Be interested to hear what others use.

 

[markc]

I bought a £40 camera from Amazon last week and connected it to the router in the saloon. You can monitor the camera plus rotate and look up / down via an app plus it will store footage on an SD card. It can be set to detect movement and send a notification to you and also start recording. Plus it has a 2 way speaker so you can hear and speak to the people pinching your wine.

This is it - https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07CB14GTB/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It was easy to set up, unlike many other cameras I have tried to use in the past!

 

[jfm]

Deleted User if you already have a router with 4G SIM card installed then this is easy- loads of wifi cameras on market that upload to a website and you get a URL to your footage.
Also, you can can use an old iPhone with an app that lets you view through it from your main iPhone
If you don't have existing wifi on the boat then you're starting from scratch.
French law is quite tough on hidden cameras and cameras that can see public areas - take care on that score.

 

[BartW]

Hi Mike,

I have a "Hikvision" camera mounted on the quay power socket,
showing me this pic on my Iphone:


ofcause you could place one or more camera's inside in the boat,
Hikvision offers a free service so that the immage is uploaded to their website, and you can look at that from your Iphone or PC.
In the boat I have a Locomarine Yachtrouter, with a sim card for stable internet connection.
(I know you had some trouble with your YR but I'm pleased with it, here it works fine, and I get decent support)

for the alarms, I use the Yacht Sentinel 6 system,
does all you want, and a lot more..
this does not work via internet, but YS6 system has its own 3G/4G connection (without simcard)

 

[Hurricane]

We have had one on the boat for just over a year now.
It only monitors the inside of the patio doors from the galley and so would catch anyone breaking in.
It is remotely steerable.

As JFM says, there are loads out there to choose from.
I have been using the Escam G02 at about £25 from Ebay.
I connect it to my ship's WiFi which uses a 4G always on (hopefully) connection.
It might be possible to connect it through a marina Wifi but I've never tried.

I think these devices are all similar.
You download an app for your mobile phone and connect to it.
Once connected, you can set it to alarm when it sees movement.
The camera compares video frames.
When it "sees" a different frame than the previous one, it triggers an alarm.
A triggered alarm can send you an email with a photo showing the triggered image.
The alarm can then go on to recording a video clip.
Video clips can be stored on a remote server or, more easily, on a microSD card located inside the camera.
You can then play the video clips using the mobile phone app.
Importantly, you HAVE to have a microSD card fitted for it to alarm but these are very cheap anyway.

We also have one in the kitchen at home so that we can see if the cat has been fed whilst we are away.

The one we have at home hasn't been very reliable - sometimes requires the power to be recycled to get it working again.
The one on the boat has been as good as gold but I run it from a GSM switch so I could remotely recycle the power to it.

The devices I use also contain an internal webserver so as long as you can connect to it on the same LAN and know its IP address, you can control it from a PC using a simple web browser.
For example, I have an IP tunnel which is always active between my home LAN and the one on the boat so I can fully control the boat's camera from my desk at home.
This is a very topical subject - I have been discussing this very subject with some SCM yachties within the last 3 hours - I "showed off" by sending them a photo of the inside of the boat's fridge but usually the camera is trained on the patio doors.

EDIT
Here's the pic of the inside of JW's fridge - black and white because it was night time - the camera is colour.
But this shows another feature - these cameras have their own IR lamps for night time use.

In fact, the above pic is a screen dump from the embedded web server showing the pan and tilt controls etc.

EDIT2
This is the usual image - trained on the patio doors

Great little devices and for not much money.

Edit 3
This is what the Escam G02 looks like.
I just leave mine on the galley worktop when I leave the boat - it uses WiFi so I only need to give it power.

 

[Assassin]

Agree with most of the above but would suggest having inanimate devices fitted with them in various parts of a boat. Smoke alarms mounted on the ceiling are a good one as they look down and cannot be readily seen and not being readily seen can often be a bonus by not warning someone of dubious character that you are watching, in addition it is always better to have a back up recording system so you can keep the evidence.

 

[KDee]

How much data do these cameras use when on 24/7? Thinking of installing a mifi device onboard to provide WiFi for a monitoring camera, just not sure how much data I would need.

 

[BartW]

How much data do these cameras use when on 24/7? Thinking of installing a mifi device onboard to provide WiFi for a monitoring camera, just not sure how much data I would need.

coincidently I wanted to know also and checked that on our setup,
the remaining capacity on my sim card has dropped less than 10MB in 24hrs,
all depends ofcause on the setup of the network and also the camera settings I suppose
atm, there is nobody onboard, and I have just one camera, nothing else in the network online (except perhaps some background communication from the router)

 

[KDee]

coincidently I wanted to know also and checked that on our setup,
the remaining capacity on my sim card has dropped less than 10MB in 24hrs,
all depends ofcause on the setup of the network and also the camera settings I suppose
atm, there is nobody onboard, and I have just one camera, nothing else in the network online (except perhaps some background communication from the router)

Thanks! That’s a great help.....

 

[TonyR123]

I use a foscam setup similar to hurricane. Very easy setup. Have one for the apartment as well. Have both on SD, rather than HD. Since Nov 17 I have used 1.15gb in total. Most of that will be the camera, but I go onto the camera every day as I have had some power cuts. It thinks it notices movement on the boat once a day, but invariably there isnt any, and saves that to the cloud.

 

[Hurricane]

How much data do these cameras use when on 24/7? Thinking of installing a mifi device onboard to provide WiFi for a monitoring camera, just not sure how much data I would need.

Apart from very small background load, these cameras only really use data when you access them or when they send an alarm.
I use a Vodafone 50Gb per month package (£30 per month) which is enough for my usage when I'm on board and plenty for when I'm away.
And when I'm on board, we do watch a bit of TV as well.
Virtually no data used whilst I'm away from the boat

A MiFi device should work well - just leave it on.

Tip
For anyone wanting to use 4G outside the UK - buy a UK contract and you will then get a UK IP address when you connect.
This means that BBC IPlayer etc just work as though you were in the UK.

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Thanks for all replies on this thread and for the PMs I have received.

I think I have decided what kind of camera I need. First whilst we do have a Locomarine Yachtrouter on board as BartW confirms, my experience with this item has been far less satisfactory than BartW and I stopped using it a while ago. If we want onboard internet now we find it just as easy to tether to our mobile phones and therefore we dont have a usable router. The second issue is power. All our batteries are switched off when we leave and whilst I generally leave shorepower connected in my home marina in Antibes, some Med marinas we have visited in the past do not allow shorepower to be left connected when the owner is away. Yes I could connect a camera to an always live 24V circuit feeding the bilge pumps or passarelle but I dont think I'm comfortable leaving a camera or cameras connected to the batteries which might not be being charged

So I think I want a stand alone camera with its own SIM card and rechargeable battery. There are a couple of cameras on the market which fit that description but they do seem to be very expensive

https://reolink.com/product/reolink-go/
https://www.arlo.com/en-us/products/arlo-go/default.aspx

There is one issue with these cameras and that is will they connect to the mobile netwotk in Europe but I will find that out before I buy

So anyone got any other recommendations for similar kinds of cameras?

 

[Zing]

Someone was stealing from my vulnerable mum and I Needed to catch him. I installed a PC in the house, but a boat would have been no different. I fitted the PC with a security video card (readily available) and five buried miniature cameras hidden in ornaments and furniture and connected into the PC. A good security DVR will do this job too. Three cameras were wireless as the cable runs were too difficult, all were mains powered. Video software which came with the PC Card would recorded only when motion was seen, so very little video had to be checked. It also allowed remote access and downloads, so from France to the UK is possible. After 2 weeks I got plenty on the thief. Gave a DVD to the Police and they made the arrest.

Then they cautioned him and let him off as it was a first offence. This is normal practice I since learnt. Best to just send the boys round and avoid wasting valuable Police time, so they have time to arrest people for important crimes like PC offences and to fill in reports. I’m assuming les Flics are no different.

 

[Hurricane]

Thanks for all replies on this thread and for the PMs I have received.

I think I have decided what kind of camera I need. First whilst we do have a Locomarine Yachtrouter on board as BartW confirms, my experience with this item has been far less satisfactory than BartW and I stopped using it a while ago. If we want onboard internet now we find it just as easy to tether to our mobile phones and therefore we dont have a usable router. The second issue is power. All our batteries are switched off when we leave and whilst I generally leave shorepower connected in my home marina in Antibes, some Med marinas we have visited in the past do not allow shorepower to be left connected when the owner is away. Yes I could connect a camera to an always live 24V circuit feeding the bilge pumps or passarelle but I dont think I'm comfortable leaving a camera or cameras connected to the batteries which might not be being charged

So I think I want a stand alone camera with its own SIM card and rechargeable battery. There are a couple of cameras on the market which fit that description but they do seem to be very expensive

https://reolink.com/product/reolink-go/
https://www.arlo.com/en-us/products/arlo-go/default.aspx

There is one issue with these cameras and that is will they connect to the mobile netwotk in Europe but I will find that out before I buy

So anyone got any other recommendations for similar kinds of cameras?

OK - so how would you power one of these expensive SIM card cameras?
If the answer (like me) is to do it from the shore supply, I would thoroughly recommend that you don't go that way.

Instead, buy an internet connection that uses a MiFi - you can buy them from UK Vodafone shops for about £40.
Then leave that on the boat as your "always on" internet - probably plugged into the shore supply.
Then any of the cheap (ebay) cameras could be placed on a shelf on the boat whilst you are away.
The Mifi would then "double" as your main internet when you are on the boat - simply connect your tablets and phones/PCs to your own "always on" internet (the MiFi).

Believe me, this is a super way of having internet on board.
A MiFi is so flexible.
My system is slightly more complicated using a fixed mains powered router which connects as soon as we are within 15 miles of the shoreline.

As far as powering it is concerned, I would run it from shore power but I had this same conversation with some yachtie friends last week and they are running theirs from their batteries.
Slightly different circumstances to us motorboaters because they have solar panels charging their batteries whilst they are away.

FWIIW I agree fully with your point about leaving the DC on - mine is always switched off whilst I'm away (and I do have solar panels as well).

BTW
MTU engineers came on our boat last Tuesday.
Their visit was by appointment but I was able to see them and KNOW that they had been there.
They even had trouble locking the door on the way out so I got a friend in the marina to check the door later.

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Thanks for the reply H. You will have to forgive these responses as I am definitely not as tech savvy as you!

OK - so how would you power one of these expensive SIM card cameras?
If the answer (like me) is to do it from the shore supply, I would thoroughly recommend that you don't go that way.

By rechargeable battery as I said. I dont think I can rely on shorepower and neither do I want to leave a live circuit open for the power sockets when I'm away from the boat anyway

Instead, buy an internet connection that uses a MiFi - you can buy them from UK Vodafone shops for about £40.
Then leave that on the boat as your "always on" internet - probably plugged into the shore supply.
Then any of the cheap (ebay) cameras could be placed on a shelf on the boat whilst you are away.
The Mifi would then "double" as your main internet when you are on the boat - simply connect your tablets and phones/PCs to your own "always on" internet (the MiFi).

Honestly, I cannot understand what the essential difference is between using a Mifi on board and tethering to a mobile. Do you get a better signal via the Mifi? You say it is more flexible but how so? The problem with a Mifi (and I have used one in the past) is that I have to manage the SIM card for the Mifi as well as my mobile. If I tether to my mobile I only need to manage one SIM card. Also the other issue with using a Mifi with a camera is that again I have to power the thing whilst I'm away. I am happy to be educated because as I say I'm not tech savvy

 

[Hurricane]

Honestly, I cannot understand what the essential difference is between using a Mifi on board and tethering to a mobile. Do you get a better signal via the Mifi? You say it is more flexible but how so? The problem with a Mifi (and I have used one in the past) is that I have to manage the SIM card for the Mifi as well as my mobile. If I tether to my mobile I only need to manage one SIM card. Also the other issue with using a Mifi with a camera is that again I have to power the thing whilst I'm away. I am happy to be educated because as I say I'm not tech savvy

It is just ease of use really.
Your mobile phone is just that - a MOBILE and you take it away with you.
Yes, you can tether but you might want to pop out somewhere whilst someone wants to use your mobile phone tethered hotspot.
There isn't much (if any) managing of the SIM card within a MiFi.
Just buy a separate contract and have a dedicated "ships" internet - you won't regret it.

As for powering, I agree not to use the DC system.
My security camera and router (my MiFi equivalent) are running (as I type) off shore power.
And, yes, sometimes the shore power does go off but when it comes back, these devices power up as though nothing had happened.
In fact, if you can't connect with the camera, it is a good indication that the power has been removed or power cut.
In which case, you might want someone to check it out anyway.
I leave my mains battery chargers on all the time - if they are switched off for any length of time, you could be damaging your batteries.
Batteries discharge themselves if left - that why I like the chargers on all the time.
So, a security camera might alert you to a shore power loss.

And I can't see what a SIM card camera does for you that a MiFi/cheap IP camera combo doesn't.
You still have to have a data contract but the MiFi doubles as a ships internet connection.
A "no brainer" for me.

 

[jimmy_the_builder]

Deleted User, Hurricane is spot on with his advice about the mifi - this is what I was suggesting to you when we discussed this previously. I use a little Huawei mifi with a free.fr sim card. 100gb for €20 a month - dead easy.

The big difference between phone tethering and mifi is that the phone can only be tethered to one device, but the mifi allows multiple simultaneous connections.

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

The big difference between phone tethering and mifi is that the phone can only be tethered to one device, but the mifi allows multiple simultaneous connections.

And that is an advantage is it?

Yes OK I accept what you and H say and I'll go down the Mifi route again. The one PITA about tethering a mobile is battery use. When the SWMBO and I tether our mobiles we usually have to connect them to our computers to keep them charged and that is a PITA mostly because the SWMBO keeps losing her cable and nicks mine

 

[jimmy_the_builder]

And that is an advantage is it?

Yes OK I accept what you and H say and I'll go down the Mifi route again. The one PITA about tethering a mobile is battery use. When the SWMBO and I tether our mobiles we usually have to connect them to our computers to keep them charged and that is a PITA mostly because the SWMBO keeps losing her cable and nicks mine

Tee-hee, you're making the point for me. Mifi means both you and S can be connected to the one device. At the same time. WITH NO WIRES!