HD Baby Monitor / IP Camera Needed

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clayman88

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Hi all, I've been scouring the inter-webs looking for a specific baby monitor (IP Camera) that does NOT require an active internet connection. In other words, it's not tied to a cloud service. I have a client who needs 3-4 of them for one location and wants to view the audio/video from an iPhone or iPad. It doesn't have to be labeled as an actual "Baby Monitor", but could be just a high-end IP camera.

Requirements:
- Access audio/video feed from iPhone/iPad
- Two-way audio
- Night Vision (Infrared)
- Toggle between multiple cameras from within the app (Could be 3rd party app)
- HD preferable
- Motion alerts preferable
- WIFI capable is preferable otherwise POE would nice.


You would think this technology would exist, but it seems like all of the cameras that support these features demand an active internet connection. For this client, they need it to work on the local LAN even if the internet service is down. I really appreciate any advice you guys have. Price is no concern so I'm all ears. Thanks in advance!
 
This technology certainly does exist.

I design IP camera surveillance systems as part of my job. Unless a job is specced to use a certain brand by an architect I have 2 go-to brands. Speco Technologies is a value oriented but still certainly capable brand where budget isn't unlimited. Avigilon on the other hand is a top tier premium brand that while costing more has some nice cameras and a really good VMS.

Speco even makes a kit that might cover your needs: http://www.specotech.com/zipkit.html

Just a note about availability. Speco is widely available online but be careful, they have a list of unauthorized distributors on their website where they state there is no warranty. If you go Speco make sure you keep this in mind. Avigilon is even more tightly controlled and has to be purchased through a certified partner.

One last bit of advice. WiFi should be more of a last resort. If price really is no issue I'd highly recommend PoE.
 
Would they be willing to run a local host for the cameras? I have some of those active internet cameras but do not use that functionality. I run Blue Iris on a desktop and connect all my cameras to that. From there I can access it from my ipad/iphone/browser. This works on and off network. Through Blue Iris you can setup email alerts of even app alerts on their mobile devices.

http://blueirissoftware.com/
 
I used a Foscam fi8910w as a baby monitor with tinyCam Monitor PRO for IP Cam app on android.

The camera itself worked well. The wireless was a flakey though, it would stop responding to ARP requests after awhile (for reasons I could never determine) which basically made it invisible to other hosts on the network. Had to wire it up eventually.

Doing this kind of DIY baby monitor for ones own family is one thing. Doing it or recommending it for a client is another.

If your doing this for a client as contract it could be a big liability and baby stuff is highly regulated. Honestly I probably pass on the job, personally.
 
Ultima99 said:
This technology certainly does exist.

I design IP camera surveillance systems as part of my job. Unless a job is specced to use a certain brand by an architect I have 2 go-to brands. Speco Technologies is a value oriented but still certainly capable brand where budget isn't unlimited. Avigilon on the other hand is a top tier premium brand that while costing more has some nice cameras and a really good VMS.

Speco even makes a kit that might cover your needs: http://www.specotech.com/zipkit.html

Just a note about availability. Speco is widely available online but be careful, they have a list of unauthorized distributors on their website where they state there is no warranty. If you go Speco make sure you keep this in mind. Avigilon is even more tightly controlled and has to be purchased through a certified partner.

One last bit of advice. WiFi should be more of a last resort. If price really is no issue I'd highly recommend PoE.
Click to expand...
Thank You. these are some nice options & seem very high quality. I should give you one other important detail that may exclude these particular brands. Ideally, the cameras should be somewhat portable or at the very least not required to be mounted permanently to a ceiling or wall. We're also on a fairly short timeline. I will continue reading the details on Speco & Avigilon. I appreciate the advice!


piker28 said:
Would they be willing to run a local host for the cameras? I have some of those active internet cameras but do not use that functionality. I run Blue Iris on a desktop and connect all my cameras to that. From there I can access it from my ipad/iphone/browser. This works on and off network. Through Blue Iris you can setup email alerts of even app alerts on their mobile devices.
Click to expand...
I think in the long-term a host-based option would be fine. This particular location has a fairly large network infrastructure that could support a rack-mount server if needed. I'll take a look at Blue Iris. Thanks!


devman said:
I used a Foscam fi8910w as a baby monitor with tinyCam Monitor PRO for IP Cam app on android.

The camera itself worked well. The wireless was a flakey though, it would stop responding to ARP requests after awhile (for reasons I could never determine) which basically made it invisible to other hosts on the network. Had to wire it up eventually.

Doing this kind of DIY baby monitor for ones own family is one thing. Doing it or recommending it for a client is another.

If your doing this for a client as contract it could be a big liability and baby stuff is highly regulated. Honestly I probably pass on the job, personally.
Click to expand...
Thanks, devman. I've looked at the Foscam's a bit but they didn't seem very robust for what we were looking for. I'll take another look though.

This particular client is someone I've worked with for years. We have a good relationship & I'm not too worried about regulatory issues. :)
 
One of the primary requirements is that the app & manipulating the cameras is VERY user friendly. That's one of the benefits of the cloud-based cameras like Withings, BabyPing, or DropCam. All great products and very user friendly but they either require an active internet connection or only allow viewing a single camera from within the app.
 
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