How to "watch" your tank remotely

I recently set up an IP camera in my home so I can take a look at my tank nearly anytime, anywhere. I wasn't anticipating this much interest in the subject, but here's the requested thread.

While there are many ways of doing this sort of thing these days, I stumbled across D-Link's product line of IP cameras and noted a couple nifty features. For starters, D-Link has their own Droid/iPhone app which you can use to view your camera remotely (or you can also log-in from any PC, with an internet connection of course ). Also, for a few bucks more, they have a model with some infrared LEDs, so you can even take peak at your tank during the night.

Here's the model I went with: Network Cameras Solutions| DLink (note: you can find this one from reputable online retailers starting at $99).

This particular model is also wireless, so provided you have a wireless router you do not need to run any cables throughout your house. It does require a power connection however, something I kinda forgot about before purchasing. No biggie, I just had to place it somewhere different than what I originally had in mind to accommodate a power outlet. It's hard mounted on a wall near my tank, out of the way up and behind the couch.

Set-up is quite straight forward. If you follow along with the directions you'll probably be done in 15-20 minutes at most. You will need to connect the device to your router via a PC however. Once it's configured, you can download the mobile app and start viewing your camera on the go.

There is also some nice configuration options available when you access the device settings via a PC. You can adjust brightness/contrast/saturation of the device, and you can also set a day/night schedule. The later is a bit handy, since the photo sensor was switching the camera to night mode once my actinics came on in the evening. I simply set a night schedule to switch to night mode a 10PM, just as my actinics are turning off.

That being said, the image it provides isn't perfect by any means, but it is plenty good enough to be able to see all the important things happening in my tank. I am also able to see/ID each and every fish, which is kinda nice too. I imagine if my tank wasn't so brightly lit with LEDs, the image quality would be better. It is as good as I can make it after playing with the various settings. When I leave for a vacation, I can also open the stand doors and keep an eye on the skimmer and sump.

Here's a screen shot I nabbed from my Droid today, then uploaded to photobucket from my phone. Oh the power of remote access...

 

Very nice

 

Thanks, Evolved.

 

Good write-up. IP camera's are definitely a plus.

FYI for any interested in the particular cam Evolved linked, here's the camera listed for $120 on eBay, including shipping. While it does have almost all the bells and whistles, it doesn't support the "pan" or "tilt" features that may be offered in others. Otherwise, this is an excellent choice if you're looking for an IP camera.

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-D-Link-DCS-...029?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5d2f613bfd

 

It's still cheaper if you order from Walmart, Staples, Office Max, etc. $99 + tax and/or shipping.

 

Even better!

 

Sweet. Thanks for the thread. Hows the android app? Does it run smoothly?

 

very nice! My husband was just making this suggestion the other day! He wants to make the tank fun for him as well :

 

I think it would be cool to setup a Ustream channel for my tank, that way all the 3reefers could view my tank live whenever they wanted

 

It's not too bad. Occasionally it'll time out, but 90% of the time it works just fine. It does not support sound however, at least at this time. When viewing on a PC you will get audio as well.