3g /4g Wi-Fi router for lambing camera

[devonshire farmer]

Right-oh this is my recipe for a cheap(ish) way to (a) record up to two IP network cameras and (b) access those cameras using a 4G broadband connection to connect them to the internet.

1. Purchase a Synology DS115j (their most basic 1 drive bay model) - about £77 +VAT. See eBuyer link for example here

2. Purchase a WD Red 3.5TB NAS-ready hard drive to go in the Synology - about £77+VAT. See eBuyer link for example here

3. Download the Surveillance Station app (free) on the Synology box. You have a licence to connect 2 cameras for free

4. Physically connect the cameras and Synolgy box to your 4G router. Connect up your cameras to the SS app (settings).

5. Register for a QuickConnect account from Synology - free to use and no subs. This gets around the limitation with 4G connected services and cameras and enables you to access the Synology box and critically the cameras from anywhere in the world you have internet access.

6. Download the DS Cam app for your phone (free). Login using your Synology account back to your DS box

7. Enjoy accessing your 4G connected cameras from anywhere

Of course you can buy a larger more sophisticated Synology NAS box, with more drives etc. You can also add additional IP camera licenses for Surveillance Station if the two freebies is not enough

Total one off cost: £154.30 +VAT
Total ongoing cost from Synology: zero

Required:
- 4G router (a Huawei Huawei B593s-22 can be had outright for about £100 or get a free basic 4G bundled router with a data contract)
- IP cameras (your choice)

The bit here about a huawei B593s-22 could you enlarge on how and what this does please as I’m just looking at WiFi cameras, have 4g EE box in house but buildings are approx 300m away!

 

[Pheasant Surprise]

The bit here about a huawei B593s-22 could you enlarge on how and what this does please as I’m just looking at WiFi cameras, have 4g EE box in house but buildings are approx 300m away!

The Huawei B583s-22 is a 4G router that you pop your SIM card into. It has external antenna ports so you can hook up a decent outside antenna if your 4G signal isn’t too good. Its a good few years since I bought one, there’s probably a replacement model from Huawei now.

 

[devonshire farmer]

The Huawei B583s-22 is a 4G router that you pop your SIM card into. It has external antenna ports so you can hook up a decent outside antenna if your 4G signal isn’t too good. Its a good few years since I bought one, there’s probably a replacement model from Huawei now.

Ok thanks so it’s an alternative to a 4g box then really!

 

[Pheasant Surprise]

Ok thanks so it’s an alternative to a 4g box then really!

Not an alternative, it is a 4G ‘box’, or more correctly a router.

 

[Half Pipe]

@Pheasant Surprise what's your thoughts on IP cameras connected to a dedicated NVR vs same cameras connected to a Synology box?
Would the Synology box slow me to run 1 network cable to outbuildings then split with a switch to connect a few cameras?
Or does it need individual camera cables like the NVR systems seem to!?
Was tempted by a Amazon black Friday deal on this

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07H3G6KTN/ref=cm_sw_r_wa_apa_pJA.Bb5S0ZD46
But didn't like the fact it supposedly only campatible with other reolink gear!?

 

[Pheasant Surprise]

@Pheasant Surprise what's your thoughts on IP cameras connected to a dedicated NVR vs same cameras connected to a Synology box?
Would the Synology box slow me to run 1 network cable to outbuildings then split with a switch to connect a few cameras?
Or does it need individual camera cables like the NVR systems seem to!?
Was tempted by a Amazon black Friday deal on this

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07H3G6KTN/ref=cm_sw_r_wa_apa_pJA.Bb5S0ZD46
But didn't like the fact it supposedly only campatible with other reolink gear!?

As long as either the Synology or the NVR are somewhere on the local network they will be fine.

The video traffic per camera is not really huge (compared to the bandwidth available on a typical LAN connection).

 

[Fen Farmer]

Right-oh this is my recipe for a cheap(ish) way to (a) record up to two IP network cameras and (b) access those cameras using a 4G broadband connection to connect them to the internet.

1. Purchase a Synology DS115j (their most basic 1 drive bay model) - about £77 +VAT. See eBuyer link for example here

2. Purchase a WD Red 3.5TB NAS-ready hard drive to go in the Synology - about £77+VAT. See eBuyer link for example here

3. Download the Surveillance Station app (free) on the Synology box. You have a licence to connect 2 cameras for free

4. Physically connect the cameras and Synolgy box to your 4G router. Connect up your cameras to the SS app (settings).

5. Register for a QuickConnect account from Synology - free to use and no subs. This gets around the limitation with 4G connected services and cameras and enables you to access the Synology box and critically the cameras from anywhere in the world you have internet access.

6. Download the DS Cam app for your phone (free). Login using your Synology account back to your DS box

7. Enjoy accessing your 4G connected cameras from anywhere

Of course you can buy a larger more sophisticated Synology NAS box, with more drives etc. You can also add additional IP camera licenses for Surveillance Station if the two freebies is not enough

Total one off cost: £154.30 +VAT
Total ongoing cost from Synology: zero

Required:
- 4G router (a Huawei Huawei B593s-22 can be had outright for about £100 or get a free basic 4G bundled router with a data contract)
- IP cameras (your choice)

Seems a good system! Would this system need a POE switch to power the IP cameras? Also with a couple of 5mp cameras does anyone have any idea how much 4g data this would eat in a month? Thanks

 

[Pheasant Surprise]

Seems a good system! Would this system need a POE switch to power the IP cameras?

Yes apologies I neglected to mention powering of network cameras. Which can be done several ways usually....
1. Local power - a standard plugpack into the mains socket supplying low voltage directly into the camera. Not so handy if you don’t happen to have mains supply near to where you want cameras.
2. All centrally from a PoE capable switch. The neatest, most elegant and usually most economic solution where there are half a dozen or more cameras in an install.
3. Mid-span or in-line PoE injectors. Each camera needs an injector to put power onto the network cable. Can be placed/powered anywhere along the network cable run from the switch to the camera where it’s convenient to access the mains.

If going for a PoE solution be sure to check the cameras and switch are compatible to the same PoE standard. They mostly are but some of the more complex PTZ cameras need a higher amount of power like PoE+ (PoE Plus) or some may use a ‘passive’ PoE scheme. Usually it’s all fine but best to check to avoid

 

[Pheasant Surprise]

Also with a couple of 5mp cameras does anyone have any idea how much 4g data this would eat in a month? Thanks

Not off the top of my head as there are so many factors that come into play - but if you have a completely “self contained” solution, where the cameras and recorder are just doing their thing and you're only periodically checking the feed, then I wouldn’t expect the data usage to be any more significant than watching a few you tube videos.

If on the other hand you have lots of camera and your simultaneously remotely viewing them for sustained / long periods then your data usage will be extreme. It’s hard to put a definite number against it.

 

[Fen Farmer]

Thanks for your replies. Just looking at different options online. Do you know whether a NVR with p2p would work for remote viewing with a 4g router?
I currently run a DVR at home with p2p and it works well, but i have no experience with 4g routers at all!
Only reason i ask is that apparently Synology doesn't fully support some of the smart features on the new breed of Hikvision's cameras according to a lot of what i have read.
Thanks

 

[Pheasant Surprise]

Thanks for your replies. Just looking at different options online. Do you know whether a NVR with p2p would work for remote viewing with a 4g router?
I currently run a DVR at home with p2p and it works well, but i have no experience with 4g routers at all!
Only reason i ask is that apparently Synology doesn't fully support some of the smart features on the new breed of Hikvision's cameras according to a lot of what i have read.
Thanks

The short answer is it depends!

I have a lot of stuff which runs remotely fine over a 4G internet connection, BUT there are exceptions...

For example using “traditional” (or non-safe depending on who you ask) remote access by opening certain firewall ports on your 4G capable router and then using port forwarding generally WONT work on most UK 4G networks

This is because they use “double NAT” or CGNAT (google it for an in depth explanation). Effectively your internet connection remains inside the borders of their private network. What this means is that your “public” IP address is actually shared amongst several other 4G customers, so it’s not yours and can’t be used remotely to route back to your home network.

Most modern remote access stuff gets around this limitation by using “proper” and secure remote access using built in VPN connections that the client and host gear use. Your NVR remote access and client software may support this, so should work fine over 4G.- but there’s no way of knowing for 100% certain unless you check before; ask them or try it.

 

[Stuart J]

Hi @Pheasant Surprise
Is the sinology method still your recommended method of running cctv cameras over a 4g router?

I see this bundle - good value? Should that run 3 cameras ok?

Data. I can get 50gig for £25 per month. How much data would a camera use running continuously? Is it a how long is a piece of string kind of question?

 

[Pheasant Surprise]

Hi @Pheasant Surprise
Is the sinology method still your recommended method of running cctv cameras over a 4g router?

I see this bundle - good value? Should that run 3 cameras ok?

Data. I can get 50gig for £25 per month. How much data would a camera use running continuously? Is it a how long is a piece of string kind of question?

It’s what I’ve done in the past when only a 4G connection was available. It’s a good method when you have more than one camera too, as you only need the one 4G connection to access the recording(s) and real time view from as many cameras as are connected/recorded to the Synology.

That’s not to say it’s the only way. It’s not, there are new solutions coming on to the market continually, but I’ve found its a technique that is proven and works quite well and you can use any brand/model IP cameras within reason to make it a goer.

As to your question about how much data you will need, it is a bit of “how long is a piece of string question”. As you’re only viewing the footage (recorded or on real time) it just depends how long you stay connected. Obviously the longer that your connected (and the more cameras your viewing) the higher will be your data usage. Saying that 25 GB should give you plenty of viewing time!

Hope that helps.

 

[Stuart J]

Great thanks.
I'd hope to place the router etc in the farmhouse. V. Poor cable internet here but decent 4g signal.
Cameras will be in outbuildings 80m away. Plan to run a cat5 cable to the outbuildings - should I just have a switch at the end to plug the cameras into?

 

[Stuart J]

Also didn't realise only data was being used when accessing the video. Is it stored on that sinology hard drive in the meantime then?

 

[Pheasant Surprise]

Great thanks.
I'd hope to place the router etc in the farmhouse. V. Poor cable internet here but decent 4g signal.
Cameras will be in outbuildings 80m away. Plan to run a cat5 cable to the outbuildings - should I just have a switch at the end to plug the cameras into?

How many cameras do you intend to connect initially and later on?

I ask because firstly the ‘smaller’ Synology units will only have the grunt to support a few cameras; Two as I recall for the model I mentioned above. If you want to install more than two cameras then you will need a slightly larger, more powerful Synology box.

Secondly you will need additional camera licenses - a two camera license pack is already bundled with the free Surveillance Station app. You can buy extra license packs for additional cameras beyond that. For example an additional 1 camera license pack (over and above the 2 you get for free) is £59 from Amazon. An additional four camera license pack is £168. The more you buy in a pack the cheaper the per camera price.

Also didn't realise only data was being used when accessing the video. Is it stored on that sinology hard drive in the meantime then?

Yes the Synology is just a general purpose network storage box that allows you to install hundreds of apps on the box for various things, e.g. file server, mail server, music and video streaming, and of course what we are interested in here network video recording (NVR) using the Surveillance Station app.

This app from Synology basically provides all the features and functions you would get if you were buying a standalone CCTV video recording box.

You can read more about it here:

Multi-site surveillance | Synology Inc.

Monitor, operate, and manage thousands of cameras and hundreds of recording servers from a single console. Combine local and remote administration with comprehensive backup for maximum security and efficiency.

www.synology.com

 

[Pheasant Surprise]

Plan to run a cat5 cable to the outbuildings - should I just have a switch at the end to plug the cameras into?

The best way would be to have a local switch at the “remote end” that can supply power and data to the cameras (Power over Ethernet or PoE) over the individual Cat5e/6 cable running to each camera. Something like a Netgear GS110TP will be fine, has 8 to 10 network gigabit ports and is cheap at around £100.

Be careful running copper data cabling (Cat5e or Cat6) between buildings as differences in earthing and earth potentials can become a risk. I know folks regularly do it and we also do it. However we recently had a lightning strike and have lost thousands of pounds of gear which was all affected with the strike/surge running through the data/structured cabling and also via our old BT copper landline (which was stupidly still left connected even though we don’t use it).

Between buildings fibre is a much better bet - you can drive if further and faster than copper and it’s totally resistant to power surges and lightning strikes. It’s also not really as expensive as people think. By example the fibre transceivers (gigabit SFP modules) you can plug into the switch I mentioned I can buy for around £8 each from fs.com- they will drive gigabit Ethernet up to 10 kms! No kidding.

 

[Fen Farmer]

It’s what I’ve done in the past when only a 4G connection was available. It’s a good method when you have more than one camera too, as you only need the one 4G connection to access the recording(s) and real time view from as many cameras as are connected/recorded to the Synology.

That’s not to say it’s the only way. It’s not, there are new solutions coming on to the market continually, but I’ve found its a technique that is proven and works quite well and you can use any brand/model IP cameras within reason to make it a goer.

As to your question about how much data you will need, it is a bit of “how long is a piece of string question”. As you’re only viewing the footage (recorded or on real time) it just depends how long you stay connected. Obviously the longer that your connected (and the more cameras your viewing) the higher will be your data usage. Saying that 25 GB should give you plenty of viewing time!

Hope that helps.

I don't suppose there is any newer solutions available now, where only a 4G connection is available?

I have been running a twin bay Synology for a little over a year now and have experienced numerous problems with the Synology and the drives (WD Purple), so much so that i think it is no longer a viable solution for us now. It is broken more than it is running! Fortunately still under warranty but that leaves me without CCTV.

Would any of the modern NVR's work over 4G with my 2 IP cameras (Hikvision)?

Thanks