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Ask HN: DIY baby cams/monitor(s) with privacy?
Hey HN!
We're expecting soon, and I'm seeking the latest advice for setting up a multi-camera system. I'd like it to be secure (cameras should be dumb), always-on (so powered by USB, not battery), some kind of standard protocol (e.g. RTSP), good quality/dynamic range (doesnt need to be 1080p, even 720p is fine). General plan is to have a 1-3 VLANed cameras, preferably with safe/integrated auto-IR mode when dark and integrated mics. I'd like it to be remotely accessible/stream-able via a web ui/webrtc with auth.
I have Synology NAS, Asus/OpenWRT router, and an OPNSense device between modem and router.
The hardware landscape looks kinda crappy. I wanted to maybe do a camera module [1][2] with Pi Zero 2 W [3] but the latter is unavailable due to supply chain stuff and the former is either USB or lacks a built-in mic. Banana Pi M2 Zero [4] might be an alternative. Most of these modules don't support 5Ghz, but i guess that's fine. Seen some other mentions of open source firmware for Wyze cameras. In terms of software, https://zoneminder.com/ looks like the winner?
EDIT: This looked promising, but not made anymore?
https://www.varia-store.com/en/produkt/97613-banana-pi-bpi-d1-open-source-ip-camera-board.html
Anyways, thanks for any advice :)
[1] https://www.amazon.com/Raspberry-Camera-Webcam-OV5647-Adjustment/dp/B08QFM8TVV/
[2] https://www.amazon.com/Arducam-Computer-Fisheye-Microphone-Windows/dp/B07ZRJDTBQ/
[3] https://www.raspberrypi.com/products/raspberry-pi-zero-2-w/
[4] https://www.amazon.com/WayPonDEV-Banana-Pi-M2-Zero/dp/B0B87F72B1/
- june_twenty 3y agoI would assume most people buy a camera from a store and plug it in. Is there need for more security than strong passwords on the device and router?
- bombcar 3y agoSetup a LAN with PoE and use whatever crappy PoE cameras are the current cheapness. Bonus if you find confirmation they zonemind. Block that entire lan from accessing the Internet after its setup. If you need to get video out, use a bastion host to do so. Homeassistant was able to make the cameras work with HomeKit somehow but i forget the details. (For most of them I just RTSP direct with a password in VLC, and internal website links to them all and it works well enough for quick checks. You can make playlist, too)
- qup 3y agoRTSP was how I got some video out on some crummy surveillance cameras I have. It was a quick and dirty option I could write a script for.
- pro_zac 3y agoThis is the route I went. I really like being able to pull the camera up on any device on my home wifi. The tricky part is finding PoE cameras with built in mics that don't require additional wiring. I returned multiple cams before I found a hikvision clone that met my needs.
- gregjor 3y agoI have to ask, for what? I raised three kids without cameras. My wife and I used the time-tested "monitoring" technique: we kept our own eyes on the kids. It wouldn't have occurred to me to watch my kids on camera through a phone or laptop when I could just have them in the same room with one of us. Maybe we just got lucky, but in my experience babies and toddlers can sleep through almost anything if you hold them or keep them close by. The questions seems to ask how to turn a very human activity into a technical problem.
- brudgers 3y agoLike much with parenting I think it’s only people trying to do what they think they ought to do and the plan - like most - may not survive reality’s punch in the face. Everyone learns parenting on the job.
- gregjor 3y agoYou're right about learning parenting on the job, and about the best-laid plans.
- schwartzworld 3y agoThis is such an annoying response. "How can I do X?" "Tsk tsk, I didn't have to/want to do X so don't waste your time. > Maybe we just got lucky, but in my experience babies and toddlers can sleep through almost anything if you hold them or keep them close by. You did just get lucky. Full stop. Some kids are bad sleepers and when they are, OP might want to be on a different floor. Maybe they want to hang out in the yard or on on the porch where they won't hear a child screaming. Maybe they are working from home and just want to be able to keep an eye on the child without needing to be in the same room. No matter what the reason, responding to a request for advice on doing X with condescending tongue-clicking doesn't help with anything other than making yourself feel superior. Congrats!
- gregjor 3y agoI asked, "For what?" How will camera monitors help with bad sleeping or screaming? When my kids had those episodes we would hold them or lay down with them, maybe with earplugs. Monitoring an upset child through a camera just seems callous to me, but everyone does their own thing. My mom followed the "let them cry it out" school and thought I should do the same. I worked from home most of the time when I had three kids growing up. Less than ideal sometimes but it wasn't so bad. Call it condescending tsk-taking or annoying if you want. You asked for validation of an Amazon shopping list of hardware, I suggested an alternative approach to think about. Happy monitoring.
- kleer001 3y agoThat sounds like a fun rabbit hole. You'll want to balance its upkeep with being sleep deprived for a year or so. Wait, where are you located? The states? Are both of you taking parental leave? Me, I'm mostly happy with the Wyze camera. It's not open, but it's security is good enough for me. The software is shite, but it's not owned by a foreign gov't.
- denis4inet 3y agoWhat about MotionEye on OrangePi Zero? You can install Armbian on OrangePi Zero board and then install `motioneye`. I have used this script to install it on my board: https://gist.github.com/dzianisv/b299785c9ec697b78ad2f4bed5377eda https://gist.github.com/dzianisv/b299785c9ec697b78ad2f4bed53...