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For years now, our wired and wireless bird box cameras have been our most popular products- and with good reason! The tiny cameras fit inside of a nest box, and provide a fascinating close-up view as the eggs hatch, and then the parents raise their chicks. Because of this, they’re popular with everyone from birdwatching and nature enthusiasts, to schools who want to create a nature park for their students. It’s no surprise then that we are always looking for ways to improve and upgrade these cameras. With that in mind, we are proud to introduce a first in the UK- our brand new HD bird box camera!
So what’s different about this model? Well, the massive difference it’s what is known as an IP camera. Without getting too technical, this basically means that it records digital video, and then sends it down a network cable. Instead of plugging this in to a TV, you connect it to your router. You can then log in and view the camera live over the internet using a PC. Importantly, one of the most frequent questions we get asked about is whether you can watch them on an iPad or tablet. With a traditional bird box camera this requires an additional recorder, however this IP camera kit can do this without needing any external accessories. Once it’s set up on your network just download a free app and configure the camera, and you can watch the nest from anywhere with wifi!
Because it’s an IP camera, this new camera can also record with much higher resolution than competitor’s bird box cameras. Specifically, it boasts 960p high definition, with more lines of detail than 720p HD, and almost 4 times the resolution of a standard analogue equivalent! Another important image quality improvement is the addition of an IR-Cut filter. This blocks out infra red from the sensor during daylight hours, preventing the unusual colours that cheaper night vision cameras can show. This helps ensure that in daytime the camera will have vibrant, true-to-life colours. All of this, combined with the high grade lens means you can make out much more detail on whatever is inside your nest box, letting you identify the markings on birds, or watch closely as chicks are fed. Other features include an external microphone for high quality audio, and a waterproof connector to allow the network cable to be run outside.
To set the camera up, the network cable is plugged in to the included POE injector, which is then plugged in to a power supply. A second network cable is then run from the POE injector to your router or network switch (see diagram below). If you’re not familiar with IP cameras, then you can find full instructions on how to set the camera up over on our dedicated support blog. However, if you would rather avoid playing with network settings and software, then you can also opt for one of our remote setup services. For example, with our Bronze Setup package we can remotely configure all of the software for you and get it working on your PC, as well as providing ongoing support.
