Can you turn a Go Pro into a security camera?

[veggieburger]

Thinking I'd like to get a motion activated security camera for our driveway. Nothing has happened yet, but the neighbor's car was broken into not long ago. Then I started thinking...I wonder if you can rig a Go-pro to a motion sensor? Keep the Camera inside the house, have some sort of sensor on the outside of the house, camera starts to record while there's activity in the vicinity. This would make buying a Go-Pro an easy sell to the wifey..

Does such a thing exist?

Thanks, technically challenged Veggiman.

[R3awak3n]

I don't know if you can and so I am useless on that topic.

However I have 3 cameras in the house, the netgear arlos and they are FANTASTIC. They are fully wireless, motion sensor and also infrared (which is a must in a security camera).

[v531xc]

So one way to do it would presume that the GoPro is internet connected, which I don't believe any of them are.
But, let's say you have an internet connected camera and an internet connected motion sensor, then sure, you can create a rule in IFTTT or a similar service and set it to record upon detection of motion.

There's lots of IFs in finding the right equipment that would work together and have cloud to cloud connections that allow IFTTT to act upon them.

Or, you can get an off-the-shelf internet connected camera from one of the big brands, or a small brand on Amazon and they will already have motion detection as a built-in feature. I bought a very inexpensive Yi brand camera and it does what you're looking for plus record on a micro SD. Amazon also partially owns the company Wyze and sells their cameras for $20. Check it out and see if that solves for your needs. FWIW, Yi also sells an action cam. Haven't used it, but sure have thought about it as an inexpensive GoPro alternative.

If you do end up hacking together some cloud to cloud cameras and sensors, shoot me a PM. I work in the IoT space and am curious about hacked together solutions :-)

[mktng]

id suggest getting something that's more designed around security.

look at the XiaoMi Yi outdoor security camera. takes a bit more work to install it properly. but in the long run i think itd be worth it.
https://www.amazon.com/YI-Security-W.../dp/B01CW49AGG (with Micro SD or paid cloud storage)

heck.. if a thief saw your go pro. he'd probably try to steal that too. :P

[veggieburger]

Originally Posted by mktng

heck.. if a thief saw your go pro. he'd probably try to steal that too. :P

Ya...that's why I'd keep the camera behind the glass and the sensor outside. A self-contained micro sd would be great. Car gets broken into, can put the card and go from there.

I just thought I'd try to kill two birds with one stone. "Honey, I bought a security camera...that just happens to record my mountain bike rides too! Score!"

[staggerwing]

I just started with one of the cheap Yi's a couple of months back. Wife and I were gone of a conference, and we wanted to monitor if the kids and sitter were taking care of our dog. It worked better than expected.

FWIW, the non-tilt/swivel model is no longer available. The following is the cheapest entry point, to see if it might work for your needs.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CW4BG4K/ref=emc_b_5_i

You probably know this, but you are going to need access to 110v power. A 110v to 5v USB transformer and micro-USB cable (same as most android phone charging options) are included. If you wanted to go crazy, you could probably rig a solar charge feeding a portable battery for more remote areas. It will also need to access your wireless router. There are different levels of monthly service available depending on how long you want the video stored, and whether or not you are collecting only on a "motion alert" or continuous.

Google's Nest sells similar items, but at higher cost, and much higher service charge. For mission sensitive, it may matter to some that Yi is far east, versus Google in US.

[C40_guy]

If you're looking to be notified of activity and to record it:

Take a look at the Blink XT. Weather resistant (outdoor rated) connects via wifi, sends motion alerts to your phone, records video to the cloud, has decent IR/night capability.

And is wireless. Supposed to run up to a year (2?) on internal LI battery.

I just bought a 2 camera setup to replace a hacked together system using the Presence IOS app and a couple of old iphones.

But give some thought to the value of recording...you may or may not get a good face shot, and then what do you do with it? Notification is key...and you have to be ready to do something to intervene. That's worth a separate thread...

If you're looking for prevention:

Get a big dog.

Mount motion activated/solar powered outside lights. I use these. Obviously, only useful as a deterrent at night...

Lock your car, don't leave anything visible inside, maybe tint the windows...

Make your house look lived in, even when you're not there. "Fake" tvs are great...

Bad guys will look for easy houses with valuables. Make yours look less easy and they'll move on to other targets.

Now...with regard to justifying the GoPro...

You deserve it. Tell your wife we said so...

That having been said...have you used one on a ride? Go out and borrow one before you invest any money in your own. I've had one for a while, found it was great for autocrossing and track work, a PITA on the (road) bike and not particularly interesting, and really boring on the front of my kayak (I did get some good chase scenes one very still evening...the pond was glass smooth and the ducks were fun to pursue...)

[Mark McM]

Originally Posted by veggieburger

Ya...that's why I'd keep the camera behind the glass and the sensor outside. A self-contained micro sd would be great. Car gets broken into, can put the card and go from there.

I just thought I'd try to kill two birds with one stone. "Honey, I bought a security camera...that just happens to record my mountain bike rides too! Score!"

So when the thieves see from your Live Strava that you are out on a bike ride, they know that not only is there no one home to interrupt them while they are robbing your house, but the security camera isn't there to catch them in the act.

I'm pretty sure that security cameras work best when they are at home when you are not, and not as well if you take them along when you leave home.

[veggieburger]

Originally Posted by Mark McM

So when the thieves see from your Live Strava that you are out on a bike ride, they know that not only is there no one home to interrupt them while they are robbing your house, but the security camera isn't there to catch them in the act.

What's this Strava you speak of?

(remember, technically challenged veggieman)

[stien]

As far as hacked-together solutions go, a Raspberry Pi with a USB webcam running the Motion package works very well. You can set up all sorts of motion detection and recording. Video or stills, and serve it all up to a website. Very cheap. Like $30 for the Pi and under $20 webcams.

All that tech and what do I do with it? Watch my dogs sleep in my cubicle from 200ft away

[zlin]

Arlo cameras. I love mine and they pick up audio, sound, record, cloud or device save, etc and it pings your devices based off how you set it up. Happy to go into more detail but the whole package will take you 15 minutes to setup, recharge the batteries every 3 mo, and you’ll have piece of mind and see when your packages get delivered.

[C40_guy]

I just set up a Blink as a trail camera, about 100 feet from our house...nicely within range of wifi. The battery powered cameras are great, very flexible!

So far, i've caught a turkey, black lab, bunch o squirrels, a fox (I think...night shot, a bit too gangly for it to be a coyote) and what I think was a fisher with dinner in its mouth.

Not all the animals have been thoughtful enough to walk slowly across the camera's field of view and pause for a full on profile shot.

[tylercheung]

I don't know about GoPro. for old Apple devices (iPhones, iPads), you can turn them into cameras w/ an app called Manything, although there is a charge for cloud storage space.

If you can hook the GoPro up to a computer like that, I am sure there is software that can manage it.