Watch my plants grow with me! Introducing the Ellz GrowCam!

[ellz]

New camera should be here Friday. Super excited.

[ellz]

MAJOR UPDATE!!!!

So after careful consideration, I'm returning the Blink. It's nice but it lacks way too many features for the price. I looked at the Wyze cam and it was okay but it's limited to a 32GB max for the micro sd slot. Then I found the Amcrest ProHD 1080p WiFi camera that is PERFECT!!! It not only does time lapse but it can take a 64gb card and I can monitor it on my computer!! It's one of the few that offers that ability these days. Most want you do view via an app on Android or iOS with zero support for PC. Not Amcrest! They made what looks like the perfect option for me. I ordered it on sale for $40 (almost half what the Blink cost) and it has pan/tilt and zoom. Until it arrives, I'll be using the Blink.

For anyone who may be interested, the black Amcrest ProHD 1080P WiFi Cam 2MP is on sale through Monday at Newegg.com: https://www.newegg.com/amcrest-ip2m-...quicklink=true

[ellz]

One quick update: I swapped back to "standard" video mode which is the middle setting.

Here's today's video:

[ellz]

There is no option for expanding the memory other than expanding it on the cloud (or saving it to your device to free up space).

[Farmall]

Good luck, that would make it nice...does this blink cam have an option for extra memory? That’s what makes the WYZE cam work well..it has a slot for 32gb ram so you can record movements or time lapse and you can define time frame and speed

[ellz]

No. Unfortunately that is not one of the features. I plan on sending an email in to customer support asking if they could possibly add that feature to the app. For now I plan on just editing all the clips together at the end of the grow and making a time-lapse video from that.

[Farmall]

Hey ellz. Does the camera have a time-lapse setting as well ?

[ellz]

UPDATE: I ended up moving the camera to a new position in hopes of getting a more stable connection (it's in a detached garage a good ways away from my wifi node). I also changed the settings to the lowest setting since it requires less bandwidth. If I can get a better signal, I will change the quality but for now, it's not too bad with the low setting.

Here's the most recent video:

As you can see, I have added my heater and a humidifier. It mists over the res so the plants can benefit from it the most before it escapes through the vent fan. It's virtually impossible to keep the relative humidity above 40% without a much larger humidifier (which I don't have the amps for). Hopefully, once the plant is growing it will go up.

[ellz]

The only thing I will say for the Blink is that it not only tells you the temperature, but it will also send you an alert if the temp goes above or below whatever you set. Plus, I wouldn't be able to see my temp sensor with the camera because I leave it on my reservoir so I know what the temp/humidity is at the plants. Finally, the other thing is the ability to run only on batteries. Like I had mentioned somewhere else, my garage is limited on amps thanks to the crummy job the builders did of only adding ONE LINE to my garage. I know that's probably standard for most builders but it really sucks for the homeowner who needs more than just one 20 amp circuit.

[ellz]

Here's today's video...

[smoorman]

The WYZE cam does not read temp itself. You can remotely pan and zoom to whatever thermometer you have nearby. The night vision is excellent. I got mine at Lowes. Great bargain.

[Farmall]

Thanks. 7 decades I should by now! 😆

[ellz]

Do you know if the WYZE cam reads temp?

[quirk]

You kids and your gadgets.

[ellz]

Thanks. I've been searching for a decent emulator. As far as the Blink, you can use batteries or run it via USB but I don't have a lot of amps to work with in my garage so I prefer the battery option. I think it may be the only one that actually uses batteries or a power cord.