Budget Farm System

[BuffaloBilly]

Hi, can anyone help me by suggesting a cheap system for our farm. We live about 600 metres from the farm buildings and would like to be able to check our cows when they are calving during the night etc.. We currently have a basic wireless camera with panel antennas but I would like to progress to one or two ptz cameras with sound. Mostly they would be used in sheds about 50 metres by 30 with adequate light. It is a long distance to run cable to the buildings so I was wondering about IPcameras as there is a rented farmhouse near the buildings with a broadband connection. We dont really need recording ability, just real time viewing.

If anyone has any thoughts it would be appreciated, thanks

[james.wilson]

ip cams will probably be the way forward. But your cable length may be an issue, IP can only do 100m between switches max, longer is possible but complicated.

James

[Alpat Systems]

How far away is the rented farmhouse to the cow sheds?

If its less than 100m, there's no problem in using IP cams. (you can actually get away with slightly more than 100m)

alternative is to get BT to extend the phone line into the shed and have the broadband equipment located there, or install a secondary line direct in the shed. (going down this route would also allow you to use "tradional" cctv, i.e DVR controlling the PTZ's. You would then access the DVR via the internet.

or

Wireless IP is another solution. (either wireless cam, or acces points creating a wireless bridge) You could also go with "tradional" wireless PTZ CCTV , but the cost of doing it this way would be similiar if not more than IP.

If you go the IP route, Id suggest:

Axis 212PTZ or Axis 212PTZ-V (depending if the environment within the shed is "harsh"

http://www.axis.com/products/cam_212/index.htm

(good camera, but limited zoom capability)

Axis 215PTZ

http://www.axis.com/products/cam_215/index.htm

It all depends on budget though!!

[arfur mo]

Hi, can anyone help me by suggesting a cheap system for our farm. We live about 600 metres from the farm buildings and would like to be able to check our cows when they are calving during the night etc.. We currently have a basic wireless camera with panel antennas but I would like to progress to one or two ptz cameras with sound. Mostly they would be used in sheds about 50 metres by 30 with adequate light. It is a long distance to run cable to the buildings so I was wondering about IPcameras as there is a rented farmhouse near the buildings with a broadband connection. We dont really need recording ability, just real time viewing.

If anyone has any thoughts it would be appreciated, thanks

i wonder how many cameras you envisage needing in total?

600 meters as the others have said is a bit long for a cat 5e solution, as an alternative to broadband in the sheds, as you own a farm, it is possible you could have the means to run a fibre optic cable from home to the sheds, along fences, overhead or buried. this can be bought in pre cut and pre ended legnths delivered on a drum, so saving paying someone having to terminate it. the transponders are a bit expensive but against this no ongoing costs of line and broadband connection involved with this link.

once in place you could view via a pc in the home using client software to the dvr, set up properly and with the right kit remote viewing from just anywhwere over the internet would be available to you.

as to how you would detect an animal birthing i don't know for sure off hand what to suggest, but if their temperature rises or breathing rate increases to a known point prior to or just commencing labour, perhaps this condition could be monitiored and transmitted as the warn signal.

imo it would make a very interesting project to have a go at.

regs

alan

[satsuma01]

i wonder how many cameras you envisage needing in total?

600 meters as the others have said is a bit long for a cat 5e solution, as an alternative to broadband in the sheds, as you own a farm, it is possible you could have the means to run a fibre optic cable from home to the sheds, along fences, overhead or buried. this can be bought in pre cut and pre ended legnths delivered on a drum, so saving paying someone having to terminate it. the transponders are a bit expensive but against this no ongoing costs of line and broadband connection involved with this link.

once in place you could view via a pc in the home using client software to the dvr, set up properly and with the right kit remote viewing from just anywhwere over the internet would be available to you.

as to how you would detect an animal birthing i don't know for sure off hand what to suggest, but if their temperature rises or breathing rate increases to a known point prior to or just commencing labour, perhaps this condition could be monitiored and transmitted as the warn signal.

imo it would make a very interesting project to have a go at.

regs

alan

and potentially quite alot of money used up as well

[james.wilson]

Ip is the future though

[arfur mo]

and potentially quite alot of money used up as well

problem here is the o/p is looking at 'cheap', so imo is approaching from the wrong perspective, with livestock from what little i know of it, nothing is cheap. a single calf is = to an expensive investment, so he has to decide where his cost level is against worth the investment.

sorry, but absolutely no point running a mini when you need a range rover.

regs

alan

[Doktor Jon]

I personally wouldn't recommend fibre optic cable being used in an agricultural location.

Apart from the obvious risks from machinery and weather, there's also the small problem of rats, mice and on occassions foxes chewing through anything that takes their fancy, and repairing FO cable is not something to be enjoyed mid winter when you're knee deep in slurry.

If you have a barn with those dimensions, it's often better practice to divide up the area so that all the imminent calvers are contained in a smaller area which is then more easily lit and observed, preferably using fixed and optimised cameras.

The lack of any human observer generally means that the beasties behave far more naturally on camera, so it's relatively easy to spot those that are about to drop a calf, without having to make the long walk.

I'd actually suggest that this project is kept simple, and unless there is an overbearing reason to go IP, I'd have stuck with conventional proven analogue (one or two decent box cameras in weatherproof housings - depending on the size of the calving area), which is more than capable of producing the quality required for this very straightforward application.

As for it being an interesting project, I'd have to confess that having supplied hundreds of systems for livestock management back in the '70s and '80s, my T shirt is now somewhat understandably a bit tatty around the edges.

[arfur mo]

I personally wouldn't recommend fibre optic cable being used in an agricultural location.

Apart from the obvious risks from machinery and weather, there's also the small problem of rats, mice and on occassions foxes chewing through anything that takes their fancy, and repairing FO cable is not something to be enjoyed mid winter when you're knee deep in slurry.

If you have a barn with those dimensions, it's often better practice to divide up the area so that all the imminent calvers are contained in a smaller area which is then more easily lit and observed, preferably using fixed and optimised cameras.

The lack of any human observer generally means that the beasties behave far more naturally on camera, so it's relatively easy to spot those that are about to drop a calf, without having to make the long walk.

I'd actually suggest that this project is kept simple, and unless there is an overbearing reason to go IP, I'd have stuck with conventional proven analogue (one or two decent box cameras in weatherproof housings - depending on the size of the calving area), which is more than capable of producing the quality required for this very straightforward application.

As for it being an interesting project, I'd have to confess that having supplied hundreds of systems for livestock management back in the '70s and '80s, my T shirt is now somewhat understandably a bit tatty around the edges.

Hi Dr Jon,

agreed fibre would be far more expensive to repair, and suggest it could be buried using a 'mole', if it is mechanically protected properly, then less likely an issue. suggesting ways of doing that would need a site visit as really the type and positionning of cameras would to be accurate.

if it were a lot closer then cat5e would be the way to go, still beyond many to repair properly though, and i would have thought any copper cable used is more likely to be downed by rodents etc - mice and squirrels just love alarm cable for some reason.

what i was interested in 'as a project', is the suggestion of some sort of alarm to detect imminent birthing, is there such sensors already available like radio kit attached by a collar that can do this?

regs

alan

[Alpat Systems]

Just had a quick google'ing session and found a few case studies on this very subject:

http://users.skynet.be/fa547120/Agrimonito...entation_en.htm

http://www.vivotek.com/products/success/su...story_farm.html

http://scienceandresearch.homeoffice.gov.u...43-08?view=Html