I got a wireless web cam to monitor stove but...UPDATE Success!

[albertj03]

It's kind of useless. I got a Foscam IP Wireless Camera (broken link removed to http://www.foscam.com/prd_view.aspx?id=24) and it works great on my wireless network. The problem is that all I can see is a bright spot where the fire is and I can't actually see what the fire is doing at all. I was worried that this might happen so I'm not at all surprised by it. The biggest thing I wanted to be able to see is the stove pipe thermometer as my stovepipe temps tend to get a little high if I'm not right on top of the stove on start-up due to my very tall chimney and heavy draft and I can barley see the thermometer let alone the needle. The stove is in the basement so I'm using the night vision when the lights are off down there but either way, IR or no IR, I can't see the thermometer and I can't really see the fire. I'm going to try putting some tinfoil on the needle of the thermometer to see if it picks up the reflection.

I know that others have done this as well but I don't recall hearing anyone having these problems. Can anyone with a similar setup chime in and let me know how it's working for you? These camera's work great for home surveillance and security but it doesn't seem that they are a good fit for monitoring wood stoves, unless I'm doing something wrong.

 

[LLigetfa]

I've heard that the infrared heat can mess with the auto-focus and auto-iris but if you can PTZ away from the actual fire, you should be able to read the temp gauge. I haven't tried one at home on my hearth. I have designed and installed a lot of cameras at work and had a Sony PTZ in my office for a while that I made available over the net. I could PTZ onto my wall thermostat and read it clear as day.

 

[Danno77]

yeah, that needle needs paint or something to make it more visible. I had that problem with my crappy setup. Might try something like that again later this season.

 

[ort5]

I have the same camera. Did you try adjusting the brightness and contrast yet?

I would also try looking at the stove from a slight angle to get the camera out of the direct line of IR energy.

Your idea of a reflector on the thermometer needle is a good one.

Regards,
Dave

 

[albertj03]

I have the same camera. Did you try adjusting the brightness and contrast yet?

I would also try looking at the stove from a slight angle to get the camera out of the direct line of IR energy.

Your idea of a reflector on the thermometer needle is a good one.

Regards,
Dave

It's a great camera for sure. Are you able to actually see the fire with yours?

 

[ort5]

I have tried it, and yes I could. I did have your same problem of white-out until I adjusted it though. I had to drop the brightness way down and I was not using the IR illumination. I wasn't trying to see a thermometer though.

These cameras do not have a ton of dynamic range, so it will be hard to see details in both bright and dark areas of the image. The reflector on the thermometer needle, combined with the IR illumination should do the trick.

I mainly use mine to watch my baby, or the sump pump though. I just tried watching the fire one time while we went out to eat. I'm not a 24/7 burner.

 

[albertj03]

I moved the camera so it's at an angle instead of right in front of the stove and the picture is a little more clear. Still can't see the thermometer much and the fire is still just a white spot even with the brightness all the way down. With the lights on and IR off the picture is great and would be excellent for watching anything but a wood stove but the thermometer is just too far away to see well. I'm going to play around with the positioning of the camera tonight. Maybe I could mount it up on the ceiling closer to the stove. No zoom on this camera, I think that would be a big help if it had it.

 

[begreen]

Resolving a small detail like a thermometer needle could be a challenge. At 640x480 it's never going to be super sharp. Maybe get a Rutland with the big needle. Or get a black on white dial thermometer like the TelTru?

I wonder if an IR filter would help it out for fire viewing.

 

[cygnus]

I don't think it would help with the thermo needle but, what about a piece of car tint or a UV camera filter in front of the camera. With B&W film, a yellow filter would generally enhance contrast so various colors may work better here as well.

Edit: Try a pair of sunglasses.

 

[Kevin*]

If it's the IR heat that's getting to the camera then put a small peice of glass infront of it, that will stop IR waves somewhat.

 

[albertj03]

Just wanted to add an update to this post since it's been a week. I put a piece of tinfoil on the needle of the stovepipe thermometer and it works great. If I leave the light on in the basement I can see the needle perfectly and with the light off I can see it a little bit. Also, being able to see the intensity of the fire, even though I can't really see the detail, is very helpful. At first I thought this was a failed project but it's been a total success. I can get the stove going in the basement and then go upstairs to the first or to the second floor and do whatever (help with the kids, etc) while keeping an eye on the stove from my laptop or from my iPhone and know exactly what the fire is doing without having to run up and down the stairs 100 times. Now I just need to set it up so I can access the camera from the web when I'm not home.

 

[Treacherous]

You need to setup port forwarding on your router. The Foscam doesn't support SSL (port 443) so try using a high non-standard external port to get to the camera. This will reduce chance of bots and script kiddies from finding the camera.

Default is going to be port 80.

This is a nice free Foscam app for the iPhone.

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/camviewer-for-foscam-webcams/id416551665?mt=8

Just wanted to add an update to this post since it's been a week. I put a piece of tinfoil on the needle of the stovepipe thermometer and it works great. If I leave the light on in the basement I can see the needle perfectly and with the light off I can see it a little bit. Also, being able to see the intensity of the fire, even though I can't really see the detail, is very helpful. At first I thought this was a failed project but it's been a total success. I can get the stove going in the basement and then go upstairs to the first or to the second floor and do whatever (help with the kids, etc) while keeping an eye on the stove from my laptop or from my iPhone and know exactly what the fire is doing without having to run up and down the stairs 100 times. Now I just need to set it up so I can access the camera from the web when I'm not home.

 

[wjb111]

I use the web cam on my lap top. The i-phone has an app called jumi for $6 & also downloaded jumi on my lap top. Works good. I can see my stove live in action right from my phone.