If you have a wifi-enabled, not cellular, trail camera I'd like to hear your thoughts on the make and model you have.

Thanks.

From one IT/networking/security guy to another.
This is for live video.
It lets me sit at PC drinking coffee in morning and watch my feeders.

This works a little over 1/2 mile with mild tree brush between camera and AP.
I've got a little over 2 miles with clear line of sight.

Get a cheap WRT54 wireless router.
Install DD-WRT firmware and set up your router as access point.
With DD-WRT, you can do some pretty amazing things like turn up the transmitting power.
I use an external 4' fiberglass dipole mounted on a 25' mast with cables/adapters to replace one of the rubberduckies on back of router and get good coverage in all directions.
You can pick up the routers, antenna and antenna wire for around 100 bux total.
If you are only accessing a single wireless IP camera, you can run a small yagi on house router and get more range but it is directional and if you move camera, you will have to re-point the house beam at camera.
The other rubber ducky will do standard wireless inside the house.

For cameras, I use Wireless IP cameras that you normally see on ebay for 30-50 bucks.
Most of these run on 12V and will run for a couple of days on a 12v deep cycle battery if you have IR illuminators that switch on when the camera goes from color to greyscale night vision.
The IR LEDs will let you see well 20-30 feet at night and you can get more powerful ones but they suck the battery down faster.
I use a 12' long piece of aluminum tubing that just slides over a T post so I can put it up and move it quickly.
I mount the camera about 8' off the ground and install a small yagi beam that's 13-15 inches long on top of pole and have it so you can point it towards your access point.
Set the battery on the ground and use clips on cable and use a 12V 50 watt solar panel mounted below camera.
I don't have a charge controller right now as some friendly coons liked the flavor or smell or something...LOL.
With charge controller and good sunshine, it lives a good while before you have to grab the battery and charge it.

Thanks.

This system is on a "continuous improvement" plan.
The next step is to implement a timer on the camera so it doesn't run all night and suck the batteries down.
When the IP camera cuts over from daytime color to night vision greyscale and the IR illuminators come on, the battery drops pretty quickly.

Hope that helps Buddy!

I love my Cuddelinks I installed. They have a home unit that plugs right into your computer without the need to put WAPs out in the elements, and you get more range potential.

Cudde is coming out with their cell add-on next month, I'm ready to give it a try. Having a main camera being able to collect and send from multiple cameras sounds very interesting.

Yeah so far so good on my Cuddelinks. I love being able to grab everything from one card am waiting for the cell add on (I am going to get the home plus with the cell capabilities) and can report back. Also waiting for their solar kits that are due to come out this summer. Otherwise, they are great cameras.

Vern1,

Thanks for writing that up. I'm doing some research for a non-WIFI solution and ran across this thread.

I have 26 wooded acres where the feeder and blind are about 450' from an RV. I'd like a live video feed in the RV for easier hog hunting. I've ordered a 1.2 Ghz 1.5 watt video transmitter/receiver and will play around with that since I have lots of old analog cameras laying around (with night vision). I plan to put a car battery in the blind and mount the camera on a pole attached to the blind. I'll have a switch on it, and only have it one when I'm there. (There's no internet at the property, so no remote viewing)

I have a couple of old security DVRs I don't use anymore and they have a motion alarm feature, so I might run the video through the VCR and hook up a buzzer to the DVR so I don't have to stare at the screen all the time.

I might try your WIFI solution if mine doesn't work out.

What kind of range are you getting with that external 4' fiberglass dipole mounted on a 25' mast? I know they make low cost 2.4GHz and 5G signal boosters for wifi. People use them on drones to extend the range.

I don't know about a game cam, but i got a Ring doorbell camera and it is awesome. It records when there is movement and sends you notifications on your phone. Plus you can talk to people through it. I think it is pretty BA. If I had land I'd want a game cam that can do that.