Need suggestions for PTZ cam that doesn't need internet/cloud access...

So we have a simple need for some cameras to mount in horse stalls in our barn so we can keep an eye on an occasional horse or two that needs watching...

In the past I've used some basic bullet cams...but because of the way the barn is constructed, they don't work well because they can't get the whole stall in the view - need PTZ.

Recently I got some of these: - functionally they're pretty perfect...and inexpensive which is always nice. I set a couple up without configuring any of their cloud options, and figured that they'd therefore only be active on the local network - which is all we want them to do. But I discovered that they were constantly sending video up to their cloud thing anyway...and it was seriously degrading our ability to use our internet service...which, being on a farm in the middle of nowhere, isn't exactly stellar to begin with. Was actually interfering with my ability to work from home.

So now I'm going to return those, since I couldn't find any possible way to make them NOT constantly stream to the internet. I need some help finding something like those cams, but that can be made to totally work only on the local network - no sending anything to the internet/cloud at all. And descriptions on Amazon or whatever just don't make it clear what devices do or don't have that capability.

For clarity, all we need the cams to do is:

• Connect to wifi
• Let us see video and hear sounds (bonus if we can talk through them too) via local network connection
• Have low-light/night mode
• Be PTZ so we can remotely move the cam if needed to see the whole stall
• ...and not stream stuff to the internet/cloud AT ALL

...and that's pretty much it. No need for cloud/internet anything, no motion-detection, no "human shape detection," no alarms/alerts, no local or remote storage, etc. Granted some or all of those things are likely to be present on currently-available cams, but if they are there we won't care and won't use it.

Can anyone point me towards some cameras that would work that way? I would be greatly appreciative. Thanks in advance for any advice.

You’ll need to increase your budget as the link you provided is very low. Doing so opens up the door to dozens of high quality PTZ cameras that just work.

You want LAN Access only no problem. You change your mind and want Cloud Access - No problem.

It comes down to you enabling the latter.

Once you connect a camera to your wifi it will slow the whole wifi down whether it is streaming to the cloud or not.

Wifi is problematic for surveillance cameras because they are always streaming and passing data. And the data demands go up with motion and then you lose signal. A lost packet and it has to resend. It can bring the whole network down if trying to use it through a wifi router. Someone tested this once and after 4 cameras, the wifi was completely unusable...

Unlike Netflix and other streaming services that buffer a movie, these cameras do not buffer up part of the video, so drop outs are frequent. You would be amazed how much streaming services buffer - don't believe me, start watching something and unplug your router and watch how much longer you can watch before it freezes. Now do the same with a wifi camera and it is fairly instantaneous (within the latency of the stream itself)...

Plus, you should never have your cameras passing through your router...they should be isolated from the internet all-together. That is how folks here have 30 cameras going and doesn't slow down their internet. Try that with 30 cameras going through your router and it will be slower than dial-up internet (if you are old enough to remember that LOL).

If you cannot get ethernet to that location (but that should be your first choice), then you need to look into an Ubiquiti nanostation Loco M2 option that will transmit over a dedicated wifi between the two units and then uses ethernet on either end to provide the stable service and keep it off your wifi router.

This would be the camera you want, but you would have to add a mic and speaker to it. Real PTZs do not have a mic as the sound of the PTZ and fan in them would overtake the sound...

If you want wifi, then you need to build out your wifi specifically to accommodate cameras. That usually means a dedicated wifi network just for cameras with APs placed strategically around the areas the cameras will be installed. A separate wifi network would then be used for mobile devices. Just attaching wifi cameras directly onto your existing wifi usually doesn't work or doesn't work well.

I actually have one of these cameras on my house (not wifi):
Its a good Dahua 2MP cam. Sold by our member @EMPIRETECANDY here on the forums.

FYI -

Cheap WIFi PT camera OP purchased and is having issues with re Cloud Connectivity

Well I am not opposed to paying more than the $50 those things are...but $400 a pop isn't going to work. Once in a while the horses will mess with the cams and wind up destroying them - and no, there's no way to mount them someplace they can't get to them.

I've had 4 bullet-style cams on the wifi before and had zero issues. The difference was there was no associated cloud/internet connectivity...they were purely just on the local network. So that should be fine...seems like there should be some kind of PTZ cam that doesn't absolutely have to be sending stuff to the cloud...

If there were a camera, PTZ, 2-way audio(never good in a PTZ due to noise from motors in the PTZ), good night vision(needing a sensor of at least 1/2.8" or bigger) and trouble free WiFi, I think we'd all be using them instead of decent, quality, wired cameras.

This is what I use in our barn. I run it back a Ubiquity link to the house and use Blue Iris to record, so no cloud.

Mount it high enough the animals can't get at it.
Higher makes it easier to move the camera to watch what's coming in the doors also.

Yeah, and I'm sure that's a great cam - the problem is because of the way the barn is constructed, there has to be a cam actually in each stall - and there's no where to mount it, even on the ceiling because it's not that high - where the horses can't get to them. When they managed to bust a couple of the $50 bullet cams, I didn't really care - cheap enough to replace those. But I can't afford to spend that much money every time a horse gets too freaking curious about the cam on the wall

A photo of the building layout would be helpful. This may offer better insight and possibilities for mounting. What is the need for a PTZ camera in each horse stall?!?

I honestly can’t see the need to watch a horse 24.7.365?

Blue Ribbon / Arabian??

Pregnant mares on foal watch, for the most part. Sometimes other reasons...but that's the main one.

Basically the stalls are walls-to-ceiling with essentially no gap between the two. Bars on the front of the stalls but not nearly enough to be able to see the whole stall from a camera mounted outside. There is no possible option other than a PTZ camera inside the stall to be able to see the whole area.

Wootings said:

Pregnant mares on foal watch, for the most part. Sometimes other reasons...but that's the main one.

Basically the stalls are walls-to-ceiling with essentially no gap between the two. Bars on the front of the stalls but not nearly enough to be able to see the whole stall from a camera mounted outside. There is no possible option other than a PTZ camera inside the stall to be able to see the whole area.

Click to expand...

Hi @Wootings

One camera members have liked in the past was the Amcrest PT camera, you can use WIFi or wired ethernet for data + wired power ( DC )

It's affordable enough to buy one and test it out and see if it works for you.





There's also a newer 4MP version for a bit more... also with WiFi or ethernet for data

Thanks - do you happen to know that those don't require internet uploading?

I have one of the 2MP Amcrests and it is a Dahua under the hood. No problem with local access. Just don't initialize it using the QR code. Use a web browser and go directly into the camera web GUI. The 2MP is not a zoom camera, but at short range would probably do the job for you. Sorry, I didn't think of them earlier when I originally commented, and I have one.

Out of curiosity, what's the ceiling height in your barn?

sebastiantombs said:

I have one of the 2MP Amcrests and it is a Dahua under the hood. No problem with local access. Just don't initialize it using the QR code. Use a web browser and go directly into the camera web GUI.

Out of curiosity, what's the ceiling height in your barn?

Click to expand...

Great thank you, that sounds like these might do the trick then.

The ceiling is probably around 9' or so - but the stall walls go right up to the ceiling. So there's not any way to have a cam outside the stalls that can see in and view the entire area of the stall.

Maybe mount on the ceiling a little outside each stall you want to keep an eye on to make it a little harder to reach. The motor whine when you PTZ is probably what attracts their attention.

There's literally no physical way to do that - there is no possible location outside the stall where you could mount a camera so that it could view the area of the stall.

And for the record, up until a few days ago when I bought the ones I linked in the OP, the cameras weren't PTZ. They were bullet cams. And I tried old cell phones with an app to make them a webcam...but that kind of worked like crap.

I use the little Wyze cam and the Wyze v3 cam for putting in tower sites, and places where they can get damaged or stolen.
Wonder if the barn is steel where you could use the magnetic base to stick it to the roof or wall stuck in a corner or something
to give it a little protection, and if it gets smashed, not a big deal. $20-$30

The V3 has a lot better IR and night vision, just don't expect any night motion, as it's blurry.
The older model is even worse, IR out to 10'

The easiest way to deal with cameras that want to ping the internet is to fix the issue on the network side. Way cheaper than buying a new set of cameras only to find out they will probably do the same thing (at some point). Get a dedicated WAP and put it on a LAN or VLAN that doesn't connect to the internet. Problem solved!

Thanks for all the feedback...looks like we might have a winner here:


Based on the recommendation above, I ordered 4 of these. Didn't even bother with their phone app - just connected it by ethernet and looked to see what IP address it got from the router - went to that IP and boom it was there (right on port 80 even). Jumped in, switched it to the wifi, pulled out the ethernet and...that's it. LAN-only camera! And granted I'm only playing with it in my office right now...the video and audio are way better than adequate. Fairly pumped at the moment

I'll post an update once I have a chance to swap them into the stalls and see how they worked - but this sure looks like a winner so far Thanks mat200!