sika4

Hello. I work in law enforcement. I am new to this type of thing, although I have some trail-cams. Situation: I want to be able to set up a covert mini camera on a small cannabis plantation to record who the gardener is. Following requirements; 1. Small camera lens. The camera itself will have to be small so I can conceal it. There seem to be plenty of option in this area. 2. Wireless or wired. Camera itself can be remotely wired to a DVR device running on a 12V battery that can be buried in the ground or similar. 3. Large storage. I need to be able to leave the device in place for up to a month. 4. Motion detection. I don't have to wade through 4 days of footage just to see the gardener pruning plants for 20 minutes. 5. Low light or moonlight. Is that possible at all? (without IR illumination) It doesn't need to cost the earth. For intelligence gathering purposes only. I saw these on Youtube that may work. Any thoughts 1kI0TSSJ11k Any help appreciated.

No

Found lots of mini DVRs, lots with external trigger input. Limiting factor appears to be the size of SD card they will take. Most up to 8GB. Few go to 32GB. I spose with an external trigger that would be plenty. I figure as long as the PIR or external trigger keeps on being activated it will keep recording. This one here has a lot of options for inputs. http://www.ovation.co.uk/miniature-H264-AVC-digital-video-recorder.html There is just SO many out there it is hard to know where to start. I'm getting there, slowly.

Have ability to bury batteries for sure. Uint looks like something that would work. Probably be able to make one cheaper [hopefully, gulp].

These replies are really good, thanks again. I have the road covered by a simple "trailcam", 4 in the area actually. Access to this one is by boat however, interesting MO. The plot itself is what I want to capture. Sure I can recognize the face of the gardener if I 'see' it. I can get into the area myself once a week if need be, but would prefer to stay away. So, I will be looking for a DVR with external trigger function. Should be able to find one of those. The main unit [minus trigger unit and camera itself] I can hide reasonably easily in these areas. Burred in a waterproof container with a battery pack is the norm, seen that much done. Cheers again for input.

I understood "motion detection" to be to record as long as there is motion. I figured birds, animals would set this off also, but it would stop recording as soon as they left the "frame". Tree's moving could be an issue [with the wind]. PIR sensors are hard to conceal. An external trigger to start recording would be an easier/safer option [some sort of beam]. I guess a DVR device that had an "external trigger to record" function would be required. This has all been done before, just not by me.

Long distance isnt an option. These things [plots] are concealed by design. How would these [below] work http://www.spytechs.com/xtreme-life/xtremelife-hidden-dvr.htm "With one year of battery life on standby and 20 hours of continuous recording this camera has one of the longest recording times on the market." Wireless was a thought, I have read there are issues with that system. I can conceal wires to the camera easily enough, we a talking a heavy bush area. I would "mount" or hide the DVR device in a waterproof box also with external battery, that part is easy, again forest floor environment. Not that worried about complete night vision as the gardener would most likely prune during the day, or use a lantern at night in any event. I'm confused as to why the battery life would be an problem. I run a Spypoint trailcam in my gateway that has a 9Ah dry cell battery I charge once a year? How is this scenario different? Thanks for advice thus far.