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Old 06-08-2018, 10:45 AM   #1
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Interior Temperature/Camera Monitoring

Does anyone have a good way to monitor the interiro temperature of your motorhome? We would really like to just be able to monitor with a camera, ie. an Arlo or Lorex. We have both of these but can't seem to get them to work with a MiFi (hot spot). Does anyone have a suggestion other than spending $200+
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Old 06-15-2018, 10:30 AM   #2
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I'm curious, Ward... What's the objective? If it's - you in the house and the coach outside, a simple, remote Indoor/Outdoor thermometer where 'outdoor' is inside the coach. If you are in Minn and the coach is in FL ..'still, what can you do?

Up here, I use interior heat shields and typically the interior air is close to ambient in the middle of the day. It's 12:24 and the door to the coach has been open for about 3 hours. Using a pistol IR thermometer the seating measures 84f (29c) and the outside air is 80f. (26c)

I saw an 'All Black' MH this morning headed S. on Rt 13 ...I suspect he falls into the — 'Kicking a snake' — category.

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Old 06-16-2018, 02:25 PM   #3
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We have a dog and a cat that will travel with us. We want to be able to not only see them via a camera, we also want to be able to monitor the interior temperature of the coach. If we are set up and go off and leave them for a couple of hours, we want to make sure that the interior stays cool/warm (mostly cool)enough for them. We live in Florida and we know that the interior temperature could climb to unlivable temperatures if the A/C or power should fail in the motorhome.
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Old 06-16-2018, 08:06 PM   #4
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In any method it is not going to be cheap.
Most likely you will need WiFi/MiFi connecticity. Then you could add a WiFi thermostat. You could then add a WiFi camera, like D-Link.

Or, if you have a generator you could add the Auto-Start EC-30 command center to automatically start you generator if the batter voltage drops to a set voltage, there is a demand on the AC thermostat, or if power is lost - all three conditions can be set up on the EC-30.

We lost power during a storm. It was a short 3 or 4 minute power outage but the generator kicked on, AC's stayed running and 10 minutes later the generator kicked off and the line power was on. Worked flawlessly.
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Old 06-17-2018, 12:13 PM   #5
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Ward... I understand. It's a cloudless low-90s here today with little wind. I hesitate to take the dog to the beach in these conditions; I figure if my feet are burning on the sand (forget blacktop!) it cannot be a very pleasant experience for him.

...then, let's say; 'this coach is home' under the same circumstances. Wayne's idea of an automated system seems the only practical solution. I'm new to this, but I'm surprised more people haven't piped in saying they all have such a system?

Jim
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Old 06-17-2018, 12:33 PM   #6
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What we have figured out to do is this. We bought a wireless camera, hooked it to a "MiFi", then set it up at the front of the coach (so we can see basically straight through to the rear), then we bought the biggest outdoor thermometer that we could find with a needle that is NOT red (can't see red on a black and white camera), we found one at Target that had a blue needle. Now we can see if the dog is barking and making a nuisance of himself AND we can see if the interior temp is ok for both the dog and the cat.
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Old 06-17-2018, 12:38 PM   #7
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Ward... Here's a very topical 1min video on Wayne's gizmo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=LmubMwEY_A4

(I'm going to get one. My wife would stroke out having to come back to a pizza oven.)

Jim
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Old 06-17-2018, 12:56 PM   #8
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Here's some of the small type they were not able to fit into the 1min. video. From Cummins directly...

"Energy Command 30 (EC-30) is a very affordable option if you're purchasing a new RV, but it gets more expensive if you wish to add it to your existing vehicle. Connecting all the features of the EC-30 requires running wires from the air conditioner, transfer switch, house batteries, chassis batteries, safety input and generator back to the location of the control. Depending on the specific design of your RV and which features you wish to connect, it will take a technician 8 full hours to properly install an EC-30. If you're looking to purchase an EC-30 for your existing RV, have the dealer quote on installation as well so you know the full cost of adding this feature. Cummins Onan engineers do not recommend RV owners to attempt to install the EC-30 on their own as it requires knowledge of electrical codes to safely and correctly install all the wires."

Jim
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Old 06-17-2018, 01:23 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TBWard View Post
What we have figured out to do is this. We bought a wireless camera, hooked it to a "MiFi", then set it up at the front of the coach (so we can see basically straight through to the rear)....
how much data does that chew up in an hour? got to be a lot for those of us not on an unlimited plan.

another idea might be to use an Apple cell phone and start a FaceTime call to a second cellphone. there is no data usage for a FaceTime call.the downside is that the second phone must stay connected to the call.
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Old 06-17-2018, 07:59 PM   #10
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We did something similar. We use a Canary security camera, which also monitors temperature and humidity. We connect through an AT&T Night Hawk Hotspot. We use it for when we have the unit in storage, but also when camping when we leave the dog in the motorhome. It doesn’t use much data when it’s just monitoring. It gives us peace of mind that it will contact us if an intruder (a person as opposed to a dog) is detected or if the temperature goes above the limit we set. It does use data if streaming to us, but we keep that to a minimum. So far, it has been a great addition to the RV.
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Old 06-17-2018, 08:15 PM   #11
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Originally Posted by macnut View Post
We did something similar. We use a Canary security camera, which also monitors temperature and humidity. We connect through an AT&T Night Hawk Hotspot. We use it for when we have the unit in storage, but also when camping when we leave the dog in the motorhome. It doesn’t use much data when it’s just monitoring. It gives us peace of mind that it will contact us if an intruder (a person as opposed to a dog) is detected or if the temperature goes above the limit we set. It does use data if streaming to us, but we keep that to a minimum. So far, it has been a great addition to the RV.
which Canary model do you have?
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Old 06-20-2018, 04:25 PM   #12
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I use the RV Nimble Wireless system. It only monitors the temperature--no camera. It texts you when the electricity goes off and when the temperature goes out of bounds. It uses 4g cell signal. It costs $159.00 plus $15 a month for the text/email messaging. I also live in Florida. While I was travelling to the Atlantic side this weekend, I had the generator on to power my AC. (Dash air not working.) My AC could not keep up with the heat being thrown by my engine and the generator simultaneously. It was 92 inside. (Old Winnie). Luckily it was cooler with the windows open but it is a constant worry if you have dogs with you. I left the dogs alone at the site for an hour and kept track of the temp remotely using the app (included).
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Old 06-20-2018, 04:59 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Wetstuff View Post
Ward... I understand. It's a cloudless low-90s here today with little wind. I hesitate to take the dog to the beach in these conditions; I figure if my feet are burning on the sand (forget blacktop!) it cannot be a very pleasant experience for him.

...then, let's say; 'this coach is home' under the same circumstances. Wayne's idea of an automated system seems the only practical solution. I'm new to this, but I'm surprised more people haven't piped in saying they all have such a system?

Jim

Jim, I am a bit confused also. Ward is right on the money with his explanation.


Being fulltimers we often run into situations where we need to rely upon the auto start feature of the generator. Just yesterday I helped my son move a aerial feed to the out building. My coach receives power on that feed. We were on generator for several hours. When the power came back on the the service panel in the out building so did my 50A service to the coach. When the generator was finished with what it was doing it shut down and the commercial power kicked in.



I was just looking over the owners manual for your coach. If you have a generator option on board it looks as if it is manual start only. This is a bummer in your situation.


IMO the Vista is a great weekend campers coach with no pets left behind. I can't see a good way to keep your pets safe from overheating in the event of a loss of power.


When we buy these things we don't always know what to look for. There are so many options, styles, classes and features. Which ones are best for the buyer? Only lots of questions asked on forums such as this one will prepare the potential buyer for the experience of a lifetime the first time out the gate.


I wish I could be of more encouragement.


Happy trails,
Rick
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Old 06-20-2018, 06:41 PM   #14
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WiFi thermostat. Ecobee Si runs on 12 volts. I monitor mine via the mifi. If the rig were plugged in then I could start the air conditioning.
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Old 06-20-2018, 06:49 PM   #15
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WYZE Camera.....Incredible

We have 4 of these in our home and business and all I can say is they are INCREDIBLE.

To much to tell about them, just check out there web site. I will say one thing, $29.99 for a color 1080 HD camera with pan & tilt w/8x zoom & nite vision...unheard of !

Wyzecam.com
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Old 06-20-2018, 07:10 PM   #16
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Smile Camera and Temp Monitoring in RV

We had a similar issue. We have a dog and I was concerned about leaving him in the RV when the temps outside were high should anything happen to power to the rv and in particular AC. We purchased a Home Minder from the Tire Minder company. We have their tire minder system and have found them very helpful when we had issues, questions etc.

The home minder has the ability to monitor live camera feeds, and to set alerts for both high and low temps. You are able to see the temp anytime but if you set a specific alert if will send the alert to your cell phone (I phone or Android). Since the wifi in many parks is poor I've used the hot spot on one of our phones and monitored the camera and temp on the other phone. It takes a little while to set up the first time but is easy to reconnect the next time, plus you can call and they will walk you through the set up in necessary. If the park has good wifi you don't need to use the hot spot on a phone.

I purchased through amazon, the price was low $200's but for us was well worth the cost to ensure the safety of our dog. The camera feature also allows you to set up an alert for movement at your option. We've used it a few times now and absolutely love it.
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Old 06-21-2018, 09:02 AM   #17
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Check out Marcell.
https://www.sensoredlife.com/#/

It monitors power, temp and humidity. Calls you when parameters are out of range.
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