WiFi bird box cameras provide you with a fantastic new way to get up close and personal with wildlife from the comfort of your home. A chance to observe the nesting habits of wild birds is a blessing for all, from beginner birdwatchers to experienced birders. Installing a wireless bird box camera into a birdhouse and getting it displayed on your mobile, tablet, etc., may seem a little complicated, but even if you’re not extremely tech-savvy, you can still get it up and running in a just few steps. It allows you to watch the live stream from the birdbox via a mobile app. So you’ll be able to see what goes on within the unseen confines of a backyard bird box anytime, even if you’re away from home.
Wireless bird box cameras are undeniably handier, but they might experience connectivity issues every now and then, which might eventually lead to choppy video and flickering playback. And the main obstacles probably include the distance to and from the router, obstructions, interference, etc. Its network performance will decline as the signal travels over a greater distance, penetrates through large furniture, walls, etc. and interferes with the neighbor’s network. Therefore, in today’s blog, we’ll tell you how to effectively extend WiFi coverage for your wireless bird box cameras to achieve smooth live streaming during bird watching.
1. Use a 7dBi Omnidirectional Antenna
To enjoy the best wireless connectivity whether indoor or outdoor, choosing an appropriate WiFi antenna is necessary. A bigger and stronger antenna will usually ensure a reliable WiFi signal. With a high-performance gain of 7dBi, the signal of this omnidirectional antenna can travel further. And it can also send and receive the signal from a 360-degree angle to broadcast WiFi signals in all directions, creating a larger coverage range. Moreover, the 7dBi omnidirectional antenna also offers a huge boost to overall throughput to deliver a faster network speed when streaming your bird box camera online. This WiFi antenna comes with a standard SMA connector with an articulated joint that can be screwed directly onto your wireless bird box cameras. Moreover, by using a custom-made antenna bracket, the antenna can be attached to your birdhouse.
2. Use a WiFi Repeater
Having trouble getting a solid, reliable signal for your wireless bird box camera? To extend the coverage area of your WiFi network, the best possible way is to use a WiFi repeater. As its name replies, the WiFi repeater increases the distance your WiFi signal can travel. It works by receiving a WiFi signal from your existing router, amplifying it and then transmitting the boosted signal to your WiFi bird box camera so as to bridge the gaps between your birdbox camera and router. With a WiFi repeater, you can effectively double the coverage area of your WiFi network and extend the coverage to your garden. In simple words, the WiFi repeater helps you receive a stronger WiFi connection. But not all wireless bird box cameras work compatibly with WiFi repeaters since they don’t work the exact same way as the webcams.
Therefore, to solve this problem, Green Backyard has specially designed a bird box camera bundle to give you a better Internet experience when streaming your bird’s nest.
WiFi Bird Box Camera with Wireless Repeater
Suffer from poor WiFi signal? Here’s your rescue. Working collaboratively with a wireless repeater, this WiFi bird box camera can support the wireless transmission of up to 30-45 meters. Once configured through the app, you can watch the wireless bird box camera remotely on your smartphone, tablet and PC without deploying additional network cables. Protected in a rugged waterproof casing rated IP66, this waterproof WiFi bird box camera can work reliably on rainy days. Thanks to the invisible night vision, the WiFi bird box camera can produce high-quality color images in 3MP during the day and pin-sharp B&W images at night to secure 24/7 continuous recording without disturbing the birds. A highly sensitive microphone is also incorporated to record true-to-life bird sounds, so you can not only see but also hear what’s going on inside the birdhouse in real time. Push message notification is available at every trigger event when the bird box camera detects any activity inside the birdhouse. In addition, both the WiFi bird box camera and the repeater are equipped with a memory card slot where you can insert a memory card for video recording.
How to Connect a WiFi Bird Box Camera to a Wireless Repeater?
Now, follow the instructions below to set up your very own wireless bird box camera system:
1.First, you can need to replace a high-gain WiFi antenna. Remove the original antenna from the WiFi bird box camera and attach the pigtail/extension cable of the 7dBi omnidirectional antenna to the camera’s articulated joint. Install the bracket on one side of the birdhouse, screw the antenna to the base, and remember to keep your bird box camera power off.
2.Finding the right location is a critical step in setting up your wireless repeater. Ideally, you want it close enough to your router to get a stable connection, but far enough away that it will cover a large area that the router doesn’t cover. The best location will be placing your repeater by the window, so your WiFi repeater can enjoy a good line of sight while having minimum obstruction along the way. Then take your WiFi repeater out of its packaging and plug it into a power outlet (DC 5V power).
3.Then, you’ll need to connect the WiFi repeater to your home router. Since the repeater can only work with 2.4Ghz band networks, if you’re using a dual-band router, the first thing is to separate the 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequencies into two different networks. There are basically two methods to connect the WiFi repeater to your router:
- a. connect them with an Ethernet cable if there’s an obstacle in between: simply take a short patch cord, connect one end to the Ethernet port on the WiFi repeater and connect the other end to one of the network ports on the router.
- b. connect them wirelessly via the app: 1) Go to your smartphone’s WiFi settings and make sure it’s connected to the router the repeater is about to connect; 2) open the iCSee app and go to the local settings, click the “+” button to select the model you are setting up and choose the VIOT station; 3) choose the wireless connection, enter the details of the router that you want the wireless repeater to connect to, and tap “Confirm”; 4) then it should automatically begin connecting to the repeater; 5) next, you’ll see an interface asking you to set a new password for the repeater. To skip this step, you must close and reopen the app. Then go to the local config. where you can see the local hotspot has been added to the app, which means the repeater is successfully connected to your router.
4.And the last step is to connect the bird box camera to the WiFi repeater. Power up the WiFi bird box camera with the mains, press the “Pair” button (the one next to the memory card slot), hold it for three seconds to arouse the repeater, and then the WiFi repeater will start searching for the bird box camera. After a minute or so, it should have found the camera and added it to the app on the first channel. Go the Channel One, and then you can watch the live video streaming from the bird box camera.
5.For local recording, you can insert an SD card into the memory card slot of the repeater, and open your app to watch recorded videos on your smartphone.
Moreover, if you’re looking for a bird box camera for long-distance applications, we’ll highly recommend Long Range Wireless Outdoor IP Bird Box Camera, which supports a wireless transmission range of up to 200 meters. For more info, please subscribe to our newsletter for the latest product updates and special discounts!
