Cheap CCTV camera for loft installation

[FozzieBear]

We have just started hearing scurrying and scratching in our loft but cannot find any evidence of rodents or birds. Before we get a pest controller in I would like to install a cheap CCTV camera to see if we can identify our visitors.
I was hoping if I got an IP camera that I could view the camera feed real time on an iPad. The noise is normally early hours in morning and directly above our bedroom and an iPad is most convenient way of viewing.
I have seen these on eBay which are reasonably cheap and could be relocated to outside the building after we have located and dealt with the "visitors".
I have good wi-fi coverage around the house with multiple Wi-fi access points. The loft in question also contains my network switch so I could connect directly by Cat 5 cable to the camera.
Do I need anything else other than the camera and an App for the iPad. This model seems to come with some Windows software and mentions remote monitoring on a device.
Longer term I would probably like to record direct to a NAS device.
Fozzie

 

[secureiam]

I suspect rodents not uncommon coming in from the cold.

a cheap camera with adequate lighting in the area you are viewing to get the best video, you need somewhere for the footage tobe stored to view back later, as they can move fast and by the time you view them on the live camera they may well be out of sight.

 

[JohnD]

I wonder what a tub of rat poison would cost, compared to a CCTV system.

If the baits get eaten you know have pests, so you top them up until they stay full.

 

[FozzieBear]

I suspect rodents not uncommon coming in from the cold.

a cheap camera with adequate lighting in the area you are viewing to get the best video, you need somewhere for the footage tobe stored to view back later, as they can move fast and by the time you view them on the live camera they may well be out of sight.

Are the ones in the link ok for general use? I was going to build a linux box with zone minder or similar for longer term system and thought these might work ok with this?
Fozzie

 

[FozzieBear]

I wonder what a tub of rat poison would cost, compared to a CCTV system.

If the baits get eaten you know have pests, so you top them up until they stay full.

Agreed but not sure if it's mice squirrels or birds. I want to build a small system with two or three cameras anyway so wanted to use a suitable camera for outside monitoring of back of bungalow.
Fozzie

 

[CChris]

I wonder what a tub of rat poison would cost, compared to a CCTV system.

If the baits get eaten you know have pests, so you top them up until they stay full.

I wouldn't do poison. Bits of Mars bar and a few traps would be my suggestion.

If you use poison, they will eat it and then run off int a dark quiet corner to die. You are then going to spend a fair few quid tracking down the decomposing body of mice/rats when it starts to smell.

 

[FozzieBear]

I wonder what a tub of rat poison would cost, compared to a CCTV system.

If the baits get eaten you know have pests, so you top them up until they stay full.

I wouldn't do poison. Bits of Mars bar and a few traps would be my suggestion.

If you use poison, they will eat it and then run off int a dark quiet corner to die. You are then going to spend a fair few quid tracking down the decomposing body of mice/rats when it starts to smell.

That was exactly my feeling. The loft is largely boarded up and I dont want to have to strip out all the floor to find the corpse.

coincidentally I did a job for a pest controller yesterday. Ironically sorting out his CCTV which had stopped displaying on his MAC. After lots of configuration changes and checks I finally tracked it down to his very helpful son who had plugged both ends of a cat 5 cable into the network switch resulting and an infinite loop and making the DVR was unreachable to pings or the software!!!
Anyway he seemed to think if I can hear scurrying its not mice. Its more likely to ba a rat or probably a squirrel.
I quite like the look of the IP camera on eBay but need to check if they are Power over Ethernet compatible to avoid running power to them. Otherwise I will have to get some POE injectors.
Fozzie

 

[Wonderlands]

Fozzie, if considering wireless cams, bear in mind that they still need power, and therefore still wires.
Wireless is OK as long as your bandwidth is powerful enough. IP security cam requires network bandwidth to transmit and store images, video and data. The higher the resolution of your camera, the greater your bandwidth requirements.