Adding WiFi and a camera to your barn in less than an hour!

A few weeks ago I got it in my head that I needed a camera in our barn. It seemed like a fun thing to be able to pull it up and check on the llamas while I was away. While researching barn cameras, they all required internet access to be able to see a live view. This led me down a rabbit trail of how to get internet from the house to the barn. Luckily, I found an option to easily get WiFi in the barn and a barn camera setup with a process that took under an hour and costs less than $200!

​The most highly recommended option to get internet to the barn was to dig a trench and hard wire it. I also read about WiFi bridges, but these also seemed complex and difficult to setup. With modern technology, I was convinced there had to be an easier way. That's when I found PowerLINE WiFi by Netgear. This model is the one we ended up purchasing, however there are many more available on Amazon now then when we bought ours, check out all of these options and see if one might work better for you, note that not all of them have WiFi. 
Powerline adaptors send the internet signal through your existing electrical wiring! One unit, the Powerline adapter, plugs into a wall outlet in your home and connects to your existing router or modem with an ethernet cable. The other unit, the Powerline WiFi access point, is plugged into an outlet in the barn (or shop, or garage; wherever you want WiFi that it doesn't currently reach). The WiFi access point comes with a network name and password, so it will be separate from your current network in your house. The network name and password can be changed if you'd like. 
When I was reading about this I had my doubts, it seemed too good to be true. I ordered it anyway and figured I could return it if it didn't work for me. To my surprise, the PowerLINE WiFi system worked! An added bonus was it took less than ten minutes to set it up and start using it. We have used the WiFi in the barn many times since, and it has worked great. If you read the reviews it doesn't work for everyone (though it does seem to work for most), so I would recommend buying this somewhere like Amazon where you can easily return it. 
It would also be advisable to check out www.speedtest.net to make sure you have the bandwidth to run a camera, 2 mbps   seems to be the minimum. Our barn WiFi (30mbps) is a little over half the strength of our house WiFi (50mbps). 

Now that our barn WiFi was up and running I researched cameras that I could install in the barn. The main features I was looking for in a camera were exterior grade, high quality image, good battery life, and good night vision. 
There are several different cameras, and if you use an existing system like Blink or Ring that may be the best option for you for consistency. We have a Ring Doorbell, so one option I considered was the Ring Stick-Up Cam, but the battery needs to be recharged every few weeks. It does have night vision, but I have heard that Blink's night vision is better. The biggest positive to the Ring option is that you can use a battery operated option, without monopolizing one of your electrical outlets. 
The Blink Security Camera was recommended from a few people on The Llama Group, and from what I read it had amazing battery life (up to two years!) and great night vision. At the time I purchased, Blink didn't require a monthly or annual subscription to save the videos like Ring did, however it appears they now require a monthly fee to save the videos. If you just want a live view there is no monthly cost for either one. 
The one disappointment I had with the Blink camera, is even though the camera itself is battery operated it does have a small unit that plugs into a wall outlet. This needs to be within 100 feet of the camera.  In our barn we don't have a lot of wall outlets, so it may be on the future project list to add a few more.
I setup the Blink Security Camera, and it was very easy to use. The app is installed on a smartphone, live view is easy to access, and the picture quality is good. It allows you to zoom in on different areas, which we can not do with our Ring doorbell. We moved it around the barn and picked our favorite viewpoint, which, for us, included a good view of the creep feeder that also functions as a stall when needed.
It has a microphone and a speaker. It could be used like an intercom system, or you can use it to talk to your llamas! We have had a lot of fun watching them react.
Another bonus is Blink has add-on cameras to capture different views, and we ended up buying one a few months later and set it up just outside the barn for an outdoor view.
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I hope this post is helpful, if you have any questions drop them in the comments and I'll do my best to help!

*This post was originally published on 9/6/2020. I reviewed and updated it as we learned more about our setup and republished on 3/5/2022.
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