Attach WIFI game camera to local network?

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lakeside69
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 11, 2020 12:34    Post subject: Attach WIFI game camera to local network? Reply with quote
Hi,

I have a "WIFI" game camera that is meant to be connected directly to my phone, point to point, by running an app on the phone and selecting the game camera as the phone's WIFI router.

Is it possible to set up a wireless router as a client to connect only to the game camera, and have that router bridge to the main LAN in my facility?

The goal is to allow any phone running the app to connect to the game camera.

The networking implications of this are beyond my understanding.

Thanks for the tutoring.
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kernel-panic69
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 11, 2020 16:41    Post subject: Reply with quote
It would help to know what game camera and what router are involved in this scenario, but it seems like it may not necessarily be possible or straightforward. I would personally need to know more details about camera, app, and router.
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lakeside69
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PostPosted: Thu Nov 12, 2020 14:43    Post subject: Reply with quote
The camera is Campark Trail Camera-WiFi
I was hoping to use an old WRT54G as a router/bridge to connect to my LAN. My LAN uses a TPlink WIFI router.
kernel-panic69
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PostPosted: Thu Nov 12, 2020 17:20    Post subject: Reply with quote
There's several model numbers, i.e. T80.

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0073/9229/7030/files/T80_user_manual.pdf?5691

It looks as if the camera acts as an Access Point over wi-fi. You could possibly set up a client bridge with the WRT54, but I'm not sure if the camera has a built in DHCP server or what. This would have to be a trial-and-error thing, it seems to me. Without one of these cameras in hand to tinker with, it would most likely be the blind leading the blind, perhaps...

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lakeside69
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PostPosted: Thu Nov 12, 2020 21:17    Post subject: Reply with quote
Yes, that is the correct model of game camera.

I have not purchased it yet, but I presume it works like an inspection camera that I *do* own. When I connect my phone to the inspection camera's WIFI, the camera provides an IP and gateway address to my phone. Fortunately, the camera uses the 192.168.10.xx subnet and my home lan is on a different subnet: 192.168.0.xx. My phone is a client and the camera is the controller.

If I had a WRT54 router to act as a client for this camera, the WRT54 would then have to perform a network translation, I think it's called, to translate packets to/from the camera and my home LAN. What I don't understand is how, if it's possible, for my phone be on my 192.168.0.xx home LAN network, connected to the internet through my LAN WIFI router and my ISP, and also be able to connect to the camera through my 192.168.0.xx LAN router. The LAN router expects to interact with clients, so the WRT54 router would need to look like a client to the LAN router. The WRT54 would also have to look like a client to the camera.

How could that work?
kernel-panic69
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 13, 2020 1:47    Post subject: Reply with quote
I'll have to take some time to think about this. I don't think you can access the camera from the internet. Dare I ask what the overall goal here is?
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lakeside69
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 13, 2020 14:26    Post subject: Reply with quote
One goal is to extend the range of the camera's built-in 'hot spot'.

The other goal is to interact with the game camera as if it were any other app on the phone. I suppose the way the camera company choose to implement the wifi connection is easier to implement than having the device be a client.

I have security cameras that act as web clients, but the software they use is much more sophisticated. That is my ideal scenario for the game camera.
kernel-panic69
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 13, 2020 20:05    Post subject: Reply with quote
This is going to be kinda tricky, any way you look at it. You could probably connect the WRT54* as a client no problem, it's configuring the LAN side of it to plug into your existing home network and getting the app to connect via another AP that will be the difficult part. You won't be able to forward the game camera to the Internet, most likely. Not knowing what ports are being used by the camera and app would definitely be a key factor. Kinda wish I had all the pieces and parts in hand to come up with a 100% working solution. It will be a trial and error process.

Camera <- WRT54* <-wired ethernet <-TP-Link

The above is the simple picture in my head so far.

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