For quite a few years I've been using low cost wired cameras to monitor hidden staging trackage at the east and west ends of my railroad. The video feeds combined with occupancy detection LED's on the control panels have been well received by our operating crews. The latest addition to the railroad is a Huntingdon and Broad Top Mountain RR connection with the PRR Middle Division. My very abbreviated H&BT is stub ended with 3 hidden staging tracks and a turntable. As some "off stage" moves are not visible from the operating aisle I've begun to investigate today's video monitoring technology to support H&BT operations. It appears there are several low cost WiFi IP systems on the market (sold for home security/baby monitoring) that could be adopted for monitoring sections of a model railroad. I'm thinking of 2-3 low light camera's feeding an old Ipad. I'd want selectable camera views covering the yard ladder (and uncoupling magnets), the turntable (AtlasO), and the end of track limits. I'd appreciate hearing from folks that have had experience with using IP cameras and their thoughts about using them for this application.
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