Buckeye X80 networked wireless cameras

Not official Buckeye documentation!

This documentation is intended to supplement the Buckeye X80 user manual, which can be found here.

About the network

Buckeye X80s wireless camera traps, in addition to being able to take pictures in the field and transmit them to a base station via radio, can also receive and relay images taken from other X80 cameras or rebroadcast image data from “Echo” repeaters. This feature allows users to link the cameras together to form a wireless mesh network that can be deployed to cover vast and difficult-to-access terrain without WiFi or cellular service. Each camera/repeater ("node") in the network is solar powered and self-sustaining, so once deployed, maintenance and human intervention is minimal.

The only part of the system that requires an internet connection is the base station; the rest of the communication between cameras and repeaters is accomplished through radio. This allows users to remotely (i.e., from anywhere in the world with an internet connection) access images, adjust camera settings, monitor vegetation overgrowth in the camera’s field of view, and monitor the camera’s status (battery, connection strength, etc.).

Network components

  1. A base station, which consists of:

    • An antenna (e.g. a 64”, 9dBi high gain antenna)

    • CA-400 antenna cable - to connect the antenna to the PC Base Receiver

    • Buckeye X80 PC Base Receiver - receives and decodes the RF frequency into digital images

    • A (preferably) Linux-based field computer to run the Buckeye network management software and animl-base, which uploads images to Animl. We have used a variety of computers in the field before, including Raspberry Pi 4B, Cincoze DA-1000, and OnLogic fanless industrial computers. We have also set up animl-base on Windows computers, but that is less optimal.

    • A weather-proof enclosure to house the field computer and PC Base Receiver. If your enclosure is small and you're in an environment that gets hot, be sure to get a field computer that's rated to withstand and operate at high temperatures (60-70° C).

  1. Camera nodes

    • Buckeye X80 camera (NOTE: we now have two generations of Buckeye X80’s in the field: the newer ones, which you interact with out in the field using bluetooth and mobile phone app, and the older versions, which you interact with via a small LCD screen on the camera itself.)

    • 12v AGM battery

    • Antenna (8” stock dipole antenna, 22” high gain antenna, or 44” high gain antenna)

    • 11.25 W Solar Panel

  2. Repeater nodes (Echos)

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