The Setup
A client of mine will soon begin conducting a long-term product test of some of their new products. Its rather unprecedented within their industry and involves fire. Lots of it. Over several months. There are a host of interlocks already built into the test appliance to ensure Very Bad Things don't happen should the test go awry.
The testing facility is outside near a small lab building, about 275 meters from the edge of the main building. There is no existing network link between the two buildings, nor is there a dedicated Internet connection to the lab. About 15m from the lab is a large burn stack. The equipment controlling the supply of fuel to the burn stack is about 3m from the lab. (see attachment)
The Challenge
Setup a video-based monitoring system to watch both the test appliance (outside, where the fire happens) and the appliance's controller (inside, where - assuming all is well - there will not be fire).
We'd like to monitor the burn stack for "over burn" (that is, too much fire) and the supply controls for signs of failure (clouds of vapor, broken pipes, etc). The equipment being tested is designed to be exposed to the elements: snow, rain, direct sun, etc. I need an exterior camera that can handle this. It doesn't need to be really high resolution, but the ability to automatically adjust for varying light levels (daylight, night) is necessary.
Interior monitoring via webcam-quality equipment is probably fine.
The Solution
I'm thinking a wireless link between the main office building and the lab is the most cost-effective connection for now. I'm looking at some uni-directional antennas from Netgear, but I'm not convinced those are the best brand. Additional suggestions for short-range (300m or so) exterior wireless gear are welcome.
I'm running into a wall for the cameras, however, and could really use some suggestions for brands and models.