Solar Powered WiFi security camera.  - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: onesixright
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 08, 2019, 04:59:39 pm
content: Hi all!I’m planning to install a few security cameras in my garden. Problem is there is no power. And don’t feel putting power-lines in the ground.Any change I could install a small solar panel that would charge a few batteries and that could power 24/7 the camera? The camera will be mounted on a rock-wall and since this on the edge of a forest the panel needs to be positioned separate. Good thing is it’s one the south side.Anybody that got some experience with this? What would be the best approach?Or a silly idea?Thanks!

author: soldar
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 08, 2019, 09:06:37 pm
content: There's no reason it couldn't be done but be aware that if you can get wired power out there it will be simpler and require less maintenance.I have some experience with security cameras and they can give a lot of problems.Are you intending to use wifi to send the signal to the house? Because wifi is the easiest to disrupt.Will the cameras be accessible to possible bad guys?You want to see the grounds or the house as seen from outside?At any rate, you can easily measure camera consumption and design a battery-solar system to power it. Should not be a problem.

author: grifftech
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 09, 2019, 07:06:23 pm
content: netgear arlo

author: thm_w
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 09, 2019, 10:41:10 pm
content: Its not going to be a super small solar panel if you want 24/7 power and IR night vision. But definitely possible. A good camera (hikvision), will be ~3W plus 2W for IR LEDs. So perhaps a 20W solar panel could handle that, depending on how much sun you get. Wifi tends to be unreliable, so if you spend a bit more for a camera with onboard SD slot that would essentially eliminate those issues.Arlo looks interesting, its claiming 4 month life from 5Ah 3V. So 1.4uW average consumption? Maybe if it doesn't trigger that often.Dirt cheap option, which I wouldn't recommend but throwing out there for fun:https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32958807758.html

author: soldar
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 10, 2019, 07:35:44 am
content: A lot of questions remain. Where will the cameras be located? Outdoors? Will the camera and solar panels and batteries be hidden from view or on top of a post clearly visible? Because you might not want something as obtrusive in plain view. The solar panels need sun so cannot be easily hidden.How far from the main building? While you can store locally at the camera I think you would want to have direct communication from the house. How will this be done? Wifi can be unreliable and is easily jammed.Depending of situation and distance you might want to consider wiring. It will be more robust, more reliable and give less trouble.

author: ogden
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 10, 2019, 09:08:41 am
content: Quote from: soldar on May 10, 2019, 07:35:44 amWinter operation for example. I would rather dig around my garden, also use PoE Ethernet instead of WiFi.

author: onesixright
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 10, 2019, 09:12:10 am
content: Hi All, thanks fo the answers!To answer the questions.1. It will be facing towards the house outdoor. My guess it's ~ 20 meters from the house.2. It's basically for catching some wild life movement. We have some daily visits from foxes, deers, marters and what not, that come use our garden as a super-market.All good of course, but we simply try to figure out the route(s) they take.3. I'm aware the that for 'security' wifi is not a great option. We are doing a rebuild and will have camera's wired around (so that will be solved).4. For the moment I'm just looking for a quick and easy solution. After the rebuild we will turn our attention to the garden and It will be easier to get some wires in the ground.5. I added a picture of the wall that the camera should be placed on ... Considering a good angle downwards, my guess it will be placed 5-8 meters high on that wall.For those that like some video (182 Mb so I attached a link)😀https://my.pcloud.com/publink/show?code=XZwb6U7ZtXfYBa6Rpa7lYzRwe25djRbqD4Tk

author: Kalvin
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 10, 2019, 09:14:10 am
content: You could probably use 12V or similar safe, double insulated, voltage and place those into the ground. Just add fuses to the house-side of the power supply lines in the case someone puts a shovel through the lines.

author: soldar
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 10, 2019, 09:30:41 am
content: If it is temporary and quick and easy I would suggest putting the wires up on posts or catenary. You can put a wire or rope catenary and then wrap the wires around it so the whole thing is self-supporting.Another consideration is that, no matter what you do, you will later want to introduce chages so you want some flexibility. Maybe you want to move the cameras or change them around. By putting everything up temporarily you can tweak the system until it is to your liking and then you can do a more permanent installation.

author: OwO
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 10, 2019, 10:19:45 am
content: I would go with a ESP32 based camera that connects to wifi, using the OV2640 camera sensor. There is existing example code of interfacing the OV2640 to the ESP32. Total power consumption should be around 1W average.

author: soldar
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 11, 2019, 12:08:25 pm
content: If you just want to capture wildlife activity another option would be to install a motion-activated camera with memory card and batteries you can retrieve and replace.That is what this guy doeshttps://www.youtube.com/user/historichunter/videos