I disconnect my previous alarm.com camera which was hardwired directly into the wire shown in the photo.
How can I wire my pan cam v3 into this wire?
Could I get a female USB to bare wire and connect the bare wire to the wire in the picture and then the male usb provided into that?
I assume because the previous camera was wired right into that wire, the wire must be safe and not dry the camera?
Thanks for any help.
[Mod edit] edited title to reflect correct camera referenced.
You will need to put a multimeter on the wires you have there.
The Wyze Cam PanV3 power cord is a simple 2 wire cord delivering 5Volt @ 1Amp 2Amps from its Power Adapter. So you will need to find which two of the three provides the closed power circuit and make sure it is delivering the proper 5VA 10VA. Most likely white and black.
You will need a male microUSB plug to connect \ splice to those two wires. The male microUSB plug can then be plugged into the pigtail female microUSB on the back of the cam 90° Adapter now being sold separately. Otherwise you will need to cut the cord that came with it and splice into that.
EDIT: I REFERENCED THE WRONG CAM, SORRY. EDITS ABOVE
The pan v3 doesn’t come with a pigtail, just a male usb A to male micro usb with a 90 deg angle.
The pigtail could be purchased, or just use a female USB A (with appropriate waterproofing)
Thanks so much for the reply. Could I simply cut and strip back the power cord that came with the camera and splice that with my bare wires?
You could do that, but it would make future upgrades much more difficult. I recommend purchasing a female usb a cord with a waterproof sleeve (or tape).
Please ensure the power is 5V and at least 1 amp, just because the previous camera worked doesn’t mean it’s 5v. It is likely 12v, which will fry the camera.
Could I simply cut and strip back the power cord that came with the camera and splice that with my bare wires?
Yes. See my edits above. I mistakenly referenced the V3 and not the PanV3. My apologies.
Thanks for the heads up. I was editing as you caught my brain fart. Had V3 on my brain for some reason.
Thanks again. I will get a hold of a multi meter and check.
Good choice. You might also be able to get the power specs from the source of that wire. Whatever was powering that wire may have the power output labeled on it.
I can’t pinpoint where the wire goes but I think it goes directly into my panel because when I shut off breaker 1 which is labelled panel, it turns off the power to that wire. I’m pretty sure it was pre wired into the house when it was built.
What should I be looking for the multimeter to say? 5v or 10va?
You would test the Volts and the Amps (current) seperately…
It needs to be DC 5Volt 2Amp. You would test this on the DC side of the multimeter (solid line over dotted line)
Since it is a pre-wired system, you should be able to go online and get the technical specs of the power unit model hanging on the wall or the specs of the cam to determine the power output\input.
If the output of the box doesn’t match, you should still be able to use the cord by cutting it at the box and splicing in a male USB A plug and plugging it into the Power Adapter that shipped w\ the cam.
Good thinking! Thanks again for the help. That will be my backup plan!
If it is 12v I wonder if there is a 12v to 5v converter type thing.
Like this?
Yes. A Buck Converter would be a solution. 3A wouldn’t hurt it either so that one would do the trick.
When you were talking about splicing in the micro at 1 end and the USB at the other how to I make sure they are all connected correctly? For example hot to hot, neutral to neutral, especially since I would be splicing at both ends.
I don’t believe there are any polarity concerns in the wiring. But I am not 100% sure so I’m not going to swear to it. That is something I would have to test to be sure. I have an adjustable voltage power adapter with a polarity swap that I would need to hook it up to.
When I spliced my PanV3 into an extension, I just picked two wires and connected them since they aren’t color coded in the cord. Either polarity is handled on the cam board or I got really lucky.
Thanks you. You have been very helpful. I appreciate all the answers. I’ve got the day off today so I’m going to give this all a try. Thanks again!
So I got all the wiring figured out today and fired up the camera through the iPhone app.
Another road block. I had 2 issues. First was I could complete the setup process however it would never connect to live view in the app. It kept saying unstable connection, switch to 360p and error 27.
The second problem is after the first I would then hold setup button for 10 secs and clear camera from the app and then sometimes it wouldn’t even complete the setup. It would get stuck on connecting and say it cannot.
I have great internet. It is mesh and 1.5gb speeds.
Could this issue be related to the mesh and the camera not telling the difference between 2.4/5 type thing or would it be something else. Thanks.
So scratch my last. I had a 2nd camera and opened it and took out the power cord (because I cut the other 1 to splice it at both ends) and the uncut 1 worked right away. I got connected. I must have done something wrong with the splicing despite the camera booting up and running through the setup. The question is what did I do wrong though.
