Power my front porch Cam. Thoughts?

I just remodeled my basement theater. I’m not afraid to cut drywall either. But I like the ability to move things and not have permanent wiring to deal with. Everyone has their own preference.

I had the same mounting case, and opted to make a small cutout for the wire at the bottom of the mounting bracket, and had the hole completely covered by the mounting bracket. Then sealed that hole for the wire, as well as around the mounting bracket with some silicone. the hole is small enough since it just needed to fit the USB-C plug. If the wire is too short to reach an outlet on the inside as well, there are 20’ wire’s on Amazon which work perfectly.

Not a lot of people here seemed to recommend making the wire hole, I’m curious for my own sake why that is? Maybe I’m overlooking something. The bracket for the camera shown already uses 3 screws to attach to the wall, so I don’t think there was a concern around it being too permanent of a solution. I’d always opt in to get the wire into the wall as soon as possible so I have as little exposed wire outside that isn’t really meant to be outdoors.

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malibu lights is low voltage and no permit is needed. Just got this fig a way take 12 vac to 5vdc.

I think any thing below 30v below you don’t need a permit.

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here is one option if you don’t want to mess with line voltage.
Micro USB plug with screw terminals.
https://amzn.to/2GuG9Vx
miniature power supply 110vac to 5 volt DC.
https://amzn.to/37A2tIV
power cord
https://amzn.to/316fnMr
Hookup wire
https://amzn.to/2Rzkwtr
Keep the 5v hook up wire as short as possible, if you need long-distance hookup I also have used 12 to 5 volt regulators next to the camera and supply the regulator from a 12 volt power source.

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Do you have an attached garage with an auto door opener? If so mount your camera higher on the soffit and run the cord into the garage and plug in

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I don’t think the OP has been back since he posted the question. :slightly_smiling_face:

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I have four V2 cams outdoors. The one on my porch is more than 20’ away from an outlet, and would require 40’ of extension cord, so I set it up with solar… like the three V2 cameras I have on my out-buildings/barns.

For my porch, I purchased a 50W solar panel, a 35Ah rechargeable battery (like the ones found in emergency lighting in offices or hospitals), an inexpensive charge controller, and an automotive 12V to 5V USB port. This set-up provides ample power for my V2 cam to work on my porch, and has not lost power in over a year, even during bad weather when we receive little sunlight. On a good day, the battery fully charges in 3-4 hours, and the camera draws little power overnight.

The cameras on the barns are each connected to the solar grid already existing there… which each barn is producing an excess of power… way more than I utilize daily.

These cameras, coupled with door sensors, allow me to keep an eye on my livestock, know when barn/shed doors open (wind or uninvited guests), and I don’t have to have an extension cord running up the wall and around my porch!

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Your WiFi reach that far or you use extenders?

I would like to do virtually the same thing. Thank you for the info.

Yes, I have a mesh wifi, and it reaches to each of the cameras/buildings.

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That sounds like a pretty good setup, just wanted to propose another alternative for when the camera is that far from the outlet:

My whole setup is running on PoE (Power over Ethernet) with a backup UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply) in case of power outages. Very easy to set up PoE, and run long stretches of Ethernet cable upto 325ft runs.

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How names changes. Just had to look up what is a mesh wifi.

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See attached pictures, but we have a similar exterior. We simply bought some PVC pipe the length we needed, a lockable power cover, brackets and screws to attach to siding, and a padlock. We threaded the power cable through the pipe and fastened the pipe to the wall. Installation took less than 30 minutes. We will paint it to match the house when the weather warms up.

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Yep see you I said that’s the cheapest and easiest solution. My wife would just not go for that look on the outside of her house. PERIOD

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I have mine mounted above door on top of rollodan shutter housing.
I drilled hole through wall into house. There is an outlet there. I hide most of the wire behind large mirror on that wall. My camera is out of sun and rain.

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I sort of shake my head when I people pulling wiring for a 115V outlet for “just” a Wyze - when it is so easy to pull a 5V cable to a camera.
Simplest is to just cut a Micro USB cable in two, and fuse the pig tails to each end of a longer cable “in between”. In my case, I just use an existing Cat5 that I pulled in the wall when I have drywall off. If you have long runs and fear voltage drop, use half cable (= 4 conductors) for (+) and (-) respectively.

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I agree with you, just want to emphasize the voltage drop. You should be able to get runs of 20ft no problem, maybe up to 30ft with good cable, but should not be doing this for anything longer than that. If you have a longer run, that’s what PoE is for. All it does is convert the power to high voltage low current, which allows you to have the long runs with (almost) no voltage drop. That being said, I completely agree, don’t run a 115V outdoor outlet 6’ away from the camera you just placed if this is the only reason you might need it.

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A ceiling outlet at the front step will always come in handy. Only I’d be sure to run 14/3 wire to it just so a wall switch could easily be added to one of the sockets later WHEN the need arose. That said, this would work nicely if fed down through that vinyl ceiling.

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The builder of the house did put a ceiling fan box on porch. Make a motion sensor porch light with feed for camera. Controlling turning off water do to wood floor will be little hard but can be done. Do forget alarm house and smoke alarm. By me fig out how Wyze bridge control Alexa. I can do anything cheap.

Yes, my degree is in Electronic Engineering. But I get the greatest pleasure from doing something as simple and cheap as possible. And if I can do it with things I already have laying around, it’s better than sex (almost). lol Plus it lets me justify my massive collection of junk.

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Like many others, I suggest using a lockable outlet cover. You can check them out at your local Home Depot if you have one nearby. They don’t look too bad.

Also I would get a longer cable for the camera so you can get rid of the extension cord. There are many available on amazon that work with the camera. The usb adapter does fit under the outlet cover. Here is a link to the cable I bought.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07928RNPZ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

That’s what I did and it is working well for the last six months.
Good luck