Solar panel AND battery for Wyze Cam 3

[Xooter]

I’ve had the outdoor camera for several months and haven’t yet installed it because I don’t want to drill a hole through my composite-material deck to push the power cord through. I’d prefer to run the camera off a solar panel and battery. (My understanding is that the Cam 3 doesn’t have enough battery of its own to operate.) My house faces north. For the most optimal positioning of the panel, it would need it to be located on the opposite side of the house, or roughly 85 feet away from where I want to install the camera. Several people have told me that the Wasserstein solar panel will operate the camera only if it has a full day direct of sun, that a partial day of sun is insufficient.

So . . . does anyone know of a battery/solar panel combo that can work in that scenario? A 60-foot run of white cable from the solar panel battery to the camera? The battery would need to be mounted in a weatherproof box.

I am not a handyman, so the easier the installation the better.

[Antonius]

I think you are confused about the cameras. The WYZE Cam Outdoor is a battery powered camera and it will work with a solar panel. The V3 indoor/Outdoor camera requires power, it has no battery. I think some members on here have used a V3 with a battery pack and various other sources of power.

[LonnieM]

@Xooter

(My understanding is that the Cam 3 doesn’t have enough battery of its own to operate.)

The v3 has no battery whatsoever.

A camera like the v3 that has all the circuitry constantly powered is going to require a far larger battery than the Outdoor Cam in order to last a single full day, much less the possibility of consecutive overcast or rainy days.

It was probably back in the v2 cam days, but elsewhere someone posted that a 10,000mAh power bank supplied 16 hours and a 20,000mAh ~33 hours.

[bryonhu]

I have my driveway cameras v3’s on a Solar panel with a charge controller and a 100 Ah battery connected to 12v to 5v Micro-USB adapters. Works very well for me.

I would not own a Wyze WCO camera as in my opinion they are junk, just look at all the complaints and issues with the Wyze Cam Outdoor units…

[Xooter]

What I have is the Wyze 3 Indoor/Outdoor camera. Is that different from a Wyze standalone outdoor camera? I wasn’t aware a different model was available. And does the Indoor/Outdoor camera have a battery in it? A power cord came with it, so I assumed it needed to be connected continuously to a power source.

EDIT: What I have is the V3 version of the camera, not the one devoted to exclusive outdoor use, which is the one I really needed. Will have to put it on order now.

[Xooter]

I guess I need to take another look at Wyze’s camera offerings. I ordered the one I have some months back, and it was relatively newly available at the time. It was sold, if I remember correctly, as an indoor/outdoor weatherized version of their $25 camera for the interior of a building, which is why I bought it. When the logistics of supplying power to it became more clearly evident, I just put the project on a back burner and dropped the camera in a drawer.

[bryonhu]

Here is my solar setup, I have 2 panels due to lack of sun/hours coverage because of tall trees in forest. Most setups will only need one smaller solar panel.

12 volt to 5 volt Micro-USB regulator adapter <— Click the Link for more info…
Low cost Solar Charge Controllers <— Click the Link for more info…
Gel Cell Batteries - You choose size according to your needs <— Click the Link for more info…
Solar Panels 100 Watt <— Click the Link for more info…

14/2 Low Voltage Landscape Wire for solar/battery to 12v to 5v Micro-USB adapter for camera

The cable I used for Solar panel to control connection
Note that some panels use different type of connectors so verify connect type before ordering, or let me know what panel you ordered so I can suggest correct cable/connector

The ice chest I made into a container for controller and battery can be found at Home Depot, Wal-Mart, etc…

I added a vent for battery gases to escape (if any) and small holes in lowest point for water / moisture to escape (A.K.A. Weep-Holes)

Removed Drain plug on ice chest and put in a twist-tight wire egress for solar panel power cables and cables to cameras.

Most locations may not even need a 100 watt panel, my location needs 2 x 100 watt panels as from November to mid-February I do not get enough sunlight to keep up, as you can see in view of solar controller my usage is currently equal to my charge at 3.9 Amp-Hours per day.

This project is NOT for everybody but some people with the right background it is not that hard to do.

And the advantage is not having to remove the cameras to recharge all the time as with the Wyze Cam Outdoor units. One camera is up a tree 12 feet and needs a ladder to get to.

__________________________________________________________________________________
Here is a link to another of my overly-engineered Wyze cam setups
Battery Backed-Up 14 V3 cams and Internet Communications

[Xooter]

That’s definitely an advanced installation from my perspective! So you . . .

1. Install a solar panel (where did you get yours?),
2. run a cable (does it come with the panel?) from it to the + and - terminals of your battery, and
3. also to the terminals of the battery you connect the regulator.
4. Then you just plug the camera into a line going to your camera.

Did I get that right? How about that 85-foot run from the battery to the camera? Does the distance cause a problem?

[bryonhu]

1. I gave links for most the items in post above including solar panels, they are in blue…

2. Cables vary on connector types that come with panels, I will add those cable links to the post above.

3. Standard Crimp Lugs available at Auto parts stores, Amazon, etc… Will add Links too…

4. I use outdoor Low Voltage Lighting wiring which is UV-Resistant and can be buried, will add link
   The solar system/battery outputs 12 volts and the 12 volt to 5 volt Micro-USB regulator I posted link to above must be used as camera runs on 5 volts ONLY.

There may be a voltage drop on long cable runs but the 12 volt to 5 volt Micro-USB regulator will work with as low as 9 volts on input and still supply 5 volts to camera. I have a camera on an 188 foot run of cable to the 12v to 5v Micro-USB regulator which works fine,

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

There is another way to power without solar also, which I will cut & paste from another post of mine:

You could also consider using “Low Voltage Wiring” and burying the wire from an A.C. power outlet (indoors) power supply to the cameras. Then use a 12 volt to 5 volt micro-USB regulator adapter and install to camera.

The power Supply mounts indoors but the cable to camera can be longer as the 5 volts is regulated at the camera. And Voltage drop due to cable length is not an issue as the regulator will work with as low as 9 volts input.

I have ran over 180 feet of 2 conductor cable to camera with this setup, use low voltage lighting wiring it can be buried, it is weatherproof and UV resistant.

Connect the 12v to 5v micro-USB regulator adapter to cable matching polarity ( +red -black ) along cable where a camera is needed if more than 1 camera just get a 12 volt adapter with more current (Amps) The Adapter regulator is weatherproof except the micro-USB itself but the boot on the V3 takes care of that.

Links below to several power supplies, 1 Amp for 1 camera, 2 Amp for 2 cameras, or 5 amp for 5 cameras,
choose according to your needs. The cable run can have multiple connections for cameras along cable.

12 volt input to 5 volt output micro-USB cable (adapter)

12 volt power supply 1 amp with connector adapter

12 volt power supply 2 amp with connector adapter

12 volt power supply 5 amp with connector adapter

14/2 Low Voltage Landscape Wire - 100 feet

Gardner Bender 25-1W1 Watergard Weatherproof Twist-On Wire Connectors, 22-12 AWG, Small Direct-Buried

This location originally had a V2 in an enclosure, the 12v to 5v adapter has been exposed to rain, snow, and heat of summer for over 3 years. Recently replaced V2 with a V3

Below is an event captured by this camera, note I don’t use IR as I get too many flying bug triggers.

This is a link to my Overly-Engineered Wyze Cam setup…LOL
Battery Backed-Up 14 V3 cams and Internet Communications

[Xooter]

Thank you!

[bryonhu]

Forgot to mention this about one of your questions,

The Solar panels connect to the Solar Controller/Charger

The Solar Controller/Charger connects to the Battery

Any devices you get the 12 volt power from like the adapter to camera connects to the Solar Controller.

Only the Solar Controller connects to the battery, this is to protect battery when it gets to low and disconnect the loads via the solar controller.

Besides clicking the blue links to see the items, you can click the pictures to enlarge, then once in picture click again for even larger…

Sent you a message (DM) if you need additional help, check your messages on this forum…
Click your profile pic in upper right then select the envelope for messages…

Click to enlarger above image, then click again to enlarge more if needed…

[CapeCodTodd]

FYI - I have three WCOs 20 V2s 6V3s and 4 pancams They all work exactly as they’re supposed to…
(None are junk)
I’ve had no problems with any of them…

[CapeCodTodd]

That’s quite a system you’ve got cobbled together there!! Rube Goldberg would be proud!

[mbernier]

Consider yourself very lucky. So far my failure rate is over 50%.

[CapeCodTodd]

Actually I wouldn’t call it lucky… More like an average user experience…
… they’ve sold millions of these products, The failure rate is at less than 1%…

I’ve got literally dozens of various devices, I’ve only had a couple fail…
and those were when I used them outside, and they weren’t supposed to be used outside…

[LonnieM]

Not really, since the point of Rube Goldberg devices were to complicate performing a simple task.

[CapeCodTodd]

That set up doesn’t look very simple to me.

[bryonhu]

Actually very basic electrical knowledge is needed.

If you can change a car battery, change and wire a light switch in your home, run some cable and plug it in to a connector then tighten screws to connect wires.

That is the extent of complexity of this solar setup.

Click to enlarger above image, then click again to enlarge more if needed…

But I am an Electronics Engineer and a IBEW union electrician so this is childs play…

I understand some people can’t change a car battery or a fuse so they go to a auto shop, others enjoy doing their own work.

And as @LonnieM said this is nowhere near a Rube Goldberg machine, but if you like I could design you a more complicated Rube Goldberg device to accomplish the same thing.

[CapeCodTodd]

I didn’t say anything about “knowledge”… The knowledge required is the only thing simple about that.

[CapeCodTodd]

I know everything is personal with aesthetics… but I wouldn’t want all that crap tied to a tree in my backyard…