Standalone Solar Powered Mailbox

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GBV9WG9/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_.VUtEbG6MAGRN

for example :
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GBV9WG9/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_.VUtEbG6MAGRN

Tried it. Solar panel not powerful enough to keep it powered constantly.

cool…Thanks

Sorry it didn’t work out. I was sure the panel would not keep up with the camera’s power draw. You could buy a smaller (than my design) panel/battery/controller to keep it humming along on a daily basis. I oversized mine to provide a few days of extra power for stormy days etc. If you get regular sun each day you could plan for a day and a half and reduce the cost and size a bit…

2020 update… All is well, battery is still somewhat healthy and the camera is still intact after 1 1/2 years.
One of my .5 watt LED lights burnt out however and I’ll be replacing as soon as my Amazon order arrived…

The LED was the last thing I thought that I would have to replace first. Go figure!

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Great timing. I sent someone a link to this thread today.

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I got notified of your post. That’s why I provided an update. It wasn’t sheer coincidence, although that would have been pretty cool. I am also about 90% complete with my solar pergola project which also integrates several Wyze cams. It’s a substantially larger project and took a long time to complete (due to competing priorities such as replacement of central AC and several large home appliances), but is/will be worth it in the long run. Look for a new thread soon if you’re interested! Spoiler alert, ~500 watts solar, 12v LifePo4 100AH battery, multiple 12v motion detector floodlights, multiple .5w LED lights, multiple 5 Watt landscape lights, 12v Exhaust fans for the BBQ Grill, and of course, multiple Wyze cams.

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Tere is Outdoor Battery operated Wyze Cam for $49 available to preorder now.

Oh, that’s right. I grabbed the link from your original post rather than just using the URL.

Do you happen to have a pic of your setup?

Scroll up to posts 1, 11, 12 & 15.

I love it, I have a small workshop and am trying to learn woodworking. How much more solar panel would be needed to have 4 cameras? One fore each side view of road traffic, one to show house/driveway, and one set to snap an image any time the mailbox door is opened? I would love your plans for this but worry as I know nothing of electrical wiring. Is everything handled in the Wyze app?

Great design. Hey, please post your pergola design when you’re done. I was thinking about something like that but I am not an engineer.

Will do, I’ll post something weekend…

Sorry I didn’t reply sooner, I didn’t know I had a reply…For an update, I have a solar charge controller that has two usb ports that run directly off the battery. I had been powering the three Wyse Cam V2’s for 24 hours for several months, without issue, but when winter months came around, battery was dropping too low and charge controller was cutting power, so I disconnected 2 cams and was able to power 1 through winter, it is one that has lower traffic compared to the others. When daylight hours became longer, I plugged other two in, but after a few weeks, my battery was draining again. It will still power the 1 cam with the summer sun, but the battery is over 3 years old (it was 2 years old when I first started this project), so I think it’s useful time is up. A new battery has just arrived, and I have another cam v2 in that area, so once installed I will be plugging 4 cams back in and will be interested to see how long it will go starting with a fresh battery. I’ve also installed another 100 watt panel on the roof on a separate circuit, for doing device recharging, so there will be less use on the cam battery.

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Sorry, I have been absent for a while. I made some modifications to my mailbox (added an additional cam and changed charger/battery to LifePo4). I also have completed 2 additional projects in my backyard. Two solar pergolas powering several wyze cams. One houses my BBQ Grill and the other is for relaxing at night or drying off from the pool. Ill put up photos tomorrow night and or this weekend with details.

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So, here is my mailbox update… My WyzeCam died after nearly two years of punishment in FL weather. Pretty admirable considering it was not designed to be used outside. I had originally designed the solar electrical system to power a single camera with an AGM battery. When the camera died, I decided to upgrade the battery to LifePo4 to get nearly double the useable capacity. I had to change my charge controller to accommodate the new battery as well. Since I doubled my capacity, I decided to add an additional camera so I can see both directions up and down my street now. I also moved the cameras from the front to the back so it looks a bit better from the street view.

I am testing now to determine if I have enough capacity for a day or two of bad weather, etc. If not, I am contemplating surrounding it with a plant bed and integrating two additional ground mounted 25 watt panels hidden somewhat by small plants, etc… This will allow for a quicker charge/recovery time when I have bad weather for a few days. I just installed the new battery, etc. last night so i still have some wire routing from the cameras to clean up and I’m going to put a slat over them to protect them from the harsh FL

sun and rain.

It has been an experience and I have loved the capability to use the camera at street level. My neighbor even asked me to turn it on his house when he had a roof installed. I time lapsed a video for him so he could see the progress when he was working. As I continue to upgrade, Ill post here in case anyone is interested or has questions.

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As promised, here are the details of my new standalone solar powered WyzeCam Projects: These were obviously a LOT more ambitious. But well worth it for the functionalist and being able to power WyzeCams, all of my landscape lighting, floodlights, and have AC power available in the backyard to run fans, tools, TVs, etc. As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to ask.

After building and posting about my solar powered WyzeCam mailbox, I decided to take on a few additional challenges to incorporate cameras into my yard without the need for conventional AC power. I decided to build two solar covered/powered pergolas. The first would cover my prized Weber BBQ grill, vent any smoke, power landscape and motion sensor lights, and (of course) power two WyzeCams covering the grill itself and the pool area. They were lengthy projects for sure, but now I can see if my steaks are burning, the kids are misbehaving in the pool, or my neighbor is dumping extra pool water into my lawn and killing my grass. First are the specs and photos of the BBQ Pergola. Below them will be the specs and photos of the Sitting Pergola. If anyone has any questions regarding parts, etc., please let me know. I’m here to help if I can.

BBQ Pergola
500 Watts Solar, 100 Amp Hour LifePo4 Battery, 1000 Watt pure sine Inverter (in case I want to run something on AC in my backyard), 2 x 12" 12v radiator fans to vent smoke, 2 x 12v motion detector floodlights, powers 8 x 5 watt landscape lights and 10x 12 watt deck lights. Of course, I have two WyzeCam v2 to watch everything.

2CAA8E5E1645_1611848479318

Sitting Pergola
315 Watt Solar System, 100Amp Hour LifePo4 Battery, Multiple 1/2 Watt Deck Lights, Several 5 Watt 12v Landscape Lights, 12v Accessory Port (to charge phones and Bluetooth speakers), and one WyzeCam v2 to keep my neighbor in check :slight_smile: BTW, the camera view is down the side of my house and does not peer into the neighbors yard. I am not invading anyone’s personal space/privacy, just protecting mine.

PXL_20210128_023731595

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The neighbor sounds interesting. :laughing:

That’s another great setup, two actually.
I like the little cubby for the yard camera. (last pic)

I need something like this for our camp. It’s off-grid.
We currently use large automotive batteries (because they are free) and a generator. I want to be able to go in the winter without carrying in a generator and gas.
The camp is wired and plumbed like an RV. All lights are 12v.
I’ll be stealing some of your ideas.

Thanks for posting.