I have frigate working with some cameras pointing away from my house. I was thinking about putting a few in trees around the property that would look back on my house. Other than the obvious wiring challenges and burning the wires, do I need to factor in anything else? Is it overkill to hardwire cameras in this way? I have separate cameras through Wyze and solar panels that provide okay coverage, but they’re not integrated into HA and also require a cloud subscription, both of which I don’t like.
Maybe consider POE Camera, i would, and best/most stable approach is always “What can be Wired should be Wired”
PS: A dedicated POE capable Switch would be needed ofcause
I have a couple of Amcrest 4K PoE, IP67 cameras (IP8M-2496EW-V2) with audio. They have been working flawlessly for over a year. Does H.264, H.265, and RTSP
Just remember that trees tend to grow, so cabling have to take that into account.
Trees are also quite flexible in the wind, even if they have big trunks.
Trees also have a tendency to adapt to capture most sun light, so keeping a open line of sight might be an constant ongoing project.
True, but have you seen i.e an oak 80-100cm in diameter, 15-20M height, 3-4 meter up to lowest leaf, i can assure you, you need quite some wind to “rock” the foundation, and a long strong bolt at 3-4meters height, doesn’t move up much, or get “covered” for Ages (the top and branches however, grow in another speed)
You will be surprised how much a trunk of such a tree actually moves when the wind catches the top, which will shake the camera and make blurry images.
Of course an expensive camera with auto focus and stabilization technology can help, but those are not the normal security cameras.
I’ve definitely gotten spoiled/frustrated with the standalone cameras, which is why I’m thinking of wiring them so I have the videos recorded in frigate. All the other outward pointing cameras are PoE, and I can add at least 4 more without worrying much about the power consumption. I really like the idea of having eyes on the front of the house - you never know when those cameras will catch something unexpected!
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I’ve been thinking about the same, have 2 huge oaks(as above) in 2 “corners” of the property, so they could cover the house, one south-east and north-east sides, and another north-vest and south-vest sides.