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Author Topic: Ideas for cheap outside enclosure for DCS-930L  (Read 7771 times)

Notworried

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Ideas for cheap outside enclosure for DCS-930L
« on: May 29, 2014, 06:47:46 PM »

Has anyone made cheap enclosures for outside installation? The camera goes on a stucco wall. It doesn't need to be a full enclosures. Just something that keeps the camera clear of direct rain. I have had two of these cameras under the eaves but otherwise fully exposed with no problems.
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acellier

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Re: Ideas for cheap outside enclosure for DCS-930L
« Reply #1 on: May 29, 2014, 08:11:21 PM »

we have had 2 outside under the eaves for over 2 years (so. Calif)
We recently mounted 2 on a 4x4 post using 24" of 5" square PVC post stock, with a cap on top
   a 1x3 board runs vertically, cameras mounted on top and bottom of a small board mounted at right angles
   post housing fits down over the cameras on their board
   hardest part is figuring out where to make the view holes
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PAFL

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Re: Ideas for cheap outside enclosure for DCS-930L
« Reply #2 on: May 30, 2014, 06:46:35 AM »

I have the DCS-930L on a 11th floor balcony overlooking the Daytona beach.  I put it in a  "Bormioli Rocco Fido Vaso Square Jar"  (do a google search) with a with a snap lid.  The power wire come out as the gasket has enough give.   I have had it out for about 9 month.  The snap lid metal has rusted but the camera works fine.   There is a little blur in the photo as the glass is not pure but it works and if it can handle being on the ocean it can last anywhere and it is cheap!

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Notworried

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Re: Ideas for cheap outside enclosure for DCS-930L
« Reply #3 on: May 30, 2014, 08:38:12 AM »

Where do the pickles go? :)

I like to watch the front door but installation is a challenge. Can't do it from the inside. From the outside, the best place is in the yard somewhere looking directly at the door but as you can imagine it faces multiple challenges, such as power and security. It can easily be taken or tampered with. The only other place that I can think of is on the house itself looking down but the view is limited, hence the enclosure. It is ironic that all these cameras are billed "wireless" but none are. I wonder if a small solar panel works here.
« Last Edit: May 30, 2014, 08:44:39 AM by Notworried »
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acellier

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Re: Ideas for cheap outside enclosure for DCS-930L
« Reply #4 on: May 30, 2014, 10:08:25 AM »

Consider drilling a 1/4" hole in the front door , just like with the old "peephole"
Camera could be covered by a small box on the inside
Power wire horizontal to the wall-wart and extension cord
Wife would probably hate it ... that's why I never went ahead with this plan!!!
  ...
outside, solar panel would need to be on the order of one square foot to provide 1 watt for steady-state
would need a dc-dc inverter delivering 5 volts regulated
or smaller panel if charge a battery, and depend on low duty cycle with motion detect
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Notworried

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Re: Ideas for cheap outside enclosure for DCS-930L
« Reply #5 on: June 02, 2014, 08:53:34 AM »

Alright, this is what I did, or actually didn't. I tried various enclosures but none proved practical. They were either too big or ugly or both. A small flower pot looked promising but it was sticking out too much. I finally "waterproofed" as much of the camera as I could and just left it out there. It went on the wall of the second floor looking down. Getting power to the camera is always a challenge but with the camera sitting just outside the second floor window, that was easily done.   If it doesn't break we will know how far you can push these little cuties.
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BHPD

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Re: Ideas for cheap outside enclosure for DCS-930L
« Reply #6 on: July 15, 2014, 05:02:13 AM »

I made several "poor man's weatherproof enclosures" about a year ago, and they are still working perfectly.  Here's what I did:

I went to Lowe's and bought a cheap, square, halogen single head flood light.  (At the time it was on sale for $10.95)  I removed the bulb, reflector and wiring, in other words, all the "guts."

I placed a DCS-932L inside, after removing the camera's swivel mounting bracket.  As it turns out the 932L was little too small, so I used a small bit of Velcro on the top and bottom of the 932L to keep it from moving around inside the housing.  But once inside, when you close and secure the glass door, it becomes completely weatherproof.

Unfortunately there is no way to get the power plug fed through the light housing arm due to its size, so I cut the white cable in half, fed it up into the light housing, then reconnected the positive and negative wires in correct polarity.  (This procedure is ultimately necessary anyway, because you will need to feed the wire through a hole in the wall of the structure you plan to mount the light housing against, unless you drill a really large hole, which is not recommended.)

One important point -- we all know that the ac adapter power cable is not very long.  Even though you have to cut the cable to run it into the light housing, don't be tempted at that point to extend it, or you will end up with a voltage drop which will be especially noticeable when the IR's turn on at night.  Instead, extend the "A.C." side by using an extension cord.  That will keep the 5Vdc voltage constant.

I wanted to attach a few pics of two DCS-932L's mounted to the side of my backyard shed but I couldn't find an option to add attachments here.  (If anyone wants I can email them to you.)  Despite the fact that they are both inside of aluminum light housings, the signal does not appear to be degraded, as they are both about 30-35' from my house, and they both work just fine.

In my case, the light housings are a dark bronze color and (of course) the 932L's are white, so they are a bit noticeable inside the housing, but I could have either (a) bought white housings, or (b) threw some dark-colored spray paint over the camera body, in which case the 932L's would have "disappeared" inside the light boxes.

Either way, they look like normal outdoor flood lights, and are 100% protected from the elements!
« Last Edit: July 15, 2014, 05:06:51 AM by BHPD »
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JavaLawyer

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Re: Ideas for cheap outside enclosure for DCS-930L
« Reply #7 on: July 15, 2014, 05:47:21 AM »

Thank you for sharing your solution!  ;)

I wanted to attach a few pics of two DCS-932L's mounted to the side of my backyard shed but I couldn't find an option to add attachments here.  (If anyone wants I can email them to you.)

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BHPD

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Re: Ideas for cheap outside enclosure for DCS-930L
« Reply #8 on: July 15, 2014, 08:11:28 PM »

Okay here are the pictures of my "Poor Man's Outdoor Wireless Video Cameras" ........
(There's a camera on each end of the shed, along with a double set of normal floodlights)

http://pho.to/6N0kf
« Last Edit: July 15, 2014, 08:16:04 PM by BHPD »
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Notworried

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Re: Ideas for cheap outside enclosure for DCS-930L
« Reply #9 on: July 16, 2014, 08:09:34 AM »

Great solution. They do sell white flood lights too. Not bad for a shed installation in the backyard but on the house it is a bit too large, imo. I have 3 of them mounted outside with NO enclosures and they have been working fine. Two of them are under the awning but one is fully exposed. I have just taped it up and it has so far survived rain and storms. 
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