Ceiling mounted water resistant security camera?

[David]

I've nearly completed the slow and painful re-cabling of the 3rd bedroom/ office.

13 Amp laid, and about to be connected into the ring.

Ethernet run through the joists to the far side of the room.

Just remembered that the TV booster hub is in the airing cupboard next to this room, and ran co-ax through the joists and terminated in an F- connector next to the Ethernet jack. All tested and working.

All that remains is to put the insulation in and then the floor back down; or is it?

The last 18" or so of the room overhangs an open porch. The porch has a light in the centre but plenty of real estate in the plasterboard ceiling.

I've been trying to think of anything else I should put under the floor before I close it all up again and I thought of a security camera.

Looking straight down it should see all visitors coming to the front door.

It will be close to the location of the PCs so I could use USB, etherenet, or other cabling (although powering it through USB would be my first choice as I've just finished fitting everything else and I'm starting to run out of floor space) but whatever, now is the time to consider.

Can anyone recommend a suitable camera?

A quick look on line brings up this:

which looks as though it might do the job.

I could connect it to a Windows or (gasp) Linux PC or a Raspberry Pi as I have quite a few older systems as well as the new ones, and a surplus of smaller HDDs.

Further, is there anything else I should perhaps consider for the porch?

Once the floor goes back down a bespoke storage arrangement goes over the top so it won't be coming up again any time soon.

Cheers

Dave R

[Brian Gaff]

How high above head height is the ceiling of the porch?

I'm just wondering how you might identify somebody from a shot of the top of their head? grin. What about an intercom, maybe operated from a mobile. a detector for a body standing in the porch so the delivery idiots who just come in dump the parcel and sod off get detected. Brian

[Bill Wright]

Straight down is no use for ID etc.

Bill

[Dave Liquorice]

Personally I'd go for some form of IP dome camera with proper PoE. But will a camera in this porch be reachable? say from the side out of view to stick a bit of gaffer tape over it?

1 mega pixel isn't a particulary good resolution. HD TV is 2 megapixel...

So arrange your floor and "bespoke storage arrangement" to have an access panel into the void above the porch. Install a strong draw string (closed loop through eyes at each end so you can't pull it out "by mistake") from there to another place (the airing cupboard?) with access. Ideally a straight run, you might get away with one bend for small flexable cables if you can "take the edge" of it with say a 40 mm waste pipe swept bend. Holes through joists absolute minimum of

1". Running with the joists it might be worth using wste pipe clips to "manage" any cable up and away from the ceiling below.

[spuorgelgoog]

It will see the tops of their heads, unless you have a fisheye lens.

A camera with audio in and out will give you the '"Ring" answer your door when you're on holiday' functionality.

Owain

[David]

The available floor space between the two storage units is already allocated to 3 * 13A floor sockets, and Ethernet and a TV connection.

900mm and 600mm kitchen drawer units take up most of the floor along the front wall over the porch.

There is roughly a 900mm space in the middle for feet, the sockets, tower PC units.

Cables are already run through the joists which are across the room so no need for an extra conduit.

The camera isn't intended to be proof against malicious attack; just to potentially give a view of anyone approaching the porch. It is unlikely (as noted) to be much use identifying people from the top of their heads but it may see them as they approach.

Then again it may be totally useless but this looks like a one shot opportunity to put something there.

Probably too much effort to install a sprinkler system to deter chuggers, though.

Cheers

Dave R