Yash
The solar-powered security cameras can ensure the safety of your house and your loved ones.
Harrowing criminal incidents and house break-ins now become part of our modern society.
Do you know that robbers can enter within a minute into your house and rob within 10 minutes?
Most robberies and break-ins are targeted in residential areas.
Another sad news is that the case-solving ratio is very poor due to the lack of pieces of evidence.
Once you are out of office, your kids and old parents become the soft targets for these criminals to make an entry into your house.
when you are away even for some time say to buy groceries.
A sense of insecurity is always there in your mind that the kids or old parents are alone in the house.
Intruders once entered the house then everything is at high-risk.
Therefore, it is important to prevent them at the entry point by creating fear in their minds.
And
The solar-powered security cameras can do this very effectively.
Even a glance of a security camera keeps a wrong-doer away from your house.
What are solar-powered security cameras?
It is a security device that pictures and films the things in the vicinity of your house.
And gives an alert whenever it detects any suspicious movement.
It consists of 3 basic components:
A solar panel, security camera with an in-built lithium-ion rechargeable battery, and an integrated inverter.
The solar panel absorbs the sunlight and converts it into DC.
This direct current charges the battery.
The camera runs on an alternating current.
The in-built inverter converts the DC into AC and powers the security camera.
And it starts working.
Benefits of solar-powered security cameras
One of the easiest ways for intruders to break into the house, without getting noticed, is to cut the wires.
But
You can overcome this problem by buying a solar-powered security camera.
It works with solar energy without needing wires connecting to your main supply.
Thus, solar-powered security cameras save you the wiring cost too.
Powering your security camera is more affordable than doing the same with a grid supply.
In a long run, it can save you a good amount of money on your energy bills.
The solar-powered cameras are environmentally friendly.
Their use helps mitigate carbon emissions from the air.
In solar-powered cameras, the term ‘solar’ is very special.
A solar panel has a long useful life of 25 years. Even after this, most of them produce 80% of their rated power.
Salient features of solar-powered security cameras
The solar-powered security camera has certain features that make it a great asset for your house.
1. Camera Resolution
A high-resolution camera gives you a sharp and clear picture.
You can get the finer details.
A security camera with 1080p HD resolution is preferred.
2. Night-vision
Video surveillance becomes difficult in low-light conditions.
But the presence of IR illumination (night vision) feature in a security camera makes it capture finer details even in dim light.
3. Motion Activation
This feature activates and alerts the homeowner whenever it detects any movement in its vicinity.
4. Long Range
How far a security camera can capture the details is defined by its range.
It is measured in feet.
A long-range camera with a wide field view in degrees makes surveillance very effective.
Even if an intruder is far-away from your land, a long-range camera detects his movement and gives you an early alert.
And those few seconds are enough to take instant decisions of locking the doors, if open.
Therefore, it is advisable to look for a long-range security camera.
A camera with a 30-feet range is considered good.
5. Two-way audio
This feature enables you to interact with the person at the door.
Your kids or old parents can not only see the person at the door but also interact with him.
In this way to doubly confirm whether s/he is a suspicious person or not? Any person after knowing this would not even dare to trespass.
6. Remote Monitoring
This feature enables you to monitor your house in real time while sitting in the office or from any place.
Make sure that the solar-powered camera you are choosing has compatibility with your smartphone.
Download the app of the product on your smartphone
Follow instructions, fill in the Wi-Fi details and your smartphone is ready to keep surveillance from the remote.
You can even integrate it with your smart TV and see the outside details while sitting inside your home.
7. Solar Panel Capacity
The solar panel capacity in watts defines its ability to provide electric power to the camera.
A highly-efficient solar panel produces current even in low-light conditions and has low heat losses.
The solar panel charges the battery in the daytime and powers the security camera. Therefore, the solar panel has to be powerful enough to simultaneously charge the battery and provide current to the security camera.
8. Battery Capacity
How long a camera can run, when sunlight is not available, depends on the capacity of the battery.
In the night or sometimes in cloudy weather, the solar panel do not produce current.
In order to make the security camera work continuously, it needs current from another source.
The battery provides backup in these situations.
The battery capacity is decided based on the hours of backup you need.
Let us do some common-sense math.
If your location receives good sunlight (Peak Sun Hours) then a 12-hour battery backup is sufficient.
For a region with poor sunlight, a high-capacity battery with over 24 hours or more backup potential is required.
The best placement of solar-powered security cameras
Look for a place on the wall outside your house that receives at least 6 hours of sunlight.
i) This place should be shade-free.
ii) If you are living in the Northern hemisphere of the earth like in India or in the USA.
Install your camera on the south-facing wall.
And
for people in Southern Hemisphere such as Australia or South Africa, north facing wall is the right option.
iii) Install the camera at least 8-10 ft high from the ground. So that it can capture every movement on your land.
Also, it becomes difficult for an intruder to reach to a camera installed at a height.
iv) Do not mount the camera which is far away from your Wi-Fi setup box.
The connection may interrupt due to weak signals.
v) A camera installed at the center of the house or at kids’ bedroom windows could be the ideal place for surveillance.
What should you do after installation?
The very first step after the camera installation is to check it’s working.
- Check if the picture, video, and audio are clear or not
- Make sure the camera is installed at the proper angle capturing the right view.
- Check if the alerts, and night-vision working properly or not.
- Install the app on your smartphone and check it’s working through your smartphone.
- Check the recording feature of the camera.
- Do not forget to take the receipt and the warranty card for the whole system.
- Note down the contact number in case you have any queries after the installation.
Maintenance of solar-powered security cameras
Although the whole setup is a long-lasting product.
But it does require maintenance.
Proper maintenance can increase the useful life of the solar-powered camera.
Do the following tips:
- First, unplug the security camera.
- Reach for it using a stool or an aluminum ladder.
- Blow air from your mouth on the lens to clean any dust on it.
- Do the same with the solar panel.
- Thereafter, take a smooth fiber cloth, and clean the lens and the solar panel carefully.
- Finally, clean the exterior surface.
{Please take necessary precautions (such as strong and stable aluminum ladder, using gloves, and wearing rubber slippers) while doing the maintenance yourself}.
Common mistakes to avoid while buying solar-powered security cameras
We unknowingly do some mistakes while looking for a solar-powered one for our security.
a) We comprise on a budget and start looking for a cheap security camera.
Compromising on quality can put the security of your loved ones at stake.
Therefore, buy branded, latest technology solar-powered security cameras.
b) Traditional cameras do not work effectively in dim light.
And most crimes occur at the night.
Not buying a night vision (IF technology) camera can put your security at stake.
Therefore, looking for the latest technology night vision security camera is the right option.
c) You are investing for the long term when you buy a solar-powered security camera.
Solar panels are durable, efficient, and have long lives.
They can power your camera and charge the batteries for decades.
And
Not investing in solar-powered security cameras deprives you of continuous smooth 24 x 7 surveillance.
Best solar-powered security cameras
Solar-powered security camera FAQ
Q1: How long do solar-powered security cameras last?
If you live in a place with good sunlight and you maintain your setup properly.
Solar panels last for decades (25 years).
And the batteries should last 3 to 5 years, depending on their type.
These batteries are easily replaceable.
And you can enjoy the benefits of wireless surveillance with battery-powered solar security cameras.
Q2. Do solar-powered security cameras work at night, in cloudy weather, or in rain?
Yes, solar-powered security cameras work at night and in cloudy weather.
The integrated battery system makes sure that your camera works fine at night.
The charge depleted at night is re-filled into the battery through the solar panel during the day.
In this way, the equipment in the system works in resonance with each other.
Conclusion
The advancement in technology has made solar panels small and more efficient than ever.
The solar-powered security system eliminates the need for long connecting wires.
You can install them freely away from the power points.
A weather-resistance solar-powered security camera with all essential features (discussed above) can make your house secure and your loved ones safe.
So, choose the right solar-powered security camera now.
Yash has over a decade of experience in Solar PV technology and is the founder of Solar with Yash.
Check out his Youtube Channel Solar Design and Payback with Yash
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The most striking feature is that we do not need wires for connection with main supply. Great and useful information about solar powered security cameras.
Thank you for reading the post.