Finally a reason for a camera

[RobNJ]

I finally had some time to do some more work.  My goal was to see if I could get wires from the bottom level to the attic.  After some stressfull hole drilling, my calculations were spot on and I was successful.  So now the planning stages can begin.
I am going to attach some home photos to get some input on camera locations.
Here is the front.

 

[RobNJ]

another front angle

 

[RobNJ]

Front entry door

 

[RobNJ]

Rear angle showing sunroom stairs

 

[RobNJ]

rear angle showing other side of house (and remote garage)

 

[drvnbysound]

I finally had some time to do some more work.  My goal was to see if I could get wires from the bottom level to the attic.  After some stressfull hole drilling, my calculations were spot on and I was successful.  So now the planning stages can begin.
I am going to attach some home photos to get some input on camera locations.
Here is the front.

front1.jpg

 
I'll start by saying that I prefer cameras with wide-angle lenses that provide wide coverage - usually around 90-degrees.
 
At a minimum I would want ~3 cameras. I would want one on the right front corner for the home; that would cover the driveway as well as the front edge of the home. Another at the front edge of the front porch, looking toward the front door. Then another on the back side of the house, probably opposite the side of the sunroom and stairs.
 

 

 
I could see a 4th being added near the 3rd (or possibly close to the corner of the sunroom), looking toward your detached garage.

 

[pete_c]

Very nice RobNJ!
 
After some stressfull hole drilling, my calculations were spot on and I was successful.
 
Here first hole drilling went from the basement to the new wood floor in the kitchen and no where I wanted it to be.  It was low on the WAF at the time and did ding some automation efforts.
 
Here before the weather changed I cleaned one camera under the second floor eave that had bird splurge on it.    I didn't want to take the ladder out as that and using it is an endeavor.  Rather this time I opened one widow top part, removed the screen and used a small folding ladder to lean out the window to get to the camera.  This is not recommended and I will probably never do it again.
 
Not sure if I mentioned this before but here have cameras that face other cameras such that all of the views are overlapping using mostly 2.8 mm lenses these days.  3-5 MP cams with wide angle lenses do good these days.  IE: I built a brick mailbox, rain chases to it and installed camera faces the front of the house and sees the other cams.
 
I used the picture above with the little red dots.  I overdid a bit with the overlapping cams.
 

 

[RobNJ]

Thanks for the feedback.  Some have mentioned face level at the front door.  I have been contemplating how to run this wire as this is probably the most complex location.  Do you think the overhead would be enough?
A camera on the side of the house facing my trailer was though of, but this one would get hammered pretty hard by weather.  Gets sun most of the day and no overhang to protect from rain, wind..  What would be the best for this sort of location?

 

[drvnbysound]

I would "like" a view from eye-level, but it wasn't feasible for our home (see width for camera beside door)... I like the view I have from similar location as I recommended. I get a lot of packages delivered to the house, and I can easily see when they are dropped off and they remain in camera view until they are picked up. Also, we don't have many visitors to need to know specifically who someone is; if I need recognition, I get them on the view facing toward the front yard (not pictured here).
 

 
We should probably take some of those decorations down now...
 
Edit: Here's a shot from my driveway camera:

 
Note that I live in a 1-story home and all of my cameras are domes mounted under the eaves, so all of my cameras are mounted at around 8-ft.

 

[pete_c]

A camera on the side of the house facing my trailer was though of, but this one would get hammered pretty hard by weather.
 
This is how I went tinkering with domes exposing them to the sunlight / weather et al.  
 
The first floor level Optex combo cameras I utilize are not under any eaves.  Whatever plastic was utilized it hasn't become brittle over years.  All of the cameras on the first floor are on brick 
 
I have had bird splunge on all of them one time or another.  More of the higher ones under the eaves than the lower ones.
 
It was tricky running the side of the front door camera wiring.  It goes up from the inside of the brick wall to the attic, then across a second attic, then down the centre chase of the house then to the wiring area in the basement. 

 

[Del91574]

Raised ranches are relatively easy to get cable around in. You need to just know what the main carrying beam and bridging are in the house and then there's usually about 4-5 places in them that items line up and facilitate cabling being moved in a lot of places.
 
Almost everywhere can be gotten to, looks like you have vinyl siding, which is another way to go. Only item I don't know is whether or not you have a cathedral and what the octagon window sets in.
 
I'd suggest a 2.8-10 varifocal for the GP views. At face height, something like an Aiphone might be better than a camera.

 

[RobNJ]

Again thanks for the feedback.
 
The only space that I can access the floor of the 2nd level without any sheet-rock is below the stairwell.  This was my challenge, if I didn't want to cut up any sheet-rock, which my goal.  I think I am set now inside with cabling runs.
 
Outside mounting, I have some questions:  
- On the side walls (if I choose) there is vinyl siding as noted.  Do the cameras just mount to the siding direct or should I also be using some sort of weather seal at the base?  I was wondering if water would get behind.
- On the eaves, the soffet cover is like a corrugated pattern vinyl, which would crush or deform if I screwed the camera to it tightly. Do you add a spacer behind so you can mount the cam tight, but not crush the vinyl?  Maybe I am just being too picky, since this may not be noticeable from 20' below.
 
I see a lot of 2.8 to 12mm cameras, I would imagine these would be ok as well?  I am in information overload at the moment.

 

[pete_c]

On the side walls (if I choose) there is vinyl siding as noted.
 
Here I installed 1/2 sized metal boxes.  It was a PITA to do this on the brick.  I have wood synthetic cedar like siding next to the deck and used a metal box there too.  Didn't do this under the eaves.
 
On the eaves, the soffet cover is like a corrugated pattern vinyl, which would crush or deform if I screwed the camera to it tightly. Do you add a spacer behind so you can mount the cam tight, but not crush the vinyl?  Maybe I am just being too picky, since this may not be noticeable from 20' below.
 
Thinking here one Cocoontech member built a wooden base over the vinyl soffet cover.  Here utilized the 2" to 6" or so synthetic trim that was on the brick at the top section adjacent to the soffet.  The POE cable does got through the soffet there to get to the camera.  It is right above and behind the camera and you do not see it. 

 

[Del91574]

As stated, raised ranches are pretty straightforward to retrofit, without cutting walls or the like, as stated, you only need to really know how they would be framed and put together, and literally, you can run wire pretty easily in them once you know the secrets and where there are voids and joist bays (you'd really be amazed once you saw someone fish them).
 
That said, with vinyl, there are a few ways to go, but for soffit, you're going to need to put a 3/4" hole typically. The camera base plate, assuming dome or bullet/turret, should have enough meat where you can pick up a rafter tail and call it a day.
 
Sidewall mounting, either leave them somewhat loose so the siding doesn't buckle, then use an appropriate sealant (silicone or ductseal) to weatherproof behind and the wall itself.
 
If you really want to go overboard, then you could pick up siding blocks, either to match your siding, or for universal lighting boxes (Arlington comes to mind, used on my house) and then mount the camera to them. Arlington also makes a lot of products that could be used otherwise.

 

[drvnbysound]

I removed my soffits and installed some wooden bracing to support the camera. I drilled holes slightly larger than the screws through the soffit, so the screws don't pull on the soffit at all, but rather just pass through the soffit into the wood.
 

 
The cameras I utilize have a weatherized pigtail that comes out of the camera so I don't have to worry about sealing the camera or housing in any manner at all. They come with a female RJ45 connector and a weatherized connector that fits over the end I terminate - sealing that connection as well.