A quick update on my solar/battery system. I’m still using the 12v 7ah battery but I’ve got it connected to a 50w solar panel (i.e., 2.5w was too small and 100w was overkill).
I have it running on continuous recording to the SD card, using HD video, and sending both motion and sound events to the cloud. It works great!
Tim do you happen to have a parts lists of what your final setup was. I am looking to do this for two V2 wyze cams
Here’s the final list of parts:
WYZE CAM v2 (Awesome cameras!)
ALLPOWERS Dual USB 20A Solar Charge Controller 12V/24V Auto Paremeter Adjustable PWM LCD Solar Controller Regulator with Load Timer Setting ON/Off Hours
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XWTKYDC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
50 Watt Polycrystalline Solar Panel - Mighty Max Battery brand product
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M3S7UVZ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Universal 12 volt 7ah Battery
https://www.amazon.com/UB1270-12V-7AH-SLA-BATTERY/dp/B0089N311K/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=Universal+12+volt+7ah+Battery&qid=1556244424&s=gateway&sr=8-3
Mrount Wyze Cam Wall Mount Cover
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DW8G22H/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Misc Wire to connect solar panel to controller - approx 5 ft.
Homemade “Birdhouse” to contain camera and battery
(Noticed I need to clean the lens…)
Thanks for the list of parts (~$120).
Now when I order one how much will shipping be ($7?)
Will it be delivered within a week?
And how much do you want for profit margin? $13?
Hi Tim
I’ve been monitoring your posts a little especially since you just posted this product list. With this setup are you still getting 2-3 days on a charge when there is no sun? I’m thinking of doing something similar where power is currently not available.
Also I assume the camera just goes dead when no power is available. what’s your experience if ever when when the charging is back up. Will the camera just start back up normally when there enough charge. TIA
I had one night when the camera went ‘dead’ (assuming because of low battery power) but it came back on the next morning. I decided to go with a smaller battery so everything (except the solar panel) would fit into the camera bird house. Ideally, you could have a larger battery in case you had a long stretch without sunlight.
(Note: I believe the 50w solar panel is large enough to provide ‘enough’ battery recharging on cloudy days. Also, If space / size is a concern, you might be able to get by with a smaller 30w solar panel.)
Hope this helps.
The cost of the birdhouse is not shown.
How about a small “button” type, battery powered, wireless camera that apartment dwellers could put up outside their door for surveillence when home, and remove and recharge when they are not? There are a number of them available from Chinese suppliers on eBay. It would be great to have one that is compatible with your software
Battery powered cameras would be great, as long as there aren’t too many tradeoffs. Also, please make it so they can be powered (or recharged) by solar panels.
how are you going to get an internet connection out there or is this just to record to the SD card and you don’t need notifications or alerts on your phone or even to check in to a live feed from your phone? will wyze even work without an active internet connection
What I would do is either have a car with built in WiFi or carry a hotspot.
I carry a hotspot. A ZTE Mobley that connects into AT&T. I’ve been using one for about 3 years now
Not sure why this hasn’t been done yet. I just purchased Arlo Pro 2 because it is wireless, then was seeing people rave about the Wyze cams, and comparing them to Arlo Pro 2, so I assumed they were wireless. I was planning on using this outside and replacing the Arlo Pro 2 because the Wyze camera is actually really good, I love this thing, but it’s a shame it can only be used plugged in. I do not have any outlets where I want to use them, and do not feel like running extension cords all around. Please make a wireless version that will compete with Arlo Pro.
I run my cameras continuously. How many hours will an Arlo Pro 2 run continuously on their battery before it needs to be plugged in and effectively becomes wired?
I have my cabin Wyze Cams linked to the internet via my cellular modem/router (i.e., a mobile hotspot). They should work with your hotspot unless the carrier has restrictions. I’m on T-Mobile.
I totally agree with mjustus55 in the below linked (but closed) forum topic:
I would love for a coin-battery operated Wyze cam for true wireless. I am really interested in buy a whole slew of these bad boys, but I do not want to mount them in and around my large house with dangling ugly, gangly cords desperately reaching out to electrical outlets. Unsightly!
This was briefly addressed in December 2018 in the above-referenced forum topic thread. Has there been any movement in this direction at all?
Thank you!
Puto
You’ve got to deal with physics.
Battery operated (like Blink) are designed for limited active usage per battery set.
40,000 seconds = 11.1 hours total run time.
That’s plenty of time for me, my arlo pro 2 last a few weeks on a charge and they’re constantly being triggered most triggers are around 10-45 seconds. I just counted yesterday log and it had 90 recordings. I don’t need to record 24/7 just when something triggers it.
Go check my tips and tricks post out, I found a super simple way to power by battery and solar.
Is there any advantage to that versus battery packs like the Samsung 10AH (10,000 mAh Portable Battery with Micro USB Cable, Silver Mobile Accessories - EB-P1100BSEGUS | Samsung US which have been routinely on sale for $16).
Power and charge regulation is the main difference. Power banks often can’t be charged and power/charge a device at the same, it’s one or the other. The cheaper ones may lack that basic protection and allow the power bank to charge while discharging, but that can lead to overheating, which can damage the power bank or worse.
The RPi UPS can safely and seamlessly power a device and charge the battery without the danger of overheating and without interrupting power to the device when switching from charge to discharge. It’s not something you would use as a pure battery to power a device, but as the name suggests an “uninterruptible power supply” for something that usually has power but needs to keep running when there is none. For solar charging you always need a charge controller between the panel and battery so this is a nice compact 5V controller + battery combo.
I considered purchasing one for my Raspberry Pi / GL-iNet mobile media network, but ended up going with a 12V vehicle-based solution instead. Previously I was using a 28000mAh power bank, but that 8-hour charge time was a deal-breaker