RLC-410-5MP extra connectors

Left Coast Geek

I wish these cameras had a better way of wiring them that was more weatherproof. having the reset button and unused 12V connector just hanging out on exposed pigtails is ugly. the rubber plug for the ethernet 'weatherproof' shell doesn't fit well on any of the outdoor UV grade cables I have, either.

IMHO, a POE camera should have just one connection, Ethernet... Ideally the socket should be inside a weatherproof compartment with a compression gland seal around the wire at ingress.

I've currently got 2 of these cameras mounted just under the edges of my eaves, with the base screwed to the bottom edge of the facia board on the outside of the soffet, under the rain gutters, and the third one is mounted high up on a brick chimney with no weather protection at all. I'd like to pole mount a 4th and maybe 5th camera, again no weather protection.

So any ideas on better weatherproofing these cameras? do I need to put a 'weather hood' over them ?

Cynthia

Our POE cameras support IP66 waterproof. If you like, you can also use the junction box to protect the cable.

md

Unless it is a battery camera, all the wired camera brands I know of use the same design as Reolink, the wires come out of the back of the base. This is to completely hide and protect the wiring once installed. For putting a camera on a pole, etc. I would use a water resistant junction box and conduit to protect the wiring. A hassle to install, but once done it's not much effort to uninstall a camera or get to the reset button in the box. Reolink sells junction boxes as do hardware stores. The Reolink boxes may fit your cameras, check them out. If buying something else you'll need to drill your own holes on the plate cover to insert the wires and screw the camera into the cover, or use small bolts/nuts. If you don't know how to do this maybe a friend could help or hire an electrician. It was a lot of work but I ran ethernet cables in the attic of my house down through the soffit. My roof trusses are 24" apart so there wasn't much to screw the cameras onto the soffit. I bought some plastic boards, cut them to fit and attached them to the soffit so I could mount the cameras further back closer to the wall than the rain gutter. See pics. I don't know how your house is constructed so my solution may not work for you.

I have a couple outdoor battery Reolink cameras that are wired to charge them. The wires to to an outlet in my garage, but only plug them in when they need to be charged. A few inches of the cable is exposed. I got reolink cables that have round protectors on the end to protect the connection. Or a person could use electrical tape to cover the connection.
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md

Here is a rain cover for cameras on Amazon.
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Crimp On

My guess is that the intention was to do what I did and push the entire wire bundle (RJ45, 12v, and reset button) through the hole I made in the wall and then seal the hole. Or... push the entire wire bundle through a hole into a weatherproof junction box. Leaving those three items exposed to the weather is a recipe for disaster. Maybe a blob of silicon over the ends would hold up (or not). I would not like the appearance of dangling wires.

md

A little silicone caulk could help on the low voltage connection, but I don't know how easy it would be to remove. There is a product called Dielectric grease that repels moisture for electric connections, maybe a better plan than caulk. But don't use too much and get it inside the USB connectors themselves on the copper wires, it could stop the current. After the wire is plugged in, put some grease around it. You should check it once in a while to see how the grease holds up to the weather. You might put some electric tape on the camera over the grease to protect it? A bead of silicon caulk around the base of the 410 camera after it's installed should work. If you need to remove the camera, use a utility knife to cut the caulk.

Left Coast Geek

yeah, I guess I should plan on using the reolink junction box b10 on each RLC-410 camera. OTOH, a $25 junction box for a $45 camera? sigh.

Reolink should examine how the Ubiquiti UVC-G3 camera seals and mounts. Its elegant.