FAQ — Wired small analogue camera

These are the questions Handykam was asked about the small board cameras used inside nest boxes, bird boxes and mammal boxes — the units supplied with kits such as HK100460w. For the outdoor bullet-style cameras, see the outdoor analogue camera FAQ, which differs in several important respects.

How do I focus the camera?

Simply turn the lens, like a camera lens. If it will not move, there is usually a small grub screw securing the lens to the camera body; back it off with a small star screwdriver, focus, and gently retighten. Focus with a live picture in front of you, at the distance you actually want to be sharp — for a nest box, the floor of the box plus the height the nest will build up to.

Will it fit in my bird box?

Almost certainly. These cameras are very small — the board itself is around the size of a large postage stamp, with the lens standing proud of it. The two things to check are whether it physically fits with its bracket, and whether the lens is wide enough to see enough of the box interior. A 3.6mm lens covers a standard nest box floor comfortably from the ceiling.

Is it compatible with my cable?

Usually. Most composite AV cables of this type will work, since they carry 12v power out to the camera and bring video and audio back on the same run. The connectors are standard RCA phono jacks and the power socket is 5.5mm outer, 2.1mm inner. We always recommended the cables supplied with the system because they had been tested with these cameras, but the standards are common ones.

This is a wired camera — do you have a wireless one?

All of these cameras are wired at heart. A "wireless" system is a wired camera plus a separate transmitter, which itself needs power. That is the whole argument set out in Wired or wireless camera?, and it is worth reading before assuming wireless is simpler.

Can I use my own power supply?

You can, but be careful. Power supplies vary in voltage and current, and using the wrong one is the most common way to damage a camera. These cameras want 12v DC at around 500mA, with the correct barrel polarity. If in doubt, match the specification exactly rather than approximately.

Can you see the LEDs? Will they affect the birds?

The infra-red LEDs produce a very dull glow that is hard for a person to see and presents no threat to birds or animals. Infra-red is outside the visual range for the species that use nest boxes; this is precisely why it is used rather than a white light, which would be genuinely disturbing.

What do I do with the cable and connectors?

Get them under cover. Once fitted to the camera, connectors should be inside the box, under a protective hood, or run in conduit — anything to keep the weather off them. A connector sitting in the open on a box roof is the commonest reason a working system dies in its second winter. Camera nest boxes were supplied with a mount, trunking and a place to dress the cable for exactly this reason.

Can you turn off the audio?

There is no switch. The only way is to disconnect the white connector, either at the camera or at the viewing end.

Can I connect the camera to a computer?

Not directly — the camera outputs an analogue AV signal intended for a television. To get it onto a computer, phone or tablet you need one of:

• A USB capture device, which digitises the signal into a computer and comes with capture software.
• An IP converter, which digitises the signal and connects the camera to your router, so any device on the network can view it.
• A streaming box, which digitises the signal and makes the camera viewable from anywhere.

The picture has gone. What do I check first?

In order: the power supply, then the cable, then the connectors, then the camera. In practice it is the power supply or the cable the overwhelming majority of the time. Cameras of this type are simple and long-lived; the things around them are what fail.

Related pages: How an analogue camera works · FAQ: cables · FAQ: wired outdoor analogue camera