FAQ — Wired outdoor analogue camera

The outdoor cameras were a different proposition from the small board cameras used inside boxes. They were sealed, weather-rated units on a bracket, intended for feeding stations, bird tables, ponds, yards and the wider garden — and they behaved differently in several ways that regularly caught people out.

How do I focus the camera?

You do not — these cameras are fixed focus. The lens is set at the factory to be acceptably sharp across a useful range and then sealed, which is part of how the unit stays weatherproof. The practical consequence is that you compose by moving the camera rather than by adjusting it, and there is a minimum distance below which the subject will be soft. For very close work — a feeder a hand's width away — an indoor board camera in a small enclosure will out-perform an outdoor unit.

Is it compatible with my cable?

Generally yes, on the same terms as the indoor cameras. Most composite AV cables work, carrying 12v out to the camera and video and audio back on the one run. The connectors are standard RCA phono jacks and the power socket is 5.5mm outer, 2.1mm inner. Cables supplied with the system had been tested with these cameras.

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

As with every camera in this range, the camera itself is wired; wireless is achieved by adding a separate transmitter, which needs its own power. See Wired or wireless camera?.

Can I use my own power supply?

Only if it matches. These cameras want 12v DC with the correct polarity and adequate current. Outdoor cameras usually draw more than indoor ones because they have more infra-red illumination to drive, so an adapter that was fine on a nest box camera may not be adequate here — and an under-powered outdoor camera typically works in daylight and fails at night, which is a confusing symptom.

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

The camera produces a very dull glow that is hard to see and poses no threat to birds or animals. Outdoor units carry more and brighter infra-red LEDs than a box camera, so at close range at night a faint red shimmer may be visible to a person — it is still invisible to the species you are filming.

What do I do with the cable and connectors?

Enclose them. The camera body is weather-rated; the connectors on its flying lead are not. This is the single most common failure on outdoor installations. Put the joint inside a small weatherproof box, a length of conduit, or at minimum under a hood where water cannot sit on it, and arrange the cable with a drip loop so water runs away from the connector rather than into it.

Can you turn off the audio?

There is no audio on these cameras to turn off. If you want sound outdoors you can fit an external microphone, which is a separate item wired alongside. In practice outdoor audio is dominated by wind, and a microphone in an exposed position needs a shield to produce anything listenable.

Can I connect the camera to a computer?

Not directly. As with the indoor cameras, the output is an analogue AV signal for a television. To get it onto a computer or network you can use a USB capture device, an IP converter that connects the camera to your router, or a streaming box that makes it viewable from anywhere.

Where should I mount it?

For wildlife rather than security, three things matter. Mount it lower than you would a security camera — animal height rather than roof height — so you get faces rather than backs. Keep it out of direct sun, which will wash out the picture and cook the housing. And point it at something specific: a feeder, a pool, a gap in a hedge bank. A camera surveying a whole garden shows you very little of any of it.

Will it record people as well?

Very possibly, and that matters. A camera covering ground beyond your own boundary brings data protection obligations — the ICO's guidance is the reference. Angling the camera to exclude a neighbouring garden or a public footpath is the simplest way to avoid the question entirely.

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