Remote Solar Powered Surveillance Camera System - Completely Off Grid & Updated for 2020

In this video, I tackle the challenge of a completely remote, off grid surveillance camera system powered 100% with solar power. I produced a video on this in 2016 but a lot has changed in the last 4 years. Follow along as I install an affordable, reliable, and high quality system that anyone can use in a remote location for security surveillance, a live action feed, keeping an eye on livestock, or any number of other uses. #solarpowered #ubiquiti #ubnt #solarpoint
2:15 - Planning & Preparation
4:08 - Minimum System Requirements
4:39 - Component Selection
10:20 - Installation
11:40 - Solar Panel & Mount
13:39 - Enclosure & Batteries
15:32 - Radio
15:47 - Charge Controller
16:16 - Wiring
17:01 - Camera
17:08 - Bridge
17:48 Setup & Configuration
20:18 Performance & Conclusions
Ubiquiti UVC-G3-Bullet Camera - amzn.to/2COp5vf
Ubiquiti SunMax SolarPoint Charge Controller - bit.ly/2QbhcTK
Ubiquiti Nanobeam AC Gen 2 Radio - amzn.to/2EmFesf
Altelix NEMA Enclosure - amzn.to/31g59uA
Newpowa 100W Solar Panel - amzn.to/31hN3sb
Newpowa Pole Mount - amzn.to/2EplILT
Mightymax 12V 9Ah Batteries - amzn.to/34kPKv9
Fuse Holders - amzn.to/2Yjfrby
Buss Bars - amzn.to/3aM7PTX
(Optional) Ubiquiti LiteAC 120 Degree Radio - amzn.to/3j6pgSj
(Optional) Ubiquiti J-Pole - amzn.to/2EoouRy
For solar system consulting and design work, email me at [e-mail]. $75 for system design or $125 per hour general solar consulting.
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[@calibmatlock]

This is weirdly exactly what I've been thinking about building, you wizard.

[@LDSreliance]

Awesome! I knew it all along.

[@ChristianPostier]

Great write up, thank you for taking the time to do so.

[@LDSreliance]

You are welcome. Thanks for watching!

[@SuperNova-Steve]

Nice Video- good info without having to listen for 5 minutes about what you had for breakfast

[@LDSreliance]

Thanks! I have gotten better over the years with that. Appreciate the feedback.

[@ZPraterOne]

Awesome video! Exactly what I was looking for.

[@LDSreliance]

Thanks! I really appreciate it and I am glad you found it helpful. Please give the video a thumbs up if you haven't already.

[@Ebocraze]

Excellent video and instruction. My education has been furthered. Will emulate your setup. Thanks very much Sir

[@LDSreliance]

Awesome! Glad you found it useful. And thanks for the sub!!

[@waretechnologies6845]

Nice video from a fellow Texas techie. Good proof of concept!

[@LDSreliance]

Thank you! I wish the SolarPoint was still being produced. Ubiquiti is very frustrating.

[@JMVALLECEBALLOS]

I have a project and this gave me a good starting point. I like more info as I have seen lots your videos and they have helped me a lot . thank you.

[@LDSreliance]

Thanks! Glad it helped you. And thanks for subbing.

[@JMVALLECEBALLOS]

@@LDSreliance but I still need you advice

[@LDSreliance]

OK, what do you need?

[@MsCatolica]

Good video thanks for posting,

[@LDSreliance]

Thanks for watching!

[@shakaitadekunle5470]

Nice tutorials. I need more of this from you. Great job

[@LDSreliance]

Thanks! I am working on creating a kit based around this setup or something similar to go on sale hopefully this spring. Did you watch the original solar camera series?

[@shakaitadekunle5470]

@@LDSreliance yes. I did. Very interesting

[@LDSreliance]

Cool. So what would you like to see in the future? I can't afford expensive setups like this very often but I'll see what I can do.

[@shakaitadekunle5470]

@@LDSreliance no need of expensive setup. Normal solar installation is good. Just explain the concept of connecting CCTV cameras with it. Without this approach you used here, I think it would be less expensive compare to this.

[@LDSreliance]

So you just want to see a single, hard-wired camera with solar? No radios or wireless bridges? I'm not sure that would help many people because you could just easily power that with a PoE switch.

[@dudemaar-yw7vs]

Great video! Thanks for sharing. Just curious how your rig is holding up ? Also if you were to do a rebuild, would you use same equipment? If not what would you change differently?

[@LDSreliance]

It works fantastic. Never a single hiccup. I have torn it down and I'm moving it to a new property I just bought soon so there will be a new video on that in the next 2-3 months. I would do everything the same if I could but unfortunately the SolarPoint from Ubiquiti is out of production. It is an amazing device but they never put much effort into it and their whole solar line is basically dead. So new people copying my design won't be able to use that piece, unfortunately. If you can find one used I would snatch it, though.

[@JAWASHY]

Very cool

[@LDSreliance]

Thanks for watching and be sure to give it a thumbs up! And thanks for subbing!

[@mac11380]

Nice, the only thing different I would say to do, is mount the cam under the panel so it can block the rain and the sun. Great job.

[@LDSreliance]

Yes, definitely. If my pole were taller I would have done that. Unfortunately, putting the camera underneath on this particular setup would have put it around 4-5 feet high which isn't ideal.

[@mac11380]

@@LDSreliance Makes sense, maybe a little umbrella from a tropic drink over the cam would do the trick.....lol

[@LDSreliance]

Haha, well the camera is designed for outdoors so I'm not super worried about it. But that would be a funny sight to see!

[@N.V.V.SOLAR.]

Super sir

[@chrisfrancis8446]

Awesome

[@LDSreliance]

Agreed. Thanks for watching!

[@iamthemoss]

Great video, great skills, I work in IT as well, mainly on the software and enterprise side. I've been trying to come up with a way to blanket my 25 acres in 2.4 Ghz wifi for security cameras and sensors. You've given me some good ideas. Unlike your solutions, I am looking at creating wireless bridges (solar powered) but using Reolink Argus 2 solar wireless cameras. I've used them before and they are really good for the money. Keeping my bridges only allows me to be flexible with wireless sensors and cameras

[@LDSreliance]

As you know with IT there are usually 100 different ways to design a solution. Whatever works for your budget and expertise! I am glad I could give you some ideas. Thanks for watching.

[@Akcd11r2002]

WiFi will kill all the bees on your 25acres

[@Shadoweee]

How do those camers work in winter? Won't snow cover the panel and render them useless?

[@iamthemoss]

@@Shadoweee I live in North Alabama, we don’t get much snow, last December it got down to 8 degrees F and they worked fine. Make sure the panel gets adequate sun.

[@Shadoweee]

@@iamthemoss Well I'm from EU and get quite a lot of snow so thinking of something custom. From what it looks so far I will need a 300 watt panel to keep it going lol

[@JL-tu6ob]

Nothing nicer than working with great equipment. Great video !. My only concern is security. In my option a NVR should never be connected to a wireless client, and that any outdoor wireless client should be connected to a dedicated outdoor AP with nothing but “public” cameras or media considered non private ( no internet service ). Unfortunately this is inconvenient to users but isolating venerable networks can save a lot of issues. My indoor reolink system is has no wireless cameras and is off of internet. A different AP ( physically limited in propagation as it’s located in basement ) provides in house iNet services. It’s all a headache.

[@LDSreliance]

Yes, security is always an issue. It is maddening.

[@InfiniteSpaceMedia]

Hey! We want to set up a 1080p 60fps camera in a remote location. What kind of solar panel(s) would we require? Also, I’m not sure if you have any experience with this, but we want to be streaming it 24/7, but there is limited cell service in the area. Would a satellite dish be optimal?

[@LDSreliance]

Email me at [e-mail]

[@InfiniteSpaceMedia]

@@LDSreliance will do, thank you!

[@tannerrollins4391]

I built similar, except mine has a 12v router. So it truly is stand alone, Off grid internet station, then the camera connects to the installed router. Have a 10 and 20 ft pole that a big yagi antenna is mounted to to get the best connection available for the router. All mounted on a portable stand. I use to watch deer feeders. Hasn't missed a lick in 2 yrs.

[@LDSreliance]

I assume the router is cellular? Like a Cradlepoint? I would absolutely go that route if I couldn't get a WiFi feed. Sounds like a good system!

[@jairogonzalez9479]

Awesome.....I would love to see your solar wireless internet CCTV set up...Would you be so kind as to share some pictures or a video. Thank you.

[@jjones2582]

I'd like to see more competition in the category of charge controllers with a web interface, preferably built in like a router or camera. Other than the discontinued Ubiquiti system I haven't found much.

[@LDSreliance]

I've been told to check out the Linovision 5 Port Solar PoE Switch (POE-SW805G5U-Solar) but I don't know if it has much of a management interface. And if it does, I agree with you that it won't be as good as the Ubiquiti one. The weather prediction stuff was nice but not really necessary. But the ability to individually turn on and off loads/ports at set times of day and have really fine control over everything was fantastic.

[@matpgm]

Great Video! Any chance you could make a step by step guide in the future?

[@LDSreliance]

Possibly. I need to find components that are a bit more universal. Stuff that will appeal to a wider range of people and a wider range of applications. The solar charge controller I used in this video, for example, is a really cool piece but is no longer really manufactured (supply chain halted it completely) and Ubiquiti has all but stopped their solar efforts. I'll revisit this. Thanks!

[@juwell3]

Let’s see the step by step!

[@LDSreliance]

Sorry, as I said at the beginning of the video, this is not supposed to be a step by step video. I already did that in the past. You can see the older, but still perfectly functional system step by step at: kzbin.info/aero/PLbKwoGlXEWarYz0zemDNO_rzM2xyYstkw

[@anupamavlogs9670]

can i get this circuit diagram and which simulator we can use to get output without hardware components

[@jovelwalter]

Looks good but do you know if it will work with a different POe camera like Hickvision or Dahua?

[@LDSreliance]

It will work with any camera that is PoE.

[@jovelwalter]

@@LDSreliance Unfortunate it does not. Ubiquity cameras are 24V that is why they worked but most POe cameras are 12V I am looking to get a volt converter to connect my Dahua Camera. on a second question.... what the daily operating time for your setup. Mine batteries died on 1 day just powering up the AP with no camera. now I am waiting on a sunny day to see how long it takes to recharge them.

[@LDSreliance]

Yes, the Sunmax does 24V passive PoE. I forgot about that. But it also does output 24V DC so you could easily use an adapter to switch from 24VDC to 802.3af or 802.3at. I always use the Tycon Systems PoE injectors for stuff like that. They have a whole range of products that convert from various DC voltages to various levels of PoE output: www.tyconsystems.com/poeinjectors

[@supernova655]

i want to buy a EufyCam 2 pro with a solar panel ...they advertise that it can last 365 days only on battery included :) .... you think is a good solution ?

[@MrsGussDoughboys]

I would like to know how the battery's are rated for cold climate like the northeast

[@LDSreliance]

As with all batteries, they don't perform as well or charge as well in very cold conditions. But they can be used and charged down to 0 easily and from 0 to about -20 if you really needed to. Colder than that I would not use them at all ever. If you can put them in an insulated box (perhaps even burying the box) they should be fine even if ambient temperature is below zero.

[@user-ke1qj4nk2z]

❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@LDSreliance]

I am glad you liked it. Thanks for watching!

[@FireLance-Gaming]

Wow nice job. It probably cost double the price in Australia.

[@LDSreliance]

Wow, I would hope not. Is solar that expensive down there?

[@FireLance-Gaming]

@@LDSreliance because the aussie dollar is so weak and getting the parts here cost money. But in my house I have 5.3kwa system and LG 10kwa battery for $10000 and i love it so much.

[@LDSreliance]

Nice!

[@anjaneyululucky]

which watts soloar pannel used and battery ahs , what is back up hours with out lighting

[@LDSreliance]

The solar panel is 100W and the batteries combine for about 20Ah. It can operate without much sun for about 2 days.

[@MsCatolica]

I’m working on a project and I will get back to you.

[@LDSreliance]

OK, sounds good.

[@danilotabao5059]

Can I hook it to my solar system by sunrun inc.?

[@LDSreliance]

I don't know anything about that solar system, sorry.

[@richacevedo660]

I wish i could find a Unifi solarpoint.

[@LDSreliance]

For real. I wish they still made them. They haven't officially canceled them (that I have seen) but they certainly haven't made them since Covid began.

[@Cross-Check]

Are there cameras ONVIF?

[@LDSreliance]

No, the cameras from Ubiquiti like I used in this video are not compatible with ONVIF.

[@muffdriver69]

Your backyard is bigger than my house

[@andreblewis]

How is your load energy consumption only 8w? The 5ac is 8.5w, camera 4w, and charge controller 2w. Isn’t that 14.5w? I would like to do the same thing except run LTS cameras x2. (12v,0.5a) I’d convert the POE24v to 12v.

[@LDSreliance]

Those specs you are looking at are max power ratings, usually. In the real world, they consume less on average. Especially on a radio with a very small load. If the radio was transmitting a lot of packets it would be much higher. But it obviously doesn't break a sweat with just one tiny camera on it. I've consulted with dozens of people on camera setups and that is one thing I always stress to them... you have to find the real world consumption numbers of the camera and equipment. Because just looking at a spec sheet doesn't tell the whole story.

[@andreblewis]

@@LDSreliance Thanks for the Reply. I have 3.03w on 48v real world use on the Color247 Camera. I assume 6W under 24V. What were your real world values for the 5AC and Solarmax?

[@LDSreliance]

Everything receiving power from the Solarmax (which is everything on the pole except itself) uses right around 6.5W on average during the daytime. I don't let it run at night so I don't know what the consumption is with the infrared LED's lit up.

[@LunatronikSecurity]

@@LDSreliance I like your project and video, and my question is how do you turn off the consumption during the night? You did not mention any timer and manually turning On and Off would be too complicated?

[@manfrummt]

This set up is like $1000 for each camera and super technical. A little extreme. Any wireless camera with solar charger is plug and play for under $150.

[@LDSreliance]

Yes, there are cheaper options. But you can't really compare this to a cheap solar camera.

[@manfrummt]

@@LDSreliance .. I will say that I am disappointed with my Reolink cameras, which pick up every bug but miss people. If they get cold the wireless ones stop working. The resolution is ok but the wireless ones only record ten seconds at a time and miss a lot. For live viewing they are fine though. The do have 1080 resolution if your WiFi is fast enough.

[@LDSreliance]

Yeah I think it just comes down to what your needs and expectations are. My wife is the one that primarily watches our daughter and she isn't very technical. So she would get frustrated pretty quick if she was using a cheap camera that had bugs and limitations and wasn't as reliable. We have some Reolink and Wyze cameras and they are great indoors where there is a strong WiFi signal, but I haven't had much success getting a reliable outdoor cheapo camera to work.

[@user-mb5hb5oo6z]

Hi I need a video for it please...it's my project to do

[@LDSreliance]

What do you mean you need a video?

[@sublimationAI]

and how is that antenna on your wall getting power??? I'll guess that this is not 100% off grid...

[@LDSreliance]

From a PoE injector. No, that part is powered by the grid currently. But that isn't relevant to the video. All of this can easily be powered off the grid.

[@J0nni3]

The wireless bridge setup over less than 5m is pretty useless, normal WiFi had done the exact same for a few hundred bucks less... Wireless Bridges (or as ubiquity calls it "air fibre") is only useful above 50m. Everything below that can be done with a wifi AP and a WiFi device. You just built a multi-gigabit connection for camera streaming wich takes less than 50 megabits...

[@LDSreliance]

I agree. Like I said, there were easier and cheaper ways to do this. The point of the video was to demonstrate a fully remote, off grid setup. I don't have a large yard and I don't live in a rural area. Thus I cannot perfectly simulate those conditions.

[@thedanman1182]

The cool thing about this setup is if you use a nanobeam for both the AP and the Station side you can deploy this somewhere like on a ranch or other type of large property and as long as there is a line of sight the range is over 10 miles. air fibre devices are for high bandwidth back hauls that cost about $1,500 per antenna.

[@jonathanhix8026]

How do we contact you for consulting?

[@LDSreliance]

[e-mail]

[@yardmansurfer]

Wouldn't be much, much much easier and cheaper to just install a solar powered WiFi camera for $100-$200? You would have the same result. I like the build though.

[@LDSreliance]

Yes, you could do that if you were okay with spotty performance. Those solar cameras do not have enough solar power or battery storage to operate very much each day, especially at night. They also do not have bulletproof WiFi reception. What I was hoping to do in the video was show an extremely reliable, well-engineered setup that literally NEVER goes down. It has enough solar and battery capacity to weather 4-5 overcast, rainy days and has an industrial-grade wireless connection that never struggles for signal or disconnects and reconnects.

[@kiboigomartin5544]

Please provide address, i need more info about off grid, i have a project that requires over 500cameras, in a remote area

[@LDSreliance]

[e-mail]

[@DavidLopez-gn3bi]

This is frofetional to profetional

[@LDSreliance]

Thanks... I think!

[@johnkillen588]

i shall pray for your daughter

[@LDSreliance]

Thanks, John! I really appreciate that. She is such a happy bundle of joy, despite her challenges.

[@CharlesLukoba]

I have to say very expensive in total!

[@LDSreliance]

Compared to what?

[@CharlesLukoba]

@@LDSreliance POE from the house to the length to the camera!

[@LDSreliance]

In my example case here, yes. But you are missing the point. I was using this system as a demonstration because that is what I do on my channel (solar, batteries, diy, etc). There are lots of applications where you may need to have a remote camera and PoE isn't an option or would be more expensive to run than this setup.

[@abecoulter8550]

HOA? so you still have them clowns dictating to you what you can and cant do with your own property

[@LDSreliance]

Yes, unfortunately.

[@abecoulter8550]

@@LDSreliance id build a full fence 10 feet high lol why should someone dictate what you can do to our own property

[@LDSreliance]

I agree. Its like labor unions. Great idea, in theory, to help protect people. But in reality it turns into a mess that doesn't really serve anyone's interest.