Connecting wired ethernet camera via wifi

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SeattleMike
Posts: 17
Joined: Fri May 17, 2019 2:28 pm

Connecting wired ethernet camera via wifi

Post by SeattleMike »

This isn't specifically a Zoneminder question, but it does involve hooking up to Zoneminder so I thought I'd throw it out there for comments and/or suggestions.

I have a wired, weatherproof POE camera from SV3C that I'd actually like to connect over wifi.

This camera will be mounted outside my home about 50 feet away. What I'd like to do is run the Ethernet cable to my home and then (hopefully) plug it into a wifi extender/booster so it can connect over wifi.

It seems that a lot of Ethernet extenders have an Ethernet jack on the bottom that can be used to connect non-wifi devices. I'm thinking of something like this device: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07J44FS8L . See the picture below.
wifi_extender_ethernet_jack.png
wifi_extender_ethernet_jack.png (234.4 KiB) Viewed 3874 times
(I have a POE injector/splitter to power the camera, one end to the camera, the other end will go to the LAN connector.)

I haven't tried this yet, but is there any reason I couldn't plug the cable from the camera into the LAN jack on the bottom of the wifi extender and then connect it to Zoneminder over wifi?



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I'm running ZM 1.32.3 (flatpack version, Ubuntu via Isaac Connor's PPA
OS: Linux Mint Tessa
BaseballSS
Posts: 16
Joined: Tue Feb 12, 2019 8:45 pm

Re: Connecting wired ethernet camera via wifi

Post by BaseballSS »

What you are looking for is called a wireless bridge. There are many types of devices that can accomplish this, including the one you have linked. If you have an old wireless router lying around, there's a good chance it can be configured to work as a wireless bridge.
SeattleMike
Posts: 17
Joined: Fri May 17, 2019 2:28 pm

Re: Connecting wired ethernet camera via wifi

Post by SeattleMike »

Thank you BaseballSS; I'll give this a whirl and see what happens.

My plan is to cut a shallow trench out to my mailbox, about 60ft from my house. I'm going to cut a small hole in the back of the box (which faces the house) and mount the camera inside the mailbox looking out through the hole. I just want the camera to be unobtrusive and protected from rain and snow (even though it's rated as a weather-resistant camera).

The ethernet cable will run though the hollow mounting post, down into the trench, across the yard and then through the exterior wall. I'm going to buy an inexpensive all-weather garden hose to run the ethernet cable in, just as an added measure of protection against water, moles, freezing temps, etc.

Inside, right next to where the cable will enter the house is a 110v plug, so I plan to use that plug for the bridge and the POE injector. Might run a couple of extra wires to the mailbox while I'm at it.

I considered a wifi camera but I have my doubts about the signal strength over the distance and through the wall. 2.4Ghz penetrates walls fairly well, but at 60 feet might it might be marginal.

As for the trenching...I have an old, worn out chainsaw that I'm willing to ruin to cut the trench. It only needs to be ~6" deep or so. I can only imagine what my neighbors will think when they see me chainsawing my way across the yard. :)

BaseballSS wrote: Tue May 21, 2019 5:02 pm What you are looking for is called a wireless bridge. There are many types of devices that can accomplish this, including the one you have linked. If you have an old wireless router lying around, there's a good chance it can be configured to work as a wireless bridge.
SeattleMike
Posts: 17
Joined: Fri May 17, 2019 2:28 pm

Re: Connecting wired ethernet camera via wifi

Post by SeattleMike »

I haven't been able to get this to work yet; I'm unsure how to tell what the IP is of the camera that's plugged into the ethernet extender/bridge. Nothing I've tried yet seems to connect.
bbunge
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Joined: Mon Mar 26, 2012 11:40 am
Location: Pennsylvania

Re: Connecting wired ethernet camera via wifi

Post by bbunge »

Many of the WIFI extenders have an ethernet port that is used to configure the device. Once parted from the cable the port does not serve as a cable connection through the WIFI. I have a Linksys RE4000W extender that will provide connection through its ethernet ports. If you use an old router look up to configure it as a media bridge. You will get better through put as a media bridge than a WIFI repeater.
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knight-of-ni
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Location: Shiloh, IL

Re: Connecting wired ethernet camera via wifi

Post by knight-of-ni »

I'd recommend you stay away from using wifi with a camera system. You will have the same problem everyone else has... the camera will periodically go offline, and you will have to cycle power on the device to bring it back online. It is merely a question of how often this will happen. Sounds like you already suspect this will be the case.

Trenching a cable is good idea. If you go that route, gel filled outdoor cable is the best cable for the job:
https://www.cat5ecableguy.com/inc/sdetail/92600

It is more expensive but not terribly so. You can get it in shorter lengths too since you only need to go 60 feet.
6" is probably deep enough. Sometimes the annual frost cycle (if you get frost) can push it back up to the surface if it is not buried deep enough.

Running that cable in conduit is always the safest bet, but I'm not sure I'd use a garden hose. Non-metallic conduit from your local hardware store is very affordable:
https://www.lowes.com/pd/JM-Eagle-Commo ... it/3129569

Flex conduit costs more but is available too:
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Southwire-Ultr ... in/3196979
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SeattleMike
Posts: 17
Joined: Fri May 17, 2019 2:28 pm

Re: Connecting wired ethernet camera via wifi

Post by SeattleMike »

bbunge wrote: Fri May 31, 2019 11:51 am Many of the WIFI extenders have an ethernet port that is used to configure the device.
Thanks bbunge.

The one I have (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00R92CL5E/) does have a port on the bottom that's supposed to be able to serve as a wifi bridge. I'll have another go at it this weekend and see if I can get it to be recognized or connected.
bbunge wrote: Fri May 31, 2019 11:51 am If you use an old router look up to configure it as a media bridge. You will get better through put as a media bridge than a WIFI repeater.
I'll see if I have an old router laying around or maybe look into picking one up on the cheap. I'm probably going to get a set of PoE cams and run them all to a switch in a closet somewhere and then connect that to the PC. Right now I'm still kinda playing around to see what works best.
SeattleMike
Posts: 17
Joined: Fri May 17, 2019 2:28 pm

Re: Connecting wired ethernet camera via wifi

Post by SeattleMike »

knight-of-ni wrote: Fri May 31, 2019 1:48 pm I'd recommend you stay away from using wifi with a camera system. You will have the same problem everyone else has... the camera will periodically go offline, and you will have to cycle power on the device to bring it back online. It is merely a question of how often this will happen. Sounds like you already suspect this will be the case.
Yep, several people have mentioned that to me. I haven't seen it yet but I suspect it'll happen sooner or later. I do have one camera, an Amcrest 841, that's been online for over a year without any problem. That probably means it'll go offline tonight, lol. :)

I want to use a couple of inexpensive wifi cams to keep an eye on some unimportant zones (inside of my shed, hot sub, etc), but yeah, I'm thinking PoE cameras are the better way to go for long term. I thought I was done pulling wire after I installed the alarm system here, but I guess it's time to dig out the fish tape and coat hangers again. :)

I'll have a look at the links you left, and thank you.
BaseballSS
Posts: 16
Joined: Tue Feb 12, 2019 8:45 pm

Re: Connecting wired ethernet camera via wifi

Post by BaseballSS »

Those SV3C cameras should support Onvif. If you go to add the monitor in ZM there's an ONVIF link at the top right corner of the Monitor config. It should detect any Onvif compatible cameras on the same network and you'll be able to choose them from a list of detected cameras.
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