CCTV Security Camera Mounts, Enclosures & Housings
OK, nobody ever gives camera housings much treatment in terms of press. They’re not exciting. They’re not glamorous; they’re not the latest greatest technology. They’re a little bit boring, to be honest. That’s OK. Today they’ll get their due.
The thing about housings is that they’re important. They protect the investment that protects the rest of your investments. We tend to buy them as an afterthought, pinch too many pennies, fail to install them properly, or make any number of mistakes that people make when failing to consider the little details. Do any of those things, and you wind up with your camera soaked, crashed to the ground, hanging by its video cable, covering the grass instead of the parking lot, or (dinner anyone?) cooked by the sweltering Texas sun.
There are really only a few kinds to consider, at least without considering the details. You have your plain white ones for putting box cameras in… these come in a dozen or so flavors; polyurethane, aluminum, stainless steel, completely sealed, partially sealed, with or without that heater blower assembly (if in doubt, pay the ten bucks), the list goes on. Pay attention, this is easy to mess up because you think it’s so easy.
First: Your camera needs to fit, including that sexy 100mm lens you bought to spy on your neighbor. Make sure it’s the correct size.
Second: If it’s going outside, make sure it’s sealed well. You may have little tiny air holes (on the bottom) for a heater and/or blower, but that’s it. Put a bright light inside and close the cover. Do you see any light coming out around the seals? Trash it before it trashes your cameras; it wasn’t made for the great outdoors. Dip it in water (closed) about halfway, with the front glass facing down. Hold it 30 seconds. Carefully dry the exterior of the housing, and your hands. Only AFTER it is dry, open it up. Are there any little droplets of water inside? Again, indoors only!
Third: If the weather is extreme (use common sense folks) then pay the nominal additional fee to get a housing with a heater and blower inside. It isn’t worth the gas for the trip you’re going to make to replace your camera later. It’s one thing to maximize your profit. It’s another one altogether to make predictable errors.
OK, another favorite are the little dome housings you see in almost any major grocery store. These are there because they hide the camera. Some of them also replace a ceiling tile, making the camera a little easier to work on if you have a crawl space. Many of these are manufacturer specific, so make sure the proper hardware is included. Nothing slows down an install like an extra trip to Home Depot, even though we men will take just about any excuse to visit.
PTZ Cameras almost all have housings. These can get complicated. For example, we sell a Samsung SCC-6403 camera. To put it on the corner of our building, you need the outdoor enclosure, the wall mount adapter, and the corner mount adapter. Want it on a pole? You need a different adapter. Hanging from a ceiling? You need an entirely different mount. Bottom line here; check everything before you go to your install. Put the pieces on a table. Look at them. Do they seem to fit? That’s GOOD. If they don’t, pick up the phone (preferably 48 hours or more before your install date) and call the manufacturer or your supplier and get an expert opinion. If you have the wrong PTZ parts when you get to the job site, odds are very good that you WILL be making another trip out. It can be notoriously hard to get parts the same day.
There are, of course, other housing types. You have indoor pedestal housings, hidden housings, housings made for board cameras (think Exit sign camera), and lots of other seemingly one-off or hard to find items. The important thing is to be prepared, know that your gear is of good quality (preferably from experience), and check that all your mounting hardware will work with your cameras.
Check out ApexCCTV’s Housing and Mounts for a good idea of the different varieties and prices out there.
Keep Up With Us
