Any advice on mounting a PTZ camera on a 45 degree angle beam?

[wtimothyholman]

I am thinking about mounting a Dahua SD49225T-HN PTZ camera beneath my deck. Unfortunately, the best option to place it in such a way as to keep it out of the worst of the weather is to mount it on a support beam at a 45 degree angle. This wouldn't be a problem if I mounted the camera on the top edge of the deck, but then the camera's lens would be directly exposed to the worst of the rain blowing in from the southwest. I'd like to avoid that for clarity of image if nothing else.

The question is this: how do I mount the camera? I could just live with the upper "arm" of the camera positioned at 45 degrees, and hope that the "ball" of the camera could tilt high enough to give me the coverage I want. but I'd prefer for the camera to be perpendicular to the ground. I could also mount the camera on the side of the beam, but then I wouldn't get full east-to-west coverage as I panned the camera.

Has anyone dealt with a similar situation? I've looked over a selection of Dahua weatherproof mounting boxes, but none of them do what I would like to so. Is there some other solution out there that I've missed? Or should I just mount it on the side of the beam and live with the compromised area of coverage?

 

[mat200]

I am thinking about mounting a Dahua SD49225T-HN PTZ camera beneath my deck. Unfortunately, the best option to place it in such a way as to keep it out of the worst of the weather is to mount it on a support beam at a 45 degree angle. This wouldn't be a problem if I mounted the camera on the top edge of the deck, but then the camera's lens would be directly exposed to the worst of the rain blowing in from the southwest. I'd like to avoid that for clarity of image if nothing else.

The question is this: how do I mount the camera? I could just live with the upper "arm" of the camera positioned at 45 degrees, and hope that the "ball" of the camera could tilt high enough to give me the coverage I want. but I'd prefer for the camera to be perpendicular to the ground. I could also mount the camera on the side of the beam, but then I wouldn't get full east-to-west coverage as I panned the camera.

Has anyone dealt with a similar situation? I've looked over a selection of Dahua weatherproof mounting boxes, but none of them do what I would like to so. Is there some other solution out there that I've missed? Or should I just mount it on the side of the beam and live with the compromised area of coverage?

View attachment 71502

HI @wtimothyholman

Unlike fixed angle cameras ( Bullet, Turret, Dome ), PTZ / PT cameras are designed to be aligned a particular way ( motors, gearing and such )

Thus in this case I would look to make a section from wood that attaches to that beam to created an horizontal surface which you attach the PTZ camera to.

 

[Jessie.slimer]

Yes, as @mat200 said you should try to mount it horizontal. If its not level on a ptz, as you pan left and right you will also be moving up and down. I think its called gimbal. It will be a pain in the ass to quickly move the camera around accurately. You will not like it.

 

[Mike A.]

You could put sections of 2x4s perpendicular at both sides so they extend just long enough past the angled beam to mount the cam. A piece of 1x6 (or whatever dimension works out) at the bottom to give you a flat area to mount the base of the cam.

Or maybe a short section of 4x4 cut on that same angle at the top so it gives you a 4x4 flat at the bottom?

Know what I mean?

 

[wittaj]

Make sure you try that PTZ temporarily in that location. The FOV of a PTZ zoomed all the way out is a lot tighter than most cameras,

Plus PTZs work best when installed higher up.

Unless your backyard drops off tremendously and thus makes the camera higher, I think you will be disappointed with the image you will get. I recently upgraded my front PTZ, so I moved the old one to the backyard, and even mounted on the 2nd story, I can only see a fraction of the backyard when zoomed all the way out. If I turn the camera down to the patio, I only get one "slab" in the camera view zoomed all the way out. Now if I want to zoom in to the single weed coming up between the crack, I can do that LOL.

 

[CCTVCam]

Not done this with CCTV, but if you're trying to cover the drive etc in the background, you could mount the ptz on the face of the wood rather than the underside provided the bracket fits. If not, a thick square or rectangular (more contact with beam with wider edge is mounted horizontal) wooden plate screwed firmly to the beam with the camera mounted to the plate. If you're worried about it coming off, you could use coach bolts instead - just make sure the bolts don't coincide with any of the brackets screw holes. I might tend towards bolts because of the camera weight. I'm sure the extra load is probably ok on the beam, but if worried, you can add support plates to the corners where the beam joins the main deck / other supports. There are mulitple jointing brackets made for this purpose.

I'd avoid mounting to the underside of the beam if possible due to the very small surface area of contact between any wooden plate and the beam. A small contact increases the torque on the screws and leverage if the edge of the wooden plate comes under pressure for any reason eg wind, weight of camera towards one edge etc.

Out of the two, I'd say that mounting a plate on the face of the beam rather than underside would be more stable due to the increased contact area with the beam provided by face vs edge.

For final safety, I'd attach the ptz, safety cable around an surface mounted eye plate screwed onto the beam and not to the plate so if the plate does come loose, the camera doesn't fall as it's still attached to the beam.

 

[wtimothyholman]

Thanks for everyone's input on this. Having more money than time to devote to this, I was hoping there might be some type of commercial product out there that would accommodate a 45 degree mounting angle, but apparently it doesn't exist. I'm going to have to construct a mounting bracket or brace of my own, or else mount it on the side instead of the front of the beam and see how that works.

And just to clarify, the PTZ camera isn't intended for an overview of my back yard. I already have another Dahua camera mounted for that. I want to install a PTZ camera to monitor my car when I park it behind my house. We've had instances of door checkers coming through the alleys as well as the streets, and a more detailed view would be useful.

 

[CCTVCam]

So the camera needs to face to the right, correct?

The two way's I would consider of doing it without going for an underside fixing would be:

1. Either 4 screws as shown or 2 bolts with washers, bolting a short length of beam (wide enough piece to take the ptx bracket) onto the side of the existing beam. Note here keep overhangs to a minimum as the longer they are, the more leverage there is against the fixings, also the reason I would use 4 screws or 2 bolts on different edges to counter the rotational forces):



2. If a firmer fixing is required, then you could use a longer beam and fasten it as above but also into one of the decking floor support beams by palcing it so the two intersect. This would give more lateral stability at the expense of less vertical stability because of the additional weight:



If you deceide to go with a 45 degree beam on the underside, I'd make it longer rather than shorter, put at least 3 good fixings in it from the underside, and probably use fixing plates on the sides and adhesive in the joint as a belt and braces approach.

Others may have other or better ideas, especially if joiners by trade, but this is how I would do it.