Sunday, March 21, 2021

Wireless wildlife/security cameras across 80 mountainous acres


Objective: Setup wildlife/security cameras across as much of our 80 acres as possible.
This is just an overview of the primary steps for this project.  
  • Camera selection and range testing.
  • Antenna radio patterns and strategy for topography.
  • Lots of hiking for testing signal viability.
  • Solar power system selection for scaling.
  • Amp consumption calculations based on hardware selection.
  • Avoiding the inefficient inverter.
  • Researching PoE 24 volts vs. 48 volts.
  • Frequency separation between the bridge and sector antennas.
  • Network configuration strategy.
  • Network devices configuration.
  • Antenna alignment and signal strength testing/monitoring.
  • Solar power system testing.
  • Rock slab antenna mounting challenges.
  • Construction of the antenna mini tower.
  • Disassembling and transporting the systems.
  • Reassembling the Wifi station and alignment.
  • Testing and refinements.

Equipment list:
  • EdgeSwitch 5XP (PoE 5 ports)
  • airMax Sector antenna 90 degree 2.4 GHz
  • Rocket M2 radio
  • airMax LiteBeam AC 5 GHz (Overlook)
  • airMax LiteBeam AC 5 GHz (Trailer)
  • PoE Surge Protector
  • 12 volt to 24 volt converter
  • Renogy Solar Controller
  • 100 watt solar panel
  • 12 volt battery 105 Ah - 65 lbs.
Numerous rock outcroppings require strategic antenna placement for maximum coverage.


I had to research antenna radio patterns to devise a strategy for maximum coverage over the diverse topography.

The equipment I was looking to purchase was typically used for Wireless Internet Service Providers (WISP), and installed by professionals.  When we lived in Mead I had come in contact with a great company called Wind Wireless, they are based in Spokane.  Thankfully I was able to use them for consulting on this project.  Matthew, with Wind wireless, was able to verify my designs and equipment selection.  Below is the design that made the cut.

Looking at the mount design below seems like an obvious choice.  But it took me awhile to come up with it based on the following factors:
- The pole can't be buried because it is being mounted on a rock slab.
- It must be able to be moved for testing optimum signal coverage.
- It can't be too heavy because I have to hike it up 350' in the snow.
- The antenna needs to be mounted 5' from the ground and be sturdy enough to handle 60 knot gusts.
- It needs to be able to support 45 lbs. of antennas above the top half.
- The closest Home Depot is a 4 hour drive and there are limited hardware options nearby.
- Must be budget conscious since this is just a temporary setup.
- I only have a jig saw because most of our tools are buried in storage.

It was a little unsettling cutting the power cord of the new EdgeSwitch I just purchased, but the soldering went well.

This is my first solar powered system.  The setup was much more user friendly than I expected.  I spent a fair amount of time researching more than needed.  These are great plug and play units.


I'm so happy that I am able to avoid using any inefficient inverters and my entire electrical system is DC only.  I have to give thanks to Terry Pope for recommending a voltage converter and answering many questions so I didn't fry my electronics.

Everything had to be assembled, configured and tested at the bottom.  Once completed, the entire system would be disassembled so that it could be hiked up the mountain.  I labeled all the parts as if it was from Ikea for easier reassembly.

It took us 3 trips and some very sore legs to get all the equipment through the snow to the Overlook.  The sled worked nicely on the slight inclines, but it had to be carried during the steep sections.  The battery - 65 lbs. was the least fun of the trips, it had to be carried by hand most of the way

Time to reassemble and hope that I didn't forget any parts or tools. 

With everything assembled it is time to align the antennas and start testing signals.


Connection to our trailer is looking good.


I was able to pickup all cameras with some weak signals on the edges.  The weak signal on the edges were expected since I am trying to use a single 90 degree antenna to start with before investing in the second sector antenna and radio.

Live camera view picks up most cameras. Two cameras come and go but I still get movement alerts from them.

Everything is functioning great.  Now it is time to get more cameras on the new network!


From our driveway camera:


The tower has since been upgraded:


Sunday, June 17, 2018