Are there any Flood light (hanging under overhands outside) cameras that integrated with IFTTT or smart things on the market? I love my blinks but id love 24/7 recordings.
thanks
Ring floodcam , but it’s not as complete at integration as you might think at first glance:
@BigHoss can say more about that.
The other alternative is just to add separate motion sensor and floodlight devices and use smartthings to tie it all together.
FWIW, the Ring cameras only start recording once triggered by the motion sensors, and typically record for I think it’s something like 2 minutes after montion stops.
There has been recent updates to the the Ring integration in SmartThings, you now have control of recording / camera function, light function, and have access to the motion sensor, what you lack access to is the siren, which to me is a huge deal.
I have recently been working with Ring Customer satisfaction people letting them known my concerns RE: the siren access, and according to them, the siren issue is intentional, and a concern for false siren triggers, which I understand. But it’s not impossible to fix…
I will say, for the 24x7 recording, I would like to enable one of my cams to do this, most notably my driveway camera. I haven’t dug too deeply into the ST camera function that is there, but if it would allow me to record, or even IFTTT to point to say my Google Drive and then allow me to clip that out I would be good there.
I have a colleague that is using the Nest doorbell / camera and it records 24x7, but it seems like a LOT of data. If you know when an issue took place, it could be hlepful, but otherwise, not so much… The record when an event happens seems to be at least easier to review…
I want them to be in the housing of my can lights… LIke there are bluetooth camera lights for inside, but nothing outdoor that i can find.
I dont have wiring, I want to use power from the can light.
like something along these lines, just integrated etc https://www.amazon.com/TOUCAN-Outdoor-Security-Powered-Installation/dp/B01DFIMFS8
I don’t know of anything that fits your criteria. Sounds interesting though…
I don’t know of any others to retrofit an existing fixture. The toucan is unusual ( made by the same company that makes the Kuna). There’s no integration with anything else, though, not even IFTTT.
Yeah i think its certainly something that would be nice… You could easily just add a small camera at a 45 degree angle or whatever from a normal flood bulb. plenty of power in there… Would make it awesome for those of us with can lights outside in our eaves
EDIT
I just saw your last comments, so yeah, you are running recessed can lights in an eave, I get it now…
Your options really are to pull power, either from that fixture box, or from elsehwere, install a box obviously, and add an outlet to the underside of that eave, well away from any potential water of course, and check with your local code officials etc…
Once you have power, you have LOTS of choices for cameras. FWIW, My recommendations below were for hte Ring light type cameras, and I still believe the Floodlight camera is the best bet, but YMMV. Best of luck with this, and let us know what you come up with!
END EDIT
So I need to ask, what is your installation like? You have a fixture apparently, but it sounds like it may be a recessed can type fixture?
I chose the cameras I did for logistics reasons if for no others… And my wife didn’t want me replacing the light fixture between the garage doors. So what I did was…
#1. Ring spotlight camera wired, this is mounted 9’ from ground level, and directly above the garage door / driveway light fixture. Cable is routed using the provided anchors down the siding and garage door trim, to inside the garage and up the wall to the socket on the inside of the garage. The cable is painted using the regular house paint for the house and blends in rather nicely.
#2. Ring spotlight camera wired #2 is mounted directly under the eave by the kitchen window to get the front yard and side of the house that the garage camera can’t see. The cable is routed under the eave and down the wall to an existing outdoor outlet. Considering adding another outlet to the underside of the kitchen bay window so I can more easily hide the presence of the cable.
Both of these simply had to be mounted within REASONABLE proximity to an existing 110v AC outlet. Perhaps this could work for you?
#3. Ring Floodlight camera. This is by my back door. My existing floodlight fixture was rusted out and starting to crumble. I was planning on replacing it and going with a spotlight camera as an extra when I found the floodlight camera. It uses a standard round exterior box to mount, and honestly, unless you KNOW what to look for, people automatically assume it is just a floodlight with a motion sensor to activate it…
Any regrets? Yes.
The spotlight camera wired is great, but the floodlight camera produces MUCH more light, and honestly it looks more “normal” and less like a security camera pointing at the neighbors…
Now having said that, if your existing fixture isn’t a recessed can, and I am just misunderstanding what you are saying, and you have a floodlight / round box there, go ahead and go with the floodlight camera.
I wish I had taken the advice I am about to give you but here goes. IF you have the space above your existing light, extend the wiring and wire up that round box, and go with the Floodlight camera. While it isn’t perfectd, it is pretty awesome.
No matter how you solve the problem, it sounds like you are going to have to tap your power off of that existing fixture. Figure that out, and everything else falls into place…
Nest outdoor cameras record 24/7 with a Nest Aware subscription. They need 120VAC power, which you have, but aren’t going to just screw into your can light fixture.
1 Like
Yeah I have a problem getting power to the spots I want… I could tap in to the wiring for the lights, but thats a lot more work than I want to do… Just using existing light fixtures would make it super easy.
Back in the dark ages I used to hook up Christmas lights along the eaves using a thing that screwed into a standard light bulb and had a standard, two prong, socket.
Not sure 2-prong would work and not sure how you’d keep it from being ugly…