A challenging set-up? Off-grid PoE

[birdvision]

Hi folks.
Fair to say I am a complete rookie at all this and would really appreciate your advice.
I would like to set up an off-grid system in an area with no internet connection and, to make it more challenging, it has to be solar powered.
The system

• 16 IP cameras connected via cable to an NVR.
• NVR is running AI to detect human/ vehicle/ other.
• There is no need to transmit the footage but to reduce the amount of time sorting footage it would be nice to have different files for when an object is detected vs. nothing.
• Footage is retrieved fortnightly - monthly by swapping hard disks.
• Is this system feasible? Is there a better alternative to IP cameras? And if so what kit would you suggest?

Imagine money is no issue!

 

[wittaj]

Most of us here run systems that don't require internet.

If you set the house up with solar and battery storage, or make a system large enough to support the power of the NVR for days on end, then yes you can. The NVR doesn't care how it is powered.

 

[birdvision]

Most of us here run systems that don't require internet.

If you set the house up with solar and battery storage, or make a system large enough to support the power of the NVR for days on end, then yes you can. The NVR doesn't care how it is powered.

Thanks wittaj. So a very basic set-up would be just the NVR and the 16 IP cameras connected by ethernet for both data transfer and power supply?

 

[looktall]

You might get better life expectancy out of your solar and battery setup if you skipped the NVR and did it all in camera with SD cards.

It would be worth looking into powering the cameras via dc to see if there's any power savings to be made there too.

 

[Teken]

The first task is to determine the real world power consumption of all connected hardware.

The spec sheet from the vendor is a good start but everything needs to be validated with a meter during all operational times.

IE. At night when all of the cameras are using IR / LED. When motion is present vs not.

It goes without saying you’ll need to take into account how many sunny vs over cast days you expect to run for.

All of the above will dictate how much ampacity you need on hand and solar charging to bring the battery pack to 100%.

Given you haven’t provided any specific information about the solar / battery system. It’s not possible to offer very much relevant information until that is known!

IE. The solar & battery is for a house / cabin. Or the video security will be running on a dedicated battery & solar PV system?!?

Your location and the temperature environment will dictate everything you do and buy as it relates to both pieces of hardware.

In 2024 I can say it’s imperative to be running a 48 VDC battery system vs 12 VDC. The environment will dictate what type of battery chemistry you should use.

The vast majority of people living off grid have transitioned to LiFePO4 chemistry for its cycle life, DOD, and reduced fire risk.

They however do not have very good operating range. More specifically as it relates to low temperature recharging!

For low temperature recharging and excellent cycle life LTO cells are used. The downside is they almost always come in 2.3 VDC vs 3.2 VDC which makes building a 12 / 48 VDC battery pack harder as it requires more cells and the charging / discharging must be well regulated by the BMS.