Mailbox camera.

C

Cam_curious

Young grasshopper
Jan 3, 2018
83
19
New Hampshire
I would like to install a camera inside my mailbox. I just want to see if I have mail, we don't have a mail theft problem around here. I want to know if I have mail so I don't have to go out in the rain or snow unnecessarily.
I was thinking of one of those small cameras that I could install at the top back on the inside of my mailbox. I would need IR illumination, so I can see the contents at night. I do have a wire available at the mailbox that could supply power but not transmit video, it is a wire like doorbell wire.
Has anyone done such a thing?
I see lots of great videos of people installing cameras to watch their mailbox from the outside, but that is not what I want.
 
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With one pair of doorbell-type wires you can only power the cam safely with low voltage (12VDC is common) and the Wi-Fi would struggle to make it to your house especially if the box is metal. A plastic mailbox and a dedicated, outdoor high transmit power/high receiver sensitivity access point might work with the Wi-Fi cam....maybe. :idk:
 
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My mailbox is metal and so would be a problem with a Wi-Fi antenna inside the box. I would like to have a camera that had an external antenna that I could mount outside the box.
 
You may also want to contact your local postmaster to insure they're OK with your intent. If they are OK with it, I'd get it in writing. :cool:
 
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To push 12VDC @ 2 Amps that wire needs to be at least #14 AWG if the run is over 60 feet.
If it's only #18 then it can't be over 20 feet for 2 Amps.

Voltage Drop Calculator
 
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If you can't see your mailbox from your house, then wifi camera will be very problematic.

Maybe you are fine one day with wifi cams, but one day something will happen. A new device, neighbors microwave, etc.

Cameras connected to Wifi routers (whether wifi or not) are problematic for surveillance cameras because they are always streaming and passing data. And the data demands go up with motion and then you lose signal. A lost packet and it has to resend. It can bring the whole network down if trying to send cameras through a wifi router. At the very least it can slow down your entire system because the signal strength would be poor.

Unlike Netflix and other streaming services that buffer a movie, these cameras do not buffer up part of the video, so drop outs are frequent, especially once you start adding distance. You would be amazed how much streaming services buffer - don't believe me, start watching something and unplug your router and watch how much longer you can watch NetFlix before it freezes - mine goes 45 seconds. Now do the same with a camera connected to a router and it is fairly instantaneous (within the latency of the stream itself)...

The same issue applies even with the hard-wired cameras trying to send all this non-buffer video stream through a router. Most consumer grade wifi routers are not designed to pass the constant video stream data of cameras, and since they do not buffer, you get these issues. The consumer routers are just not designed for this kind of traffic, even a GB speed router.

Many people unfortunately think wifi cameras are the answer and they are not. People will say what about Ring and Nest - well that is another whole host of issues that we will not discuss here LOL, but they are not streaming 24/7, only when you pull up the app. And then we see all the people come here after that system failed them because their wifi couldn't keep up when the perp came by. For streaming 24/7 to something like an NVR or Blue Iris, forget about it if you want reliability.
 
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I already have a door switch on my mailbox connected by the wire that I mentioned. It operates a doorbell chime in my workshop. The problem is that I may not be in my shop when the mail comes. Then I miss the alert.

I was wondering is there is some sort of modem device that could send video at a very slow frame rate down a low quality wire. I only want to see if there is mail there and do not need a high frame rate.
 
Cam_curious said:
I already have a door switch on my mailbox connected by the wire that I mentioned. It operates a doorbell chime in my workshop. The problem is that I may not be in my shop when the mail comes. Then I miss the alert.

I was wondering is there is some sort of modem device that could send video at a very slow frame rate down a low quality wire. I only want to see if there is mail there and do not need a high frame rate.
Click to expand...
Deconstruct a wireless trail cam?
 
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I have a similar situation although I can provide poe to the mailbox. I'm curious about what camera /lens would work best for such a short distance view to see the mail as well as a low enough IR brightness at that distance to not wash out the image. As for the other posters wireless options, you can always put the antenna outside the box to help with wifi reception. I use a yolink motion sensor with a receiver 15 acres away as well to let me know if the box has been opened.
 
Uless you go battery operated and enjoy replacing them often for a wireless cam, I restate my post # 5 figures regarding what you can supply with what you have:

To push 12VDC @ 2 Amps that wire needs to be at least #14 AWG if the run is over 60 feet.
If it's only #18 then it can't be over 20 feet for 2 Amps.
 
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i just use BI and my porch cam to see if the mail truck stopped by.....:idk: do you have line of sight?

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Flintstone61 said:
i just use BI and my porch cam to see if the mail truck stopped by.....:idk: do you have line of sight?
Click to expand...
The OP says he "....can't see my mailbox from my house." :confused:
 
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