Protecting a cash drop box

[m_knoblock]

My break-in has me spooked, so I'm looking for a way to identify anyone approaching a cash drop box some of my renters use. I have a camera about 100' away that will pick up vehicle proximity but I see that another close-up camera would be needed if it is ever vandalized. The box is mounted on a porch post, next to the front steps of one of the units.

Any thoughts about whether a dash cam or a field cam would be a better option here? Another problem is that the far camera is on a wired high-speed network, but the drop box cam would have to be wireless (or cellular) - no direct cable at the moment.

 

[mikeynags]

Can you share some pictures? How close is the dropbox to the house?

 

[m_knoblock]

Right on the front porch - see pics. Just having cars parked under the carport is a good deterrent, but people are crazy anymore. The other camera has a view of the box from about 80 ft away. I was thinking about a rafter-mounted camera on the porch about 8-10 feet from the box, which would give me a face view.

The trick is CAT5. I 'could' run cable from the box over to the other trailer and get on the internet, but I have no PC (and no BlueIris) running onsite. Without the CAT5, a wireless camera would work fine but I've heard they are too unstable to work in a security setting.

 

[TonyR]

Dash cam would require much outdoor-proofing and image retrieval problems, remotely or on-site, so I'd go with an outdoor-rated IP camera.

Wireless not my first choice but if you have to, I'd suggest using 2 Ubiquiti Loco 5GHz radios set up as a Layer 2 Transparent Bridge, that way you could get the IP cam you want/need and not be at the mercy of what has built in wireless. I use this method often because CAT-5 running between 2 structures each with metal roof and siding is courting certain lightning damage here in the southeast, TN included. IMO, lightning damage is not totally preventable but one can do things to decrease the likelihood. Furthermore, the UBNT wireless bridge is VERY dependable and virtually trouble-free.

You'd connect one UBNT radio (configured AP mode) on one end to your existing "wired high-speed network" at the existing camera location, and connect the other radio (Station mode) to the new camera. The UBNT radios I mentioned are 24VDC passive POE, other UBNT models use the more standard active POE such as 802.3af or 802.3at but I am not familiar with those.

Example below:

 

[m_knoblock]

@TonyR: thanks for this! I've used WDS network extenders in other places, so this sounds good.

My last problem is that I can't really have a bulky PC in a rental, so what are my options for 24X7 recording? I can port forward the cameras out to the internet but will this work reliably to a BI installation at my house? Swapping out SD cards at the rental is not an appealing option.

 

[TonyR]

I can port forward the cameras out to the internet but will this work reliably to a BI installation at my house?

It should be as steady as the Internet is reliable for you now, I would think/hope. I'm a big fan of BI myself.