PTZ installing to vinyl siding

[Timokreon]

Thinking of getting the sd49225xa-hnr while they're still around. Problem being how to secure.

I either hang from the soffit, but the only ceiling mount bracket I can find is the PFB300c, which is 16" long. Combined with the PTZ being around 12", and the soffit only being around 8' off the ground, the camera would be almost head high, which I'm not thrilled about.
If I could find a ceiling bracket that didn't have the post come down 16", that might be possible.

The other is using a corner mount bracket, pf151. The problem here is the vinyl siding. There isn't really anything behind the vinyl siding to attach the bracket to, unless I used REALLY long screws, which I don't want to. Hence, leaving only the vinyl siding to hold 10lbs of camera, bracket, etc..

Any ideas folks? Maybe a junction box attached to aluminum bands which are attached to the soffit, to help carry the load?

 

[wittaj]

I used something like this for my 49225 on vinyl siding and it has been rock solid for years. This extends back past the siding and in between the particle board and drywall.

Just get whichever diameter size you need for the bolt you will use.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/TOGGLER-2-Pack-Assorted-Length-x-3-16-in-Dia-Toggle-Bolt-Drywall-Anchor-Screws-Included/3183813

 

[Timokreon]

That looks good, my only problem with that is they only use foam board behind the vinyl siding around here. So it goes, vinyl siding, foam insulation board (which Is around 4-6" thick), rolled insulation, THEN wood framing etc

So I'm not sure if that would hold with just foam board, and I'm not 100% sure where they put electrical wires. Some of the shortcuts the builders used, every time I find something new, just pisses me off even more.

Hence another reason I was kind of leaning towards using the soffit. I could still use the anchor screw up through aluminum bar stock as support, then the junction box to all that?

 

[wittaj]

Oh that sucks. They say those toggle bolts will hold a 65" TV on drywall, not that I would try LOL. I suspect that foam insulation board isn't good enough either.

Other option would be if you could find a stud to go into. Two screws into that should be enough to hold it.

I initially looked at thru the soffit as well, but that was all jacked up with the roof truss being at angles and was going to be a hassle, so I went with the toggle bolts.

 

[Timokreon]

Yeah... several issues over the years have made me shake my head at the builders. Good for the next people though, since I've corrected most of it. lol
I'm going to order the corner bracket mount and the ceiling mount, see what is what before I order any more cameras. I think I could do the soffit with aluminum bar stock to shore everything up.

Or I could say screw it, and just replace 3 of the cameras I have with the 5442 vari-focal. I would most likely get better use out of updating the cameras over 1 ptz. lol..

 

[Mike A.]

Some of those corner brackets for PTZs are much larger than they appear on the sites. Don't recall which now but without paying enough attention to size I bought one thinking that I'd use it to mount a regular cam. HUGE! But I guess that's what you need to hold a larger PTZ.

 

[Timokreon]

Yeah, the Dahua corner bracket sounds like it's pretty dang big.
If I didn't have the WAF to consider, I'd put up 4 of these and call it a day, but.... I'm lucky if I'm able to get away with 1 or MAYBE 2, if I can position them so they don't look terrible.

The backyard is my main concern for camera coverage.. that's where I'd go if I wanted to get into my house, though they'd end up in trouble with my dog. She doesn't like anyone she doesn't know in her yard, or even her sidewalk/driveway. No clue how she does it, but she can be sound asleep, and BOOM... head for the window and there is somebody walking past on the sidewalk, which is 40-50' away. If anyone even THOUGHT about hurting her mom, oh boy... lol..

Since I'm rambling here... which would you do? Buy the 1 PTZ for the side/backyard, and 1 5442 vari-focal to replace a Lorex... or replace 3 Lorex with the vari-focal and forget about the PTZ, for now. Andy states there is a mini-ptz coming in August that might be a good fit for me.

 

[sebastiantombs]

I'd buy eight 5442-ZE, two for each side of the house, so they can "watch" each other. A PTZ, especially if "on patrol" will always be looking the wrong way at the wrong time. Murphy's Law.

 

[mat200]

Thinking of getting the sd49225xa-hnr while they're still around. Problem being how to secure.

I either hang from the soffit, but the only ceiling mount bracket I can find is the PFB300c, which is 16" long. Combined with the PTZ being around 12", and the soffit only being around 8' off the ground, the camera would be almost head high, which I'm not thrilled about.
If I could find a ceiling bracket that didn't have the post come down 16", that might be possible.

The other is using a corner mount bracket, pf151. The problem here is the vinyl siding. There isn't really anything behind the vinyl siding to attach the bracket to, unless I used REALLY long screws, which I don't want to. Hence, leaving only the vinyl siding to hold 10lbs of camera, bracket, etc..

Any ideas folks? Maybe a junction box attached to aluminum bands which are attached to the soffit, to help carry the load?

HI @Timokreon

What is the soffit like?

In theory I would look to drop down a support of some sort down from the soffit ..

 

[Timokreon]

I'd buy eight 5442-ZE, two for each side of the house, so they can "watch" each other. A PTZ, especially if "on patrol" will always be looking the wrong way at the wrong time. Murphy's Law.

I actually have `10 cameras up at the moment, but 4 of those are Lorex. I'll eventually replace all those, but for now I think I'll replace 3 of them and wait a couple months to see what that mini-ptz is all about.

 

[Timokreon]

HI @Timokreon

What is the soffit like?

In theory I would look to drop down a support of some sort down from the soffit ..

The soffit is your standard vinyl, with perhaps some metal combined? If I do get a PTZ, I'm thinking of using the aluminum to attach to the soffit side-wise, then attach the ceiling mount to the aluminum bars. I think that would be able to hold the 10lbs or so, but not 100% sure at the moment.

Only other thing I can think of at the moment is to actually remove the soffit, put up a 2x4 or something similar, and attach to the roofing braces, then use that to secure the PTZ to.

 

[sebastiantombs]

I'd do the 2x4 or even a 2x6 or 2x8 inside the soffit. If you do attach to the siding, assuming you can find a stud, you still need to get padding under the siding so it doesn't collapse from the pressures of the mounting bolts and the weight of the camera.

 

[mat200]

The soffit is your standard vinyl, with perhaps some metal combined? If I do get a PTZ, I'm thinking of using the aluminum to attach to the soffit side-wise, then attach the ceiling mount to the aluminum bars. I think that would be able to hold the 10lbs or so, but not 100% sure at the moment.

Only other thing I can think of at the moment is to actually remove the soffit, put up a 2x4 or something similar, and attach to the roofing braces, then use that to secure the PTZ to.

HI @Timokreon

I would look to what @sebastiantombs suggests ..

For PTZ cameras there are drop down hardware components you can buy or build to support the camera if you have enough support in the soffit.

This way you do not interfere with the walls insultation and vapor barriers ..

I'd do the 2x4 or even a 2x6 or 2x8 inside the soffit. If t=you do attach to the siding, assuming you can find a stud, you still need to get padding under the siding so it doesn't collapse from the pressures of the mounting bolts and the weight of the camera.

 

[Timokreon]

Yes, the soffit sounds like the way to go. I have a siding/soffit removal tool, but never tried to use it before. Think a friend I know replaces siding, so I'd probably give him a call to ask him to remove the soffit, place the 2x4 or some kind of support, then have him put it back together.

Probably the easiest and safest way to do this. Or could hire someone to go up into the attic and have them attach support, etc.. but with this heat and humidity, bleh.

I've got 3 5442 coming Wednesday, which will give me enough to do at the moment in this heat.
The neighbor is also taking their tree down, which was supposed to have been last week, still waiting. I have to stay around the house in case they show up to make sure they don't hit my irrigation when grinding the stump and roots.

 

[Flintstone61]

As a rookie cam owner. I began my IP camera life by being shown my new surveillance system at my new job ( a 74 unit Condo), They had 12 cams. with RG59 coax terminations. hooked to a funky PC, with EyeMax video recording software and a PCI card with 16 coax dongles hanging out of it stuffed in a cabinet with whining cooling fans loaded with dust. Puulllease.
I thought, " there has got to be a better way".......Holy Mother of Fried bananas.
So i wound up here, and began the hardknock life of a Newb. Bought my first IP cam (Jidetech)/Hikvision OEM 2MP 16x zoom PTZ.
In hindsight I should have bought a handful of static cams to get going.
I still have the PTZ today, but it's really just a static cam most days. I put it out back on what i refer to as Goose shit patrol.
once it a while it earns it's keep as a zoomer.
But most of my money shots are off the 5241 z12e, and the 5442 6mm, and the 5442 Z turret. and other overview cams.
Originally from fabulous Crystal Lake and Libertyville IL.

 

[Flintstone61]

I also have a PTZ 49425 ( whatever it is) in a box, and vinyl siding and Aluminum soffit. I've been eyeballing the big oak we had trimmed last year as one possible Idea for a mounting location.

 

[Timokreon]

A northerner eh? lol

I have way too many hobbies and not enough money to go around. I don't REALLY need to upgrade the cams, they do their job and the doggo won't let anyone near anyway. But... I'm one of those who thinks better safe than sorry. Plus, I like being able to see what's going around my house on the outside, whether I'm home or somewhere else. Also let's me keep an eye on the doggo when she's outside.
Until I put the cams up, I had no idea all the wildlife in the area. Possums, raccoons, coyotes, deer, etc... I figured things were around, but not this much. lol..

Only 4 of my neighbors have even noticed I have cams.. that includes 1 who helped me put some of them up, and me telling 2 of them I had cams after somebody was snooping around the area. The rest are completely oblivious.

Looking at things, the ultimate spot my actually be up at the top of the house, kind of a A-frame at the front and side of the house. Putting it way up there, I'd get a clear shot of everything in the front or side...
The bad thing would be getting a cable up there and getting it all set up. I'm not good with ladders and roofs anymore. Funny how that kind of stuff didn't bother me one bit when I was younger, now? Yeah.. no thanks.
That and I wouldn't be able to see anything around my house at all... it would be basically from about 30-40 foot on out. I'd be able to see the sidewalk out pretty much.

I would definitely have to hire a electrician to run and install that one for me.

 

[Flintstone61]

Here is ye olde Goose shit patroller PTZ. She's got a way about er. It misses motion sometimes. You don't know until you have other cams viewing the same area, showing a car/deer/coyote/assclown...meandering through the lot at Zero Dark Thirty. Pardon the Freight Train noise. We're alongside the tracks. But hopefully not on the wrong side of the tracks

 

[Timokreon]

I'm going to piggy back on my own thread here. How is everyone installing a regular camera, like a 5442 turret, to your vinyl siding?
I'm going to put 1 camera up around the 6 foot height for my driveway. The vinyl siding is just regular looking, then foam insulation, blown insulation, then plywood.

So basically I'm not going to have anything to really HOLD onto. Would attaching the camera straight to the siding work with perhaps extra long screws to give it a little extra hold?
As for studs to drill into, I'm going to take a look with a stud finder to see if anything is close enough. Another problem could be electrical from the exterior garage lights.

I THINK the siding should be able to hold 3lbs without any problem, but... ya never know.

 

[gansle]

I use 1 1/2” wood deck screws into siding/ plywood for all mine. Never looked for stud. Been up for years no issues.