IMAGING
OUTDOOR WEBCAM
ENCLOSURE
Capture winter scenes from hanging sewer
pipes. By Alek Komarnitsky
I anteed up the big bucks for a wireless security
webcam with motorized pan, tilt, and 10x optical
zoom — specifically, the D-Link DCS-6620G. Nice
webcam, but I wanted to put it outside so people
everywhere could view my Halloween decorations
and infamous Christmas lights.
The problem is that the webcam is rated only
down to 32°F, and here in Colorado, temperatures
can drop below zero. Suitable prefab outdoor
enclosures cost about $500 and include a blower
and heater, so I decided to build my own simpler
webcam enclosure. It cost me a whopping $27,
and it has successfully stood up to two full
seasons of Rocky Mountain rain, cold, and snow.
I installed the webcam at my neighbors’ house,
hanging it from a 6" can light fixture under an
150 Make: Volume 09
eave that had good line-of-sight to our house.
The basic idea was to attach 2 brackets hanging
down from the inside of the can, and build an easily
removable enclosure that would hang from a rod
running horizontally through the brackets.
For the brackets, I straightened two 5" L-brackets in a vice, and extended their internal cut
with a hacksaw. Then I used sheet metal screws
to anchor the brackets to the inside walls of the
recessed light fixture. I screwed in an adapter
to convert the fixture’s socket into a power plug
for the webcam, which is the only physical
connection the webcam needs.
I made the enclosure itself out of 6" inner
diameter, foot-long ABS sewer pipe. (Yes, sewer
pipe — no expense spared!) I cut a 1' length of
Photography by Alek Komarnitsky
