Hey team genius!
I'm planning on running two Wyze cams on the corners of my house pointing out to my backyard so I can monitor my dog (and for security i guess, but not really the end goal) when he's in my back yard.
I'm trying to decide the best way to run power to them. My basement is unfinished, so the closest accessible power supply is between 20 and 40 feet away.
Originally, I was just going to run romex to an outlet that I would place just inside the outside, and then run a USB cable through the wall to the camera housing outside.
I have since learned this is against code once I eventually rock my ceiling (and therefore have an inaccessible outlet).
Here are my new thoughts.
1. Still run romex, but to a weatherproof junction box outside of my house. I'm not thrilled aobut this idea, because then i'd have a weird outlet 11 feet off the ground outside on my house corners. It would look weird.
2. Run a Cat5 cable from a PoE injector the duration of the run and then convert to USB inside the house, and finish the usb line outside. This is probably my favorite idea, except it appears that PoE injectors are sorta expensive ($20 at a minimum for two, whereas my outlet idea would have been like $3 for the outlet - cat5 runs appear to be slightly cheaper (?) but i'd need to buy the crimping tool, etc.).
3. Same as above, but run the cat5 outside to a junction box, then convert to usb. Downsides of this is similar to option 1: I have a box outside. Upsides: I could access the USB/Cat5 converter connection if it fails somehow in the future. Also, I could potentially run the camera higher outside along the siding with Cat5 not having a distance restraint like USB does. Also, a PoE outside in a box is probably more versatile than a powered USB. Who knows what the standards will look like in 5+ years.
4. Be lazy and just run a 20 foot extension cord to the wall, and then plug in a USB to the end and through the wall, and worry about it when i get around to finishing my basement in a few years. This is probably the most expensive and the worst option, but it would be super easy.
5. ????
Any thoughts?