Every outdoor camera needs power. How it gets that power shapes the whole project. It decides how reliable the camera is, how often someone has to touch it, and who you need to hire.
Power comes first
Most people pick the camera first. They compare picture quality, the app and the price, and power is an afterthought, if it comes up at all. But a camera with a shaky power plan is the one that goes dark when it counts. A dead battery or a tripped outlet means no video, and at a place you don’t visit often, you might not notice for weeks.
Three ways to do it
Outdoor cameras generally get power one of three ways.
- Battery. It runs on a rechargeable pack. Nothing to wire, but someone has to charge or swap it.
- Plug-in. It plugs into an outdoor outlet through its own power supply.
- Network cable. A single cable carries data and power back to a switch or recorder inside. You’ll often see this called Power over Ethernet.
Each one has trade-offs. Batteries are easy to install but need attention, and cold weather is hard on them. Plug-in cameras need an outlet close to where the camera goes. A network cable is more work up front, but the camera gets steady power and a wired connection.
Which suits your place
It depends on how the property gets used. A house you live in all year is a different job from a cottage that sits empty all winter. Weighing it up for a seasonal place? Read this comparison of how wired and wireless cameras hold up at a Georgian Bay cottage.
When it becomes electrical work
Adding a new outdoor outlet or a new circuit for a camera is electrical work. In Ontario, that comes with rules about who you can hire.
The Electrical Safety Authority doesn’t leave much room for interpretation here. In Ontario, only Licensed Electrical Contractors, or electricians employed by one, can legally be hired to do electrical work in your home. A licensed contractor files a notification of work with the ESA (that’s the permit), and the finished work gets reviewed by the ESA.
Checking who you’re hiring
The ESA suggests a few quick checks. Ask for the contractor’s ECRA/ESA licence number. Look for that number on their truck, business card and estimate. Then look them up with the ESA’s online contractor search.
It also lists some red flags. Be careful if a contractor asks you to pull the permit yourself, or tells you that you don’t need one. A cash discount with no receipt is another warning sign.
Keep the paperwork
When the job’s done, hang on to the contractor’s invoice and any ESA certificate. Your insurer may ask for them, and they can help when you sell.
A folder in a kitchen drawer is fine. What matters is that you can find it in five years.
Plan power before cameras
It’s tempting to choose the cameras first and sort out power later. Try it the other way around. It sounds backwards, but it works. Walk the property, mark where each camera should go, and note where power already exists.
Then figure out which cameras can run on a network cable, which need an outlet, and which really do need a battery. If you need an outlet, bring in a licensed electrical contractor early, so the wiring and the cameras get planned together instead of patched together later.
A camera is only useful if it stays on. Getting the power right, and the right people to install it, is what keeps it that way.