A security camera in tandem with a floodlight will enable you to monitor a space day or night. The camera can be hooked up to a TV monitor and VCR or DVD recorder (if you have a digital security camera) to capture everything that happens within the camera's field of view. Use common household tools and these steps to hook up a security camera.
Instructions
1. Pick a spot for surveillance. An elevated position on a wall is ideal, because you will have a commanding view of the area under surveillance and the camera will be out of reach. A wall location next to an existing light fixture is the best choice, because you will be able to connect the camera to the electrical wiring and install a floodlight to illuminate the area. Motion-activated sensors will turn on the floodlight and activate the camera if an intruder comes in range. These sensors are available at hardware stores.
2. Turn off the power to the exterior light fixture at the circuit breaker.
3. From inside the building, drill a hole into the wall at the spot where the security camera will be mounted on the exterior wall.
4. Route the end of the video cable into the hole and secure it temporarily to the wall with a piece of duct tape.
5. Use the ladder to reach a suitable height for installing the camera outdoors.
6. Place the mounting bracket on the wall next to the light fixture, and use an electric drill to bore holes through the bracket into the wall for the mounting screws. Drill a larger hole next to the bracket for routing the power and video cables from the camera.
7. Install the camera on the mounting bracket, and point the lens in the desired direction.
8. Remove the light fixture with the screwdriver, and attach the power wires from the security camera to the terminals on the light fixture. Attach the white wire to the white terminal and the black wire to the black terminal by wrapping the wires around the posts, then tightening with the screwdriver.
9. Reach inside the mounting hole for the light fixture, and pull the video cable toward you, routing the end of the cable through the hole next to the security camera mount. Connect the video cable to the camera's output jack.
10. Place a bead of caulk around the hole for the video cable to prevent moisture from seeping inside.
11. Reattach the light fixture to the wall, and screw in a floodlight, if desired.
12. From inside the house, route the video cable to a TV monitor and plug the jack into the TV's input jack.
13. Connect a video cable to the TV's output jack, and plug the other end into the input or video record jack of either a VCR or a DVD recorder, if the security camera is a digital model.
14. Turn on the circuit breaker, and plug the TV and recording device into a power outlet.
15. Set the TV to channel 3 or 4 to monitor activity picked up by the security camera.
Tags: light fixture, security camera, video cable, because will, camera will
