Hey everyone! I'm planning a project to set up some hardware to monitor my garden and lawn. My idea is to install a weatherproof junction box on the side of my house that will house a Raspberry Pi, an SDR, and a few power supplies for multiple cameras. The Raspberry Pi will manage everything, including some environmental sensors, moisture meters, and nutrient sensors.
The tricky part for me is figuring out how to power this setup safely. My initial plan is to drill into my house and run an outdoor-rated cable from an indoor outlet into the junction box. Here's how it'll work: I'll connect the outlet to an outdoor-rated cable, leading to the junction box, which will have an on/off switch, a 10A GFCI circuit breaker, an AC to 5V DC converter, and a distribution box with fuses for each component inside the box. I plan to mount everything securely on a DIN rail.
My main concern is the safety of running 120V outside. I plan to keep the cable exit a few inches below the box and cover it with protective sheathing. Alternatively, I could run a 5V cable outside, but I'd rather avoid having an AC/DC converter in the wall. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this! Thanks!
1 Answer
For your camera setup, consider if you really need all that power. A simpler approach would be to use a wall-mounted power supply, like a wall wart that outputs 5V or 12V, and run that into your junction box from the outlet. Most cameras are likely to run at 12V and use less than an amp, so a 3 to 5 amp supply should suffice. You can control the cameras with relays or FET switches using the 12V supply. This way, you won't have to deal with high voltage outside, which is much safer and potentially easier to set up. Just be aware, running a power cord through a wall like that might not meet electrical codes! If you go this route, make sure to replace your indoor outlet with a GFCI for better protection.
I was thinking about adding some lights too, but I'm not sure it's necessary. Another commenter mentioned Power over Ethernet (PoE), which sounds like a safer alternative to working with line voltage. Would this option meet code, though?