This $17 solar panel gave my doorbell camera endless battery life – how I set it up

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Trust, but verify.

I was asked to help set up a tribute box on a famous route here in the UK. You know the drill – a box that offers pastries, drinks, and snacks to weary travelers who, too, are trusted to pay for their takeout, by putting cash in the box or using an electronic payment method.

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While I think most people are honest and trustworthy, with noble intentions, there are a few who are dishonest. So I suggested putting a security camera in this box. I had a cool battery operated cameras I’m sitting here doing nothing, so I suggested using them.

The problem is, these will need to be discharged and charged every few weeks. While there’s nothing disturbing about that job, “it’s something to keep in mind.” That got me wondering if I could MacGyver a solution and use solar power!

I had a few EverExceed solar panels I lied that I was sent for a test, but I did not get to it. Will it do the job? There’s only one way to find out!

Designed for the best outdoors

I’m generally not a fan of small solar panels. Most of what you come across, built in power banks or other cheap accessories, are gimmicky and don’t do much in the way of charging. In fact, I’ve seen cheap solar panels that will peel off the things attached to them!

The panels I had were rated at 5W, measured about 7 x 6.5 inches, and came attached to a 10-foot cable with a convertible microUSB/USB-C connector on the end. The panels are rated IP65 water resistant, and have an operating range of -4°F to 122°F.

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Sounds perfect for UK weather!

The panel also includes a 360° adjustable wall bracket. Although it is usually made of plastic, it is tough enough for the job.

The kit includes screws and wall brackets. More of what you need. Well, apart from a drill, a drill bit suitable for whatever you are attaching the panel to, and a screwdriver. And you’ll need some way to protect the cable from the wind.

Nothing will destroy a cable faster than rubbing it against something in the air for a few weeks. And if this cable breaks, it cannot be replaced without tearing the panel.

For a clean, professional job, you can use cable clips (self-adhesive or with nails), but since I’m attaching the unit to a wooden shed, I used duct tape and a staple gun.

Position is key

You need to plan the position of the solar panel. You have 10 feet of cable to play with, so that gives the right flexibility. If you are in the northern hemisphere, you want it to face south as much as possible, and away from the shadows (and if you have little sun, the most important thing is to maximize the sunlight captured by the panel).

You want the angle of the panel to be about the height of your floor (or about 45 degrees if you can’t be bothered to check it).

There are applications that will help to do this. I used the built-in scaling app on my iPhone to do both, but Android users have done it it is abundant of to choose from again.

It is not a thought

Attaching the camera is easy. Figure out where you want it to go, screw the bracket to the wall, attach the panel, point it at the sun, run the cable to the device you are charging (remember to put a drip loop on the cable where it goes through the wall into the building or shed as this stops water running around the cable, and you can fill the hole with silicone caulk), and finally connect the cable to whatever you’re charging.

I set this up a few weeks ago, and it worked great. Not only did it charge the camera from about 75% to 100% in a day, but it kept it fully charged ever since.

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And it was far from the sun most of the time. I also checked the solar panel the other day for signs of damage or corrosion, and there were none, which is very promising.

You can give the solar panel a hand and make sure the doorbell camera is fully charged, especially if the weather isn’t that hot.

ZDNET shopping advice

For $16, this EverExceed 5V solar panel you are a winner. You can picked up by othersor to 2-pack or 3-pack. You need a camera with a battery that can be charged via USB. The panel’s sales page on Amazon says it doesn’t work with Arlo, Blink, or Ring cameras. I’ve tested it with a few cameras I have here from these brands, and it seems to work fine, but I don’t have all of them.

Arlo cameras use a magnetic connector, and for those, you’ll need one USB-C-to-USB-C adapter connecting the cable to the solar panel (cover it inside shrink the tubes for waterproofing).

So if you have one of these cameras, you may need to channel your inner MacGyver.

Also, no matter what camera you have, you may need to waterproof the connection between the camera and the charging cable. Little by little silicone caulk he must do the work.

But this is a great solution for those who don’t want to take out their cameras or doorbells to charge every few weeks.