The peephole in the door is one of the security elements. The device allows you to see the visitor and ignore unwanted guests. The video peephole is a more modern and convenient option. It provides a wider viewing angle, is invisible from the outside, and allows you to observe the site in front of the entrance on a remote monitor. The device can be bought or made by hand.
Video eye complete set
Distinguish between wired and wireless options. The former are considered more reliable due to their simple design. Consists of a wired video peephole of 3 main components:
- A cylindrical tube is a metal tube into which an objective lens is placed. It is the same size as the tube for the optical device, so you do not need to make new holes when replacing. The tube is fixed with a nut from the inside.
- Camera with screen - black and white or color.
- Wires - one provides the transfer of the image from the lens to the recording device, the second supplies an electric current. If the model is powered by a rechargeable battery, only 1 cable is needed - transmitting.
Wired models can be equipped with additional devices: a microphone, infrared illumination to improve the image at night, and more.
A wireless video peephole differs from a wired one only in the absence of cables. Devices with a camera are also installed in the door leaf, and a recording device with a display is placed anywhere in the apartment.
Image quality is higher on wired models.
Functional features of work
The video peephole screen is small - this is the most power-consuming part of the device. The easiest way is to install it next to the DVR. The device can operate from finger batteries.
Modern versions of the video eye provide more options:
- Wi-Fi models are equipped with a processor with wireless signaling functions. The image is transferred directly to a working laptop, computer, tablet or smartphone. In the latter case, you can remotely monitor the site in front of the door, respond to visitors, open doors if they are equipped with an electric lock.
- An IP video peephole is a more versatile option. You can control what is happening in front of the door outside the house. The Wi-Fi function is built in by default.
- Recorded model - the electronic circuitry of such a video door peephole includes a motion sensor. The camera turns on only at the moment when the sensor detects the movement of an object. The device consumes less energy. Images from the peephole are transmitted to a tablet or smartphone, where they are saved.
The range of the motion sensor should be 1.5 m. If the indicator is lower, the sensor does not justify itself.
Making a video eyelet for the front door with your own hands
A homemade video door peephole, in terms of its characteristics, sometimes does not differ from a branded one. Getting the gadgets you need is easy.Old webcams, video recorders, mobile phones are used. More effort has to be made to secure a homemade video eyelet, since the hole for a standard tube is large for it.
It is easier to do it yourself with a wired option, although it will also require cables.
From a cell phone camera
A home-made video surveillance system from a push-button telephone is mounted from models where the camera is activated by a separate button or by opening the shutter - Nokia 6 series, for example. The dimensions of the camera are slightly smaller than the hole for the peephole, so for installation you need to make a special device - a frame with glass, which is fixed in the hole.
The algorithm is as follows:
- A camera is taken out of the phone.
- A wire is selected with the same number of cores as in a standard loop - usually 12. If the cable is short, it is extended. The wire should be no longer than 1 m.
- Solder the cable to the camera and mobile phone.
- The video device is inserted into the frame and fixed. The telephone is installed on the door. The cell phone's power supply also powers the camera.
If desired, you can connect your phone to a computer via a USB cable or use Bluetooth. Observation data can be recorded on a computer or tablet.
From the webcam
Making a video peephole from a webcam with your own hands is the easiest way. You will need installation tools, a USB cable, and a working webcam for this. The procedure is almost the same:
- A frame or tube is made for attaching the camera - its dimensions are too small for the standard version.
- Install the device so that nothing obstructs the view of the lens and does not reduce the viewing angle.
- The camera is connected to a laptop or computer via a USB extension cable. A special application for recording images from a video camera is installed on the device.
If you leave the laptop turned on when leaving the apartment, the recording will be carried out continuously.
From tablet
Making a video peephole from an old tablet is a little more difficult. The algorithm is the same as when constructing a video system from a mobile phone. The camera is removed from the device. Solder a cable with the appropriate number of cores and connect the latter to any module capable of transmitting an image. The power supply of the peephole is provided by the power supply unit of the recording device.
The camera is placed in the hole of the peephole, and the module with the screen anywhere in the apartment - as long as the cable will last.
From the car registrar
Car DVR is a compact device that includes both a camera and a recording module. The cost of the recorder is lower than an apartment video eyelet and it does not require connection to a tablet or computer, since the recording is made on its own memory card.
Installation is simple: from the inside of the door, a hole is made for the body of the device so that the lens is located opposite the hole for the optical peephole.
The maximum length of the connecting cable is 1 m. Both parts of the device are placed in any convenient way that this length allows. The maximum length of the USB cable is 5 m. The video eyelet can be connected to a stationary computer in the office.
Installing a surveillance system
The mounting of the video peephole depends on the model, type of mounting plate, dimensions of the indoor unit, etc. The general scheme is as follows:
- Installation begins with the installation of the battery in the indoor unit. If the video peephole is powered from the mains, the item is skipped.
- Bolts are screwed into the back of the tube. The length is selected according to the thickness of the door leaf. The model comes with several bolts of different lengths.
- The peephole is inserted from the outside so that the bell button is below the lens. On the inside of the door, there should be a loop and fixing bolts.
- Install the mounting plate. The bolts and the cable are passed through the slots. The bolts are tightened to the stop.
- The cable is connected to the connector of the indoor unit. The module is then secured to the mounting plate.
You can install the unit in another place, but close to the door. The distance is determined by the length of the cable.
The main advantages of a homemade video surveillance system
In such a system, the main element - a video camera - is no different from professional ones, since it is removed from the existing, but outdated devices. Perhaps the image quality is inferior, there is no infrared illumination, but otherwise the webcams from the tablet are no worse.
Additional benefits are as follows:
- a do-it-yourself video peephole is noticeably cheaper, since its constituent parts are free;
- with sufficient skills, the image and camera mode can be configured individually;
- homemade video peephole provides round-the-clock shooting if you connect it to a tablet or laptop;
- the device runs on batteries, this option is easier to do with your own hands.
A homemade video peephole performs its main task no worse than a factory one. Its manufacture and installation will cost less than buying. Repair is also easier to do.
much unnecessary .. incompetence. To begin with, a wireless eyelet differs from a wired one not only by the absence of wires, but also by the presence of a transmitter. So you also need a receiver. Then, to make a video camera yourself, and even from a phone, you have to try very hard, an unprepared person cannot do it. It's easier to buy a ready-made, frameless, black-and-white one costs around 1000 rubles. The article is designed for an unprepared reader.
For 6-7 years, instead of a peephole, a cheap car registrar works. Powered by old TLF charging around the clock. (all this time). He took out all the lenses from the old peephole, left the case and inserted a round plastic "glass" outside. The mode was set - by the motion sensor in front of the door for 2 minutes. I went on vacation, I arrived, I watched all the visitors on the video. The recording goes in a circle to the SIDIshku.