Housing or enclosure for cam on ground

V

Virga

Pulling my weight
Feb 13, 2023
225
174
USA
Looking for ideas for a housing or enclosure for a Z4 cam or equivalent laying on the ground.
Please see images, 01 road looking East and 02 road looking West. Made these with an iPhone 14 Pro max at 3X zoom. They roughly approximate the FOV, except the actual cam would be a much narrower FOV.

The ground there is elevated approximately five feet above the road, so a good height for purpose. There is no landscaping or built feature where the cams could go, except adjacent to existing tree trunks.
Am thinking of something like a shoe-box laying on the ground or on a couple off bricks, right next to a tree trunk so the cam does not stand out on otherwise featureless ground.

Recently I got T54IR-ZE cams mounted on driveway gate posts. Even fully zoomed in, they serve mostly as overview cams because of distance and angles to road.
To pick up detail, I need to get closer and at a more acute angle to the road, so want to try a Z4.
Hence the question on how to get a zoom cam out there on the ground without it being conspicuous.

Edit:
The responses below have inspired an idea that fits the circumstances/environment - a "fake log".
Since the settings is woods, we have good-sized branches falling now and then.
A "fallen log" would blend right in.
 

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    02_road_looking_West.JPG
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wittaj

Post in thread 'Hiding camera in plain sight, frontyard?'

There are a few threads floating around here of cameras in birdhouses, fake rocks, in trees/bushes, landscape lighting, etc.

Mailbox Hide, Newbie Down the Rabbit Hole

I decided that I really needed some street view cameras... long before I realized it would start me down the path to ipcams and Blue Iris. I knew where I wanted cameras, right at the street, in the mailbox and at least somewhat hidden. I schemed about Wi-Fi and solar panels, batteries, voltage...
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Fake Rock Thread!

I was going to post this in another thread, but IMNSHO this deserves its own thread. I need a fake rock for hiding a POE-powered-POE switch and perhaps a bunch of other adapters, cables, etc. out by my mailbox, and I am stunned at the price of these. The cheapest at Home Depot is $46, and that...
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Mailbox Camera

A few months ago I was taking out the trash and while walking down the driveway I noticed a car stopping at our mailbox, opening it and driving away. It was dark so I know it was not the rural mail carrier. We live in a rural area and have had occasions of missing mail in the past. We don't have...
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For those who have hidden or disguised Cams in faux Bird House's, any issues with birds pecking or damaging the lens?

I want to put a few cams at lower heights in bird houses. Has anyone done this and had problems with birds pecking or damaging the lens? My plan is to cut a hole for the lens with a hole saw so the hole will be pretty much be the size of the exterior lens. Currently just playing around; here is...
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...
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TonyR

Thread 'Possible ideas for hiding cameras such as LPRs?'

We've seen images posted by forum members of creative ways to hide cameras: birdhouses, camo duct tape, mailboxes and more. I've envisioned a small, old fashioned well like the image below-left.

And then this morning an e-mail from Harbor Freight gave me another idea......a flower cart might also work. I'm thinking smaller, built with recycled plastic, wood-like lumber and plastic flowers. The shade of the roof should allow the flowers to maintain their color longer.

Yes, they're both elaborate but it may fit the bill when your simpler, quicker idea gets shot down by your "significant...
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Virga said:
Looking for ideas for a housing or enclosure for a Z4 cam or equivalent laying on the ground.
Please see images, 01 road looking East and 02 road looking West. Made these with an iPhone 14 Pro max at 3X zoom. They roughly approximate the FOV, except the actual cam would be a much narrower FOV.

The ground there is elevated approximately five feet above the road, so a good height for purpose. There is no landscaping or built feature where the cams could go, except adjacent to existing tree trunks.
Am thinking of something like a shoe-box laying on the ground or on a couple off bricks, right next to a tree trunk so the cam does not stand out on otherwise featureless ground.

Recently I got T54IR-ZE cams mounted on driveway gate posts. Even fully zoomed in, they serve mostly as overview cams because of distance and angles to road.
To pick up detail, I need to get closer and at a more acute angle to the road, so want to try a Z4.
Hence the question on how to get a zoom cam out there on the ground without it being conspicuous.
Click to expand...


Garden Gnome ..

1792347813965.png

oh, that one is probably too low .. oh, they have giant Gnomes


1792347784495.png


or perhaps one of these ..

 
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I especially like the second one, you could scale it down a tad, also backlight the street number if needed.

lawn-address_1.jpg lawn-address_2.jpg
 
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Looksee said:
I vote GnomeCams for all!View attachment 250493
Click to expand...
Now that I think about it, the main issue I see with something like the large gnome, small statue or figurine is local teenage boys....they LOVE to relocate them for you. I recall circa 1965 to 1967 that the Shoney's 'Big Boy' figure at the College Park, GA Shoney's Restaurant spent more time in the front lawn of various high school campuses around the area than it did in its appointed place at the restaurant! :lmao:

shoneys_big-boy.jpg
 
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TonyR said:
Now that I think about it, the main issue I see with something like the large gnome, small statue or figurine is local teenage boys....they LOVE to relocate them for you. I recall circa 1965 to 1967 that the Shoney's 'Big Boy' figure at the College Park, GA Shoney's Restaurant spent more time in the front lawn of various high school campuses around the area than it did in its appointed place at the restaurant! :lmao:

View attachment 250540
Click to expand...
Oh thats right. Once my sister ended up with one in her trunk in high school. I don't know where it became relocated. probably someone they thought were a-holes...who knows.
 
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TonyR said:
Now that I think about it, the main issue I see with something like the large gnome, small statue or figurine is local teenage boys....they LOVE to relocate them for you. I recall circa 1965 to 1967 that the Shoney's 'Big Boy' figure at the College Park, GA Shoney's Restaurant spent more time in the front lawn of various high school campuses around the area than it did in its appointed place at the restaurant! :lmao:
Click to expand...

Hmmm. Now that you mention it... The giant lumberjack would provide a great vantage point for some PTZ's and other cams

c6582ee8-a548-4eec-b1d6-a91fa6f70af7-a.jpg
 
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