Sometimes the right mount can spell the difference between a good home security camera and a bad one. You can have a great camera but if you can’t place it where it can view the action, it’s a fairly worthless investment. I have owned and tested a lot of home security cameras and have returned a few because the way to use the camera was with the little table stand that came with device. It amazes me that many manufacturers neglect this important aspect and miss out on a way to differentiate their cameras from the rest of the pack.
The Nest Cam was reviewed on this site not long ago and it’s a prime example of what I am referring to. The camera comes with a small table stand. You can manually swivel the stand left and right but that’s it. If you want to mount it on the wall, you’re pretty much out of luck. Care to mount it outside? Can’t do it with anything from Nhttps://homecamcafe.com/nest-cam-home-security-camera-product-spotlight/est. Fortunately there are a few smart entrepreneurs that figured this out and offer some alternative mounts for the Nest Cam. You have to disassemble the camera to use them which is fairly inconvenient. I’m surprised that Nest markets these cameras without a slew of mounting accessories. GoPro figured this out early in their existence and offer mounts for almost anywhere on your body or two-wheeled ride.
Some manufacturers must have given this subject thought as they designed their home security cameras. We reviewed the Arlo Pro a short while ago. Arlo is owned by Netgear and I’ve always like them a lot. I always thought Netgear was a notch ahead of the other consumer router companies in terms of ease of use and reliability. That’s very much the case with Arlo cameras. Each Arlo camera has a standard tripod screw hole built into the bottom. This is a 1/4″ – 20 threaded hole that is standard on almost all action and DSLR cameras. Many mounts made for home and car use have this common threaded pattern. You can use them on the Arlo cameras.
I don’t see many home security cameras with this standard mounting pattern built in. I suspect, as the market for these cameras mature, this will be resolved.
In terms of good standard camera mounts, I have always liked the Arkon line of camera mounts. The majority of their camera mounts are built upon a ball and socket design which means that after you get the mount in pace, it’s easy to make minor adjustments. The photo that accompanies this article is one of my favorite mounts of theirs. This is the Arkon Camera Wall Mount for Cameras. Built on a metal base, the mount measures 8 inches high. There are adjustment points at the base, midpoint and tip. The end has the standard 1/4″ – 20 threaded pattern. This particular mount is perfect for wall mounting. Arkon also offers a bunch of others. You might find their suction cup mount to be extremely handy for pointing your home security camera outdoors.
A great way to improve the outdoor night vision of an indoor home security camera is to place it directly against the window pane. The Arkon Camera Suction Mount is a good affordable way to do that. This mount has a vacuum mechanism at the base to ensure secure adhesion to the window. The mount is typically used in vehicles, but it’s going to work at home just as effectively. I have used this one personally for several years and it’s easy to use. There is the standard 1/4″ – 20 threaded screw that fits cameras with that tripod hole on the bottom or side. There is an adjustment point midway on the mount to help get the camera flush against the windshield.
Before you purchase a home security camera, it’s a good idea to think about where you want to put it. Make sure there are mounts that are available from the manufacturer to put it there. If not, look for the universal 1/4″ – 20 threaded mounting pattern on the camera so that you can use a universal mount.
All of these articles are written by someone (me) that figured out how to do this stuff the hard way. I have owned and tested dozens of cameras. Manufacturer support varies. There are a few good companies that provide timely answers when you have questions. There are several that sell you the camera and seem to have little interest in post sales support (which leads me to finding out stuff the hard way).
