A popular placement for a Nest Cam is for seeing what’s going on outdoors. The challenge finding a good place to put it. Someone recently asked if they could hang their Nest Cam from a curtain rod. That’s an idea I never thought of.
I guess the first question is why would anyone want to hang a Nest Cam from a curtain rod? Turns out that is a good way to position a Nest Cam to see outdoors. Ideally, I would personally prefer a window ledge and get it as close as possible to the window pane. In our article called Using a Nest Cam Through a Window we detailed how to do this most effectively. However, if you don’t have a window ledge, it becomes a bit of a challenge.
Before we show you a few ways to hang a Nest Cam from a curtain rod, let’s take a look at some important settings. There’s a good chance the Nest Cam will be hung upside down, so you will need to straighten that out first. That’s easy. Get into the Nest Cam app, click settings then toggle Rotate Image to on. Also toggle off night vision and the status light. That’s all done from the app settings for your particular camera.
To get started with the physical part of hanging your Nest Cam from a curtain rod, you need to expose the universal 1/4″ – 20 threaded tripod screw hole. It’s located near the bottom of the stand. Simply unscrew the bottom and you will see a small screw hole. That hole can be used with a multitude of industry standard camera stands and tripods.
Needless to say, finding something capable of hanging over a curtain rod isn’t easy. It needs to securely attach to a round or square (ish) curtain rod. The ideal solution would facilitate angling to get as close to the window pane as possible. That’s the best way to eliminate any glare from inside the home. I find that closing the curtains behind the camera at night will yield the best results as it will block out light from inside the house.
So what can be used to hang a Nest Cam (or other camera) to a curtain rod? We’ll look at a few accessories to get the job done. All feature the industry standard 1/4″ – 20 threaded common tripod screw. Many other home security cameras feature this tripod pattern including the Arlo Pro and Canary Flex. So everything we discuss below will fit those home security cameras as well.
The photo that accompanies this article shows the Tree Stand or Rail Hunting Bendy Mount for Cameras. This accessory features a spring clamp that opens to two inches and grabs very tightly. It’s marketed to hunters for tree stands. It clamps onto a curtain rod just fine. This mostly metal accessory weighs about a pound and is 27 inches long. The additional length of the flexible stalk is ideal for angling the Nest Cam (or other home security camera) towards the window pane. The clamp holds very tight and placing a padding between the clamp and curtain rod is a good idea to prevent any marking of the rod surface.
Next up is the Joby GorillaPod Hybrid Tripod . The flexible legs can be used to wrap around a curtain rod and suspend a Nest Cam upside down. There’s a 1/4″ – 20 threaded screw at the top of the tripod. The legs stand 10″ tall. This accessory is made to hold up to 2.2 pounds so a much lighter weight Nest Cam is no problem.
Lastly, consider the Arkon Camera Strap Mount. This is typically used on the handlebar of a motorcycle or bicycle but fits anything that’s cylindrical up to 2 inches in diameter. It’s easy to install and remove. The end has the 1/4″ – 20 threaded screw needed to fit the bottom of the Nest Cam. This is for those looking for something that will mount almost flush to the curtain rod.
All three options outlined will work on a curtain rod. I prefer the first option as it’s the most rugged and longest. Getting the home security camera as close as possible tot he window pane makes a big difference in video quality. The 27″ length helps to get the best viewing angle.