"(PeteCresswell)" wrote in message
...
I know nothing, but somebody who sounds like they really know
keeps recommending housings for a proposed outdoor surfcam that
require AC power to perform their cooling/heading function.

This pretty much defeats the major advantage of POE cameras: now
we have the considerable extra expense/work of running 115-volt
AC to the camera instead of just Cat-5.

I'm guessing the heating/cooling thing extends camera life
significantly, or it wouldn't be so widespread.

Is it really a no-brainer? Or is there a place for POE-only
cameras exposed to the elements.
--
PeteCresswell

I built a DIY outdoor enclosure for a small webcam (a model intended for
indoor use only), in cold, wet Southwest England.

I started off with AC power in the enclosure, and the heat dissipated by the
camera's wall-wart, which I estimate was between 3 and 5 watts, was
sufficient to prevent condensation and ice formation inside the enclosure.
It got a bit hot in summer. I recently moved the wall-wart to a different
location, and just ran DC power to the camera; condensation and freezing is
now a problem, because the camera dissipates negligible heat itself.

I guess it depends on your local weather conditions, but I suspect that
active heating/cooling is required in most outdoor enclosures, and will
probably reduce the amount of maintenance required. Are there any enclosures
that can draw their heating/cooling power from POE?