Subscriber Discussion

Do Attractive Housings Exist For Box Cameras?

Luke Maslen

IPVMU Certified | 02/27/14 03:24am

I am going to mount a box camera (Samsung SNB-5004) on the outside of my house but the outdoor housings I've seen are very ugly. They are almost all boring rectangles with equally uninspiring brackets to attach to a wall.

Does anyone know of some nicer-looking housings for box cameras for indoor or outdoor use? I'd love to see something with really good industrial design.

I found a few cylindrical housings on the B&H website from Bosch, Pelco and American Dynamics. These look better to me but most of them were much more expensive as they contained heaters and fans which I don't need. I just want a housing that looks more elegant and protects the camera at least as well as traditional box housings. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

John Honovich

IPVM | 02/27/14 03:26am

Why not get a dome then? There are lots of outdoor dome models and, in general, people find domes more attractive.

Luke Maslen

IPVMU Certified | 02/27/14 03:55am

Hi John, the domes do indeed look nicer and I will also do that. However I specifically want to use the box camera for greater flexibility of testing, such as changing lenses or even mounting it on a tripod for portable tests.

I've been looking at more box camera installations and just keep shaking my head at the lack of inspired housing design. It reminds me of the past when all computers were beige rectangular boxes. Has anyone used the cylindrical housings and do they work as well as the rectangular ones? There's something about rounded circle or ellipse tube designs which appeals to me over rectangular box housings but I don't know if there are any technical downsides given the enclosed cameras are square or rectangular shapes. Are there any other nice designs?

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Brian Rhodes

IPVMU Certified | In reply to Luke Maslen | 02/27/14 05:39pm

These box housings are the 'non-rectangle' shape, and even the snobbiest architects grudgingly approved their use in my experience. This one is branded Vivotek, but I think VideoTEC produces it:

Pros:

  • Tube Shape, not boxy
  • Paintable
  • Die cast metal (aluminum), very well sealed
  • Removeable IR LEDs

Cons:

  • Weighs like 30 pounds!
  • Costs ~$200
  • The hinged hood is secured with screws that are difficult to reach atop a ladder or lift.

Luke Maslen

IPVMU Certified | In reply to Brian Rhodes | 02/27/14 11:50pm

Thanks Brian, these do look nice except for the price. I'll see if they've got a lower cost model without the IR LEDs.

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Ethan Ace

IPVM | 02/27/14 05:33pm

I personally like the look of the Moog Fusion housing:

And the small housings Arecont resells, but I haven't been able to figure out the original manufacturer of these:

 

Videotec is generally a little more aesthetic, too. 

Luke Maslen

IPVMU Certified | In reply to Ethan Ace | 02/28/14 12:03am

Hi Ethan, that's not bad at all. I like the Arecont model you've shown although I'd wonder if rain would sit in the "dimples" in the top of the cover. That would only matter if that top cover was made from a corrosive material. I'll check it out.

Chris Powell

IPVMU Certified | 02/27/14 06:29pm

I've used the Advidia B-33 before, which is best described as a 'self-enclosed box'. 4MP and 18x remote zoom, as well. A little more residential-friendly than the traditional 'bank housings' of old.

Advidia B-33

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Mark McRae

Inaxsys Security Systems
In reply to Chris Powell | 02/27/14 07:21pm

ACTi has exactly that same model

Luke Maslen

IPVMU Certified | In reply to Mark McRae | 02/28/14 12:04am

Thank you Michael and Mark, I'll check them out!

Undisclosed Manufacturer #2

In reply to Mark McRae | 03/03/14 05:46am

This is a housing that is made by a small little Taiwanese company that's been making that same basic design for about 12+ years, and they OEM to ACTi and a bazillion other Taiwanese OEMs. If you're even in Taiwan and you visit the electronics mall, pretty much every store that sells CCTV has variants of that housing. I've never been impressed by it other than the fact that it's fairly compact.


That said, there's a TON of attractive box camera housings out there, you just have to be willing to look around.

I would suggest at the next ISC-West (if you can attend) you go into the Chinese/Taiwan/Korean pavilions and just look for a housing you like or get the housing catalogs of any of the manufacturers there. There's nothing really controversial or differentiating about housings these days, for the most part one is about as good as the next. But you do get what you pay for, so don't expect a $29 housing to perform as well or be as elegant as a $200 housing.

Luke Maslen

IPVMU Certified | In reply to Undisclosed Manufacturer #2 | 03/03/14 11:24am

Thanks for your tip!

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Carl Lindgren

02/27/14 06:31pm

The Veilux housings could be considered attractive (Veilux Housings and Mounts)

Undisclosed #1

In reply to Carl Lindgren | 02/27/14 08:06pm

They are known for this...

Luke Maslen

IPVMU Certified | In reply to Undisclosed #1 | 02/27/14 11:48pm

Hi Carl and Undisclosed A,

These housings do look much nicer. I see they are made of Nylon and Fiber Glass. Do you have any experience as to how well they weather when mounted outdoors? Thanks very much.

Matt Ion

02/28/14 08:37pm

I've used the Pelco EH25xx series in the past, they do the job fine, but they're a pain to work with since you have to slide the camera out the back to zoom and focus it (usually means taking it out entirely), the seal around the back panel is really tight (which makes the job a hassle), and I've seen a number of them leak after several years in the elements. The last two issues can be mitigated with a thin bit of petroleum jelly or similar product on the seal before assembly. On the whole, not a real fan of these... but they do look a little nicer than the standard boxy boxes.

Undisclosed #1

In reply to Matt Ion | 02/28/14 08:42pm

net/net: good looking but bad personality...

Luke Maslen

IPVMU Certified | In reply to Matt Ion | 03/01/14 12:14am

Hi Matt, these housings do look niceand thank you for also letting us know about the hassles working with them. That's very useful information.

I think there is a Red Dot Design Award just waiting for anyone who develops a box camera housing which is pleasing to the eye, durable and easy to use. It could transform the look of box cameras around the world.

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Luis Carmona

IPVMU Certified | 02/28/14 10:03pm

The Linear Designer Series is nice looking, but too small. I tried it with an Arecont "hockey puck" camera and it was like a half millimeter too tight.

Luke Maslen

IPVMU Certified | 03/01/14 12:26am

Thank you Luis. It's great that they have a designer series. Hopefully they will expand their range to include a few, extra sizes for different cameras.

Mike Dano

03/03/14 04:34pm

We use a lot for these housings for cameras. Messoa Housing, Arm & Sunshield, SAH725HB-2, SAB754, SAS725. They are very weather resistant and hold up nicely. The sun shields do fade in the sun but the housings are aluminum so they hold up good.

Undisclosed Manufacturer #2

In reply to Mike Dano | 03/03/14 04:46pm

Yes we've used a lot of those Messoa housings too, but they are End-of-Lifing some of them at the end of March, particularly the SAH725 line, so we have to find a new supplier. So far we're very interested in the ALSO/Kevis line of housings, you should check them out. A tad more pricey than the Messoa enclosures, but also better specs.

Luke Maslen

IPVMU Certified | In reply to Undisclosed Manufacturer #2 | 03/04/14 06:42am

These "also" look very good. Hopefully I'll be able to source some in Australia. Thank you for posting.

Luke Maslen

IPVMU Certified | In reply to Mike Dano | 03/04/14 06:40am

Hi Mike, these look very good! Thank you very much for posting.

Syd Anthony

03/04/14 08:24am

Pelco's EH1512 low cost series looks ok and better that the ol' EH3512 range. Watch the internal size to make sure the cam fits...

EH1512

Alternatively I always thought these AD1314 enclosures looked good on jobs I did in the past as well...

AD1314

Luke Maslen

IPVMU Certified | In reply to Syd Anthony | 03/04/14 10:45am

Thanks Syd. I particularly like the look of the AD1314. Regards, Luke.

Syd Anthony

03/04/14 11:30am

They must of been ahead of the curve. I was using this housing in the late 90's ....apparently back to the future is contempory!

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