This guide will cover some of the basic requirements to power a Verkada camera using solar energy, as well as providing it internet connectivity using a cellular based connection.
It's strongly recommended to test all equipment at the planned location for a few days or weeks to ensure everything is working as originally planned. There are usually unexpected variables that you will run into such as a solar panel not producing enough power as expected or devices consuming more power than originally planned.
Equipment list:
- Solar panel (required)
- Battery to store solar energy with a DC power output (required)
- 802.3af or 802.3at PoE switch or injector ( 802.3at is required for the PoE heater to function on outdoor Verkada cameras) ) (required)
- Ethernet cables (required)
- Cellular connected Cradlepoint (required, assuming an ISP connection isn't available)
- Surge protector (recommended)
- Water resistant hardware enclosure for battery, Cradlepoint, PoE switch or injector (strongly recommended)
- Backup gas powered generator (optional)
Verkada running on solar energy
Things to keep in mind when selecting which type or capacity of equipment to use:
- Amount of devices being powered and their expected power consumption
- Amount of direct sunlight expected to hit the solar cells on the solar panel
- Amount of time sunlight may not be available
- Possible weather conditions the deployment may be exposed to such as wind, rain, snow, or sleet
- Weight and size of equipment (if the deployment needs to be fully mobile)
Camera power consumption by model:
- D30, CD51 (Indoor), CD61 (Indoor): 11W
- D40, CD31 (Indoor), CD41 (indoor): 6W
- D50, Dome Series Outdoor: 12W, 20W (extended temperature range)
- D80: 13W, 24W (extended temperature range)
If you still have further questions regarding your deployment after reading this article, please contact Verkada sales.