[FAQ] Can I mount a Hikvision dome or turret to a vertical wall?

[Kieran]

Can I mount a Hikvision dome or turret to a vertical wall?
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Q:​

I want to buy a Hikvision DS-2CD2142FWD-I dome camera [or a Hikvision DS-2CD2342WD-I turret camera] but I have a question I wonder if you can help with?

I want to mount this camera directly to a vertical wall of my house. Is this possible, and if so are there any drawbacks to doing so?

Would it be necessary for me to buy a mounting bracket or a junction box?

I await your advice.
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This is a question we get asked quite frequently regarding the DS-2CD2142FWD-I and DS-2CD2342WD-I in particular, and for good reason - in the past, it was often very difficult to mount a dome or flat-faced dome camera directly to a vertical wall without subsequently skewing the image's orientation.

The short answer is that yes, any camera which has three-axes of rotation can usually be mounted directly to the wall and maintain a level image with the horizon of what you're trying to see. This includes the very popular 3MP 2-Line series of cameras (notably, the DS-2CD2132F-I and DS-2CD2332-I) and the subsequent R6 4MP series which superseded their 3MP counterparts, including the 2142 and 2342 cameras mentioned above.

These three axes of rotation will allow you to manually pan and tilt the camera, and then rotate it to bring the horizon level again, meaning it can face any direction and orientation required..

Bob made a short unboxing video on our YouTube channel of the DS-2CD2132F-I soon after it was released back in 2015 that demonstrates the new three-axes of rotation, specifically at 1:08 in the video, which will give you an idea on the capabilities.

This is an understandable concern - some of the earlier versions of the 2132 and 2332 domes and turrets only had two axes of rotation before this was changed later in their manufacturing cycle. They would have required a wall-mounted bracket in order to bring the camera off the wall and maintain a reasonable image orientation.

A few points to keep in mind:

All of the cameras mentioned above have a short pigtail lead (or cable whip) extending from the camera which you would need to accommodate.

These can be seen on the respective model's product page.

This is usually fine regardless, as there is a small grove you can remove from the camera's base to feed the cable through, but a hard surface like brick or render can introduce complications.

Many people choose to mount the camera on a junction box or wall-mount bracket as a result, with the added bonus of simultaneously waterproofing the RJ45 and 12V connections on the pigtail too!

There are limits to how far you can tilt the camera.

The camera's housing will begin to obstruct your view if you try to tilt the camera to the extremes of its capabilities.

Otherwise though it's very common to see the DS-2CD2142FWD-I and DS-2CD2342WD-I mounted directly to a wall.

 

[mr don]

Hi there
interesting post. I am about to purchase 4 x cameras HIKVISION DS-2CD2342WD-I Weatherproof Night Vision EXIR Dome Camera 4MP POE IP Turret.
I need to purchase a junction box for this item. The only one I could find on the net is this
DS-1280ZJ-DM18 can anyone confirm if this box will fit the camera or if there is a similar alternative
cheers Mrdon

 

[Kieran]

Hi,

The DS-1280ZJ-DM18 is for use with Hikvision's dome cameras, such as the DS-2CD2142FWD-I.

For the DS-2CD2342WD-I, you'll instead just want the standard DS-1280ZJ-M junction box.

Alternatively, you could also look at the DS-1273ZJ-130-TRL Wall Mount Bracket which is also compatible.

 

[Soren]

Just to confirm, yes, the 2142 can be mounted vertical on a wall.
I have two DS-2CD2142FWD mounted vertical on the wall and three horizontal on the roof/overhang.
The two vertical mounted are both mounted with the DS-1280ZJ junction box. I have as well chosen to use this junction box for one of the horizontal cameras I have mounted in the garage, as the box coves the picktail lead and I could then just drill a small hole for the cat-cable in the roof/ceiling for the cable and then have the r45 connection plugged inside the conjunction box (and not drilling a larger hole to have the picktrail cables through the ceiling).
For one of my 2,8mm drome mounted in a corner I'm using the DS-1273ZJ-130 Wall Mounting Bracket which provide me with full overview of the garden (camera gives 106 degrees view and corner is 90 so have full view form wall to wall). Just notice, that the DS-1273ZJ-130 is a 'big thing' and not very discrete.