Explore the possibilities with Ronin Camera, where innovative technology converges with eco-friendliness. When it comes to power, our system is built to accommodate any commercially available solar panel, harnessing the power of MPPT technology and a specialized Voltage converter. Your choice of radio antenna is critical for extending your camera's range, and we offer expert guidance on selecting the right antennas with higher dBi values to ensure the strongest connections for your specific requirements.
SOLAR PANEL AND RADIO ANTENNA GUIDE
SOLAR PANELS.
What type of solar panels will work?
Any solar panel that you can commercially buy will work with the Ronin Camera. We have expertly engineered and designed our charging system to handle any and all solar panels. We use MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracking) to utilize every bit of power produced by solar panels, as well as our own Voltage converter to make sure we can handle all brands and types of solar panels.
Does the size of solar panel matter?
Yes, somewhat. The size of the solar panel determines what power mode the camera will be on. There are 4 power modes described HERE, we suggest you learn about the different power modes before determining the size of solar panel you want to buy for your camera.
5 WATT is the smallest solar panel that will work in a SMALL SOLAR mode, and 50 WATT is about the biggest you would need in LARGE SOLAR mode. Of course, you can use a bigger solar panel if you want to.
RADIO ANTENNA.
What kind of radio antenna should I use?
The Ronin Sentinel and Camera both come with an OmniDirectional 5dBi 915mhz radio antenna, which should be all you need to reach about 1/2 - 1 mile away from the base station, depending on the terrain and the height of the antenna. If you want to reach farther than this, you will need to purchase additional larger antennas. For longer-range sites, we suggest a bigger dBi antenna on the sentinel and mount it as high as possible, on your roof, etc. Then use a Yagi antenna with a large dBi value as well. The dBi value and shape of the antenna is the most important factor when it comes to the effective range of the antenna. Go to the PRODUCTS page for a full in-depth look at different types of antennas and what to use.
Any brand of antenna will work. In Essence, for longer range set ups you need larger dBi values, and never use an antenna with a dBi value below 5. You can go as high as you want to use, the higher the better connection!
