Due to my ADHD, I need a reminder to take my laundry out of the dryer—so changing batteries and remembering to recharge devices is just not going to work for me. As I reluctantly recharged my Ring doorbell for the second time in a month, I found myself thinking about solar panels. My Reolink outdoor camera shipped with a solar panel I mounted nearby and plugged into the camera. What prevented me from using that panel for any other non-solar camera or device? After a week of testing, I learned the answer was “not a damned thing,” and immediately began purchasing solar panels for my non-solar outdoor devices and at least one of my solar devices.
This will work on any device that has a USB input for charging. Solar panels come in different wattages, and the main thing is to not choose too high a wattage. I chose five to ten watt panels and these were plenty.
You also want to pay attention to what kind of connection the panel has, since there are a few different kinds of male USB connections. Make sure you're choosing the right one for your device. While you can get dongles to convert them to the kind of connection you need, you want as few connections as possible—since you're outside and each is a possible point of water infiltration.
Next, you need to think about mounting. Most panels will come with a mount that can be used on any lateral or horizontal space, but there are also mounts you can purchase for poles or other surfaces. If you’re powering a smart birdhouse, for instance, you want a panel that will mount to the pole the birdhouse is on.
Once you have your panel, all you need to do is install it and connect it to the device. Remember you want as much sun coverage as possible—so each of your panels should face the southeast and be tilted upward. They don’t need to sit right next to your devices, but you will see the cord, so keep that in mind. Obviously solar panels only work when there is sun—but if your device has on-board battery storage (most cameras and other devices do), that should be more than sufficient during a cloudy day or two. I’ve been impressed by how quickly cameras top up from a partially exposed five-watt solar panel.
