Introduction: DIY Pan & Tilt Security Camera

I recently made my own version of a pan & tilt dome security cam for the front of our house. It is mounted on the ceiling of our front porch and the battery cables run up through our bedroom window.
                                  Anyways.....I ordered an RC transmitter and reciever from ebay ($35.00) but it is a futaba which is the best make, and a 16 pack of micro servo's for an unbeatable price of $22.00 w S&H. The camera is also a wireless nanny-cam I had from ebay waiting for a project like this for a while so the cam and the reciever was $28.00 also free shipping. The last part was a decoy security camera dome I bought for $1.00 at the dollar store to encase everything in. All the parts are very small to keep the system the least bit noticable as possible. I will now show you what I did!

Step 1: Materials

  1. 2 Micro Servo's ($3.00)
  2. Mini Spy-Cam With Receiver ($24.00)
  3. RC Transmitter & Receiver ($32.00)
  4. Plastic Security Cam Dome ($1.00)
  5. Hot & Super Glue ($1.75)
  6. 25' Wire (Extend Existing Wires)
  7. Drill With .250" Bit & Screws
  8. 4 AA Batteries (Servo Receiver) ($3.00)


         (Please note that plastic security dome is excluded from the materials picture)

Step 2: Fitting the Servo's

The first step is to glue the servo's together. I started with the tilt motor and glued the pan to it! That left me with the pan servo tho glue the mini cam to.

Step 3: Making the Dome

Next I had to hack the security dome to hold everything we need for the project. I had to drill a hole in the top to feed the battery cables for the servo receiver. The nanny cam has the option to have a 9v battery to run it but since the receiver for the servo's needed to have the on/off switch and the battery cable lead run up to the bedroom I just decided t make it all together and tape it in all one cable along the roof. One step I did not take a picture of is the part where I had to splice the cables together another 25ft long needed to run everything up to the bedroom.

Step 4: Installing Servo's

After dissasembling the security dome, the inside top is where we will glue the servo too. Make sure when this is done it is in a spot where it will have clearance when the actual dome goes back on! This set-up is very tiny and that is why we use micro servo's and micro spy cams. After it looks good and all glued down turn on the transmitter and test it out to see how it all works. Nothing worse than getting it all installed and having something go wrong and have to tear it all down for repairs! Trust me that sucks! You should have a fine tune on the transmitter to tune the channel (servo) into the center position, You want everything even and the cam to look in both directions equally so make sure you set your servo's accordingly before actually fastening them down.

Step 5: Closing It Up and Time to Install

After the first initial test is done and everything works accordingly, close 'er all up and install it to where ever suits you in you home.

Step 6: Hooking Up the Reciever to the TV.

The last step is to hook up the receiver for the nanny-can to the television and get the reception from where your cam is. I mounted my receiver on the wall just beside my T.V. so I have easy access for tuning in because I actually have 3 other spy cams hooked up around my house. These cams are ultra easy to tune and install, my 10 yr. old nephew hooked 1 up for me just to prove it so you  will not have any problems with the camera part of this project if you're not familiar with video/audio stuff.

Step 7: Final Test

Now you should have an awesome DIY security system that will turn to almost any position to where you desire. Hope yours turns out as great as mine did.