Solving Common Tend Camera Mounting Issues
You've got your Tend camera, you've found the perfect spot, but the physical installation is causing some headaches. Whether it's a drooping camera head or an unsuitable wall surface, mounting issues can undermine the effectiveness of your home security.
This guide is designed to help you troubleshoot and resolve these common mounting problems. We'll provide practical solutions to ensure your camera is stable, secure, and captures a clear, useful image.
Recognising the Mounting Problem
Here are some of the most frequent mounting issues users experience with Tend cameras and how to spot them:
- Camera Droop: You set the perfect angle, but over a few hours or days, the camera head slowly droops downwards, pointing at the floor instead of the room.
- Insecure Wall Fixings: You've used the provided screws, but the camera base still feels loose or pulls away from the wall, especially if it's a plasterboard wall.
- Finding a Discreet Location: You want the camera to be unobtrusive, but you're finding it hard to conceal it while still getting a good field of view.
- Image Glare and Reflections: The camera is mounted, but the video feed is washed out or has a bright glare, often from a nearby window or light.
- Cable Management Woes: The power cable is unsightly and you're struggling to hide it or route it neatly from the camera's position.
A Guide to Fixing Your Mounting Problems
Let's work through these issues with some straightforward, effective fixes.
1. Curing Camera Droop
A camera that won't hold its position is a common frustration, often caused by the weight of the camera overcoming the friction in the stand's joint.
- Check for a Tightening Mechanism: Carefully inspect the joint of your camera's stand. Some models have a small screw or a collar that can be tightened with a screwdriver or by hand to increase the stiffness of the joint.
- Use Gravity to Your Advantage: If there's no way to tighten the joint, try to position the camera so its centre of gravity helps to hold it in place rather than pulling it down. This might mean placing it on a shelf with the base slightly further back.
- The 'Blue-Tack' Trick: For a quick and surprisingly effective fix, a small, discreet piece of Blu-Tack or similar reusable adhesive putty pushed into the joint can add the extra friction needed to hold the camera steady.
2. Getting a Secure Wall Mount
The key to a secure mount is using the right fixings for your specific wall type.
- Plasterboard (Drywall) Solution: The small, standard wall plugs often included with cameras are not ideal for plasterboard. Invest in a small pack of self-drilling plasterboard anchors from any hardware shop. These screw directly into the wall and provide a much stronger anchor point for your screw.
- Solid Walls (Brick/Concrete): Ensure you are using a masonry drill bit and that the hole you drill is the correct size for the wall plug. If the hole is too big, the plug will be loose.
3. Discreet Placement and Cable Hiding
- Corner Placement: Placing a camera high up in the corner of a room often provides the best coverage while being less noticeable.
- Use Cable Trunking: For a really professional finish, use thin, self-adhesive cable trunking. This is a plastic channel that sticks to the wall, allowing you to hide the power cable inside it. It can be painted the same colour as your wall to make it virtually invisible.
- Bookshelf Camouflage: Placing the camera on a bookshelf between books or ornaments is a classic way to make it less conspicuous.
4. Eliminating Glare
Glare can ruin your video feed, but it's usually easy to fix.
- Avoid Pointing at Windows: The number one cause of glare is pointing the camera directly at a bright window. The camera struggles to balance the bright light from outside with the darker interior.
- Change the Angle: If you must have the camera near a window, try moving it to the side or changing the vertical angle. Even a small adjustment can often remove the direct reflection that causes glare.
By addressing these specific mounting issues, you can significantly improve the performance and reliability of your Tend camera.