Yi Home Camera Mounts for Home Security

I recently picked up an inexpensive home security camera called the Yi Home Camera.  If you’re looking for an inexpensive home security with some high-end features, it’s a good candidate.

Most Yi Home Camera owners will use the camera with its included stand sitting on a desk, table or shelf.  If you’re happy with the camera sitting on one of those surfaces, you can stop reading.  The included weighted stand will work well for that purpose.  But what if you want to mount the Yi Home Camera on a wall, other vertical surface or perhaps in a more stealth environment?

It’s important to know what can be done with the Yi Home Camera stand.  The Yi camera can be removed from the stand.  There are no wires or circuitry contained in the stand but keep it around because you never know when you might want to revert back to the old stand.  After you remove the stand, you have what’s needed to use some of these mounts which is – the camera.

To remove the Yi Home Camera from the stand, simply press the small tabs at the side of the camera down while pushing the camera away from the stand.  It pops right out leaving the round camera.

Go stealth with the AC Outlet Wall Mount for Yi Home Camera.  This is the mount that’s shown in the photo accompanying this article.  I chose a photo that doesn’t have the Yi Home Camera so you could see what it looks like.  This mount plugs directly into an AC outlet.  Perfect for the kitchen where it looks a little like a nightlight.  There is a short micro USB cable that connects the camera to the power and it looks very natural in this mount.  You can also place the camera in a traditional living room or foyer outlet and these still capture a nice quality view thanks to the extended wide-angle lens.

As long as the camera is out of the stand, you can go old school and simply use some 3M VHB Double Sided Tape Squares.  VHB is an acronym for Very High Bond.  This type of adhesive is used to hold objects heavier than the lightweight camera.  Simply attach it to the back of the camera and place the other side to a clean flat surface.  Try not to cover the scanning code on the back of the camera.  If you ever need to reset the camera, access to that code will be needed.

How about attaching the camera to a wall using the existing stand?  A little documented feature is the mounting holes integrated into the Yi stand.  Insert your Yi Home Camera back into the stand then give the base a twist.  The stem will separate and expose three mounting holes on the bottom.  Run some screws through those three holes to attach the stand directly onto a vertical surface such as a wall.  Re-attach the stem and angle the camera to the desired location.

Those familiar with home security cameras might have noticed this camera looks very similar to a DropCam.  I haven’t tried them out, but suspect some aftermarket mounts made for a DropCam might also fit the Yi Home Camera.

The purpose of these mounts and ideas is to help turn the Yi Home Camera into a better surveillance solution.  I would like to see Yi concentrate a little more on providing some alternative mounts.  It’s a great way to market their cameras for more solutions versus competitors.  Until then, the methods and mounts highlighted within this article should help a bit.