I have been away from cctv for quite some time. I am going to install 4 Nuvico ir day/night bullet cams onto a brick surface on each of the 4 corners of a building. Wire has been run and is sticking out of the brick. I plan on mounting weatherproof single gang boxes with blank metal covers and screwing the cams directly into the covers, placing all wires inside the box, then using silicone as sealant leaving the bottom unsealed in case water gets in. The cam does not have a channel for the single power/video cable, so I will have to somehow drill a hole big enough to fit the cable into the box, and then seal the hole. Is this the best way to accomplish this, or is there a better way? Thanks.

The Nuvico True Day nights will be too large (heavy) for the average gang box cover, I mount them to the wall. There are holes already on either side of the gang box so could use one of them, as the BNC Connector still has to fit through anyway. Or drill a small hole by the cover then just fit it in that way.

Outdoor boxes have gasket. Not a good idea to leave any opening for "drain" that would defeat the outdoor box application/rating. If you need to use metal and mount to face then use a box designed for fixtures and make up a water-tight seal so that the cam is attached to face plate then enter through the threaded hole. Another method if you are sure that provided entrance is where you want the cam is mount the cam bracket above the hole provided and if you have enough wiggle room inside back of wall space mount a indoor entry box that is accessible and make up your connections there. You would need to protect (3M cold shrink etc..) the short prewire to cam and seal the entry. If this is a commercial application you may have to use a approved method (wet location)local to you, so good to check first in the event that you are inspected save you time/money if forced to redo with a local spec.

Didnt see Rory there when I was writing the first post but as he noted: the thin walled cover plate should be avoided for mounting heavy cameras eventually the cover will distort and pull away and fail...also wind force could apply stress/fatigue. A heavier duty fixture box can handle added weight dependent on the Nuvico you are using, the 36IR and up are feed thru brackets. There are some cameras designed to mate with single-gang electrical boxes or J-boxes, you could swap out the factory bracket and use a Panavise J-Box mount http://www.panavise.com/f/cctv/cctv_jbox.html

It's the nuvico w27ir30n, so it is smaller than the one you mentioned, Rory. It is not that heavy, so I think I will be ok screwing it to the cover plate, and I will use the side hole to pass the cable through. I believe that make a ruberized pass through screw in type device, and then I will also silicone that. I don't have an option of mounting a box inside, so any other suggestions are welcome.

Always use a threaded mount outdoors and look for a Cable Grip Bushing. Pretty common usage. Will thread in and have a rubber grommet to grip on electrical cable going into box. Tried to upload some photos, but system reads " check ftp settings". Always use that type of fitting outdoors, if you can't use a flex-type conduit.

talking about bullet cameras here

Good point on the cable grip CC. Do you know of any that can be used with pre-connectorized cables?

When worried about supporting weight I use electrical boxes instead of bang boxes. All the gang boxes I have seen use 6/32 screws for cover plates. Regular electrical boxes use 8/32. 8/32 will hold a ceiling paddle fan. It should hold cameras with no problems.

Also check out the round electrical boxes. They too have threaded cover plates available and I think they look better with bullet cams then rectangle.

I normally use the "outdoor" style heavy box. You are right about the screw size. The ceiling fan is a good example of downward (stretching)strength of most fasteners. Not to get off subject, but I normally put an 8/32 nut behind the mounting threads in the box, just to help out. A friend of mine didn't believe me that 2- 8/32 screws would hold a ceiling fan up, until I clamped a Visegrip on one screw, and hung my total weight (180 pounds) from that screw. American-made screws of course.

I think I lost you. Are you talking about the screws to mount the cover plate to the box, or the screws to mount the camera to the cover plate? You did give me an idea.. why not pre drill 3 holes into the cover plate and use machine screws to attach the camera to the cover plate, and on the inside use nuts to secure the screws? Would that be stonger than using self tapping screws only, or is that overkill? Also, I am going to pick up the screw in weatherproof romex connectors and feed the camera cable into the box that way.

I have used a weatherproof 'outdoor' electrical box with a small bullet camera mounted to the cover. I used nuts/bolts instead of screws to attach the camera to the cover itself, and sealed the holes with dabs of silicone. I ran the wire through one fo the threaded fittings and plugged the gap with silicone too. Been in place for a coupel years no, no issues.

Fas, no matter what "box" you use although as I noted earlier a fixture box that some here are refering to as a round or octagon box... is designed to carry load. Due to the small diam of the prewire from cam wrap with cold shrink form a bundle, not to excess, avoid the crushing application of a romex connector, use a sized cord grip fitting example: http://www.aifittings.com/d_3.htm and where you enter the box shape the cabling so that you form a drip loop (downward hanging) to prevent water intrusion into the connection. The bnc end will pass thru the cord grip fitting, you may have to pull the BNC first then pull the additional PWR wires.

I picked up a few "round" reddot outdoor boxes with weatherproof covers from home depot. The covers are not super solid, but they will be fine once I bolt the camera to them and attach nuts on the inside to hold better. I also picked up some waterproof romex connectors, but I forgot I had to fit the bnc throught them, so I have to get the ones with a larger rubber diameter so it will fit. I was thinking, what if I just ran the cable through the hole, and then plugged it with the putty electricians use on outdoor meters and services? I have used that before to plug up the bottom of outdoor volume controls, and it works pretty well. Just wondering if anyone ever tried that method?

Using products coax seal, putty, silicon etc.. as a PRIMARY fixed entry point in place of a threaded fitting over time will fail, even the "self sealing" type, its always good pratice to have a threaded mechanical connection for electrical wire no matter what voltage. All wire or cable movement should be limited by proper fitting and protetction. These "sealing" type products can be added to aid in the moisture protection. Its up to you.

I dont use the threaded things for bullets at all .. works fine going on 6+ years

In fact, the connection will most likely out live any bullet camera even if you just spliced it with tape and left it hanging in the rain 24-7.

After all we are talking about bullet cameras, they have very small RCA type cables which cant be protected anyway. Its a cheap camera for a cheap job, I wouldnt bother too much besides putting the connection inside a gang box just for added protection and cosmetics. If you want more protection need a box camera and a proper housing.