Numb-nuts

This looks like it would be very helpful but for the fact that all the units don't match the information I have about the cable. We don't use AWG here and we talk about mm2 etc but thanks for inding that, it has potential.

Thanks Adam. To address the questions you pose the power supply unit is about 3 amps @ 24VAC and the run is only about 15 m but I would say lets estimate it at 20m just to be on the safe side. For the PTZ data line I haven't yet decided if I will run either a Cat5E and use a singlepair for telemetry or if I use some bell wire I have left over in the shed ( Unlikely I will ever use that again) I found a car wiring (12-14 VDC) chart and 0.75mm2 wire show as rating at over 5 amps. From what I picked up on this forum using 24v ac on the same pair, the current rating increases to almost double so in theory would be alright. As I said before I would like to actually work it out on paper, so I can have confidence in my installation. I want to move away from haphazard ways of doing things. I have noticed that the PTZ 1000 cable uses the same conductors with the addition of a telemetry pair so as the length of run is negligible, I will most likely be suitable, but I'd still like to satisfy myself on paper. Thanks for your response

I am looking for help not interrogation? I am not a CCTV Professional, I am not a security installer. Who told you I was? Did you seriously think a professional would ask such a fundamental question? I know it's a fundamental question but I don't know the answer so like anyone that wants to know, I am asking. Yes I'm in the UK, now what's your point?

Reading this surprised me as your colour convention for cat5 is exactly the one I use

Being inventive and creative in making a covert setup is a lot of fun. If you then manage to catch someone up to no good, is extremely satisfying. Let us know how you get on with your project it will be interesting to see what you come up with. It is very important to watch the camera voltage when used in a vehicle as typically the voltage is almost 14 volts and cameras require REGULATED 12v. If you pay attention to the camera voltage range i.e. 12v dc + or - 10% etc then you will be able to buy a camera that will work with your vehicle electrics and not spoil your efforts by burning out your camera. I found that RF Concepts UK have a wide range of bullet and board cameras and lenses. But check the voltage requirements or you will need to introduce a regulator into the circuit. I can't advise how you do that as I have no electronics expertise.

I recently installed my board camera and used cat5 cable. At the camera end I attached a pitail balu after removing the BNC plug and opening up the mini coax on the pigtail. Works great and there isn't a flicker on screen in fact I would go as far as to say it's gives the best picture so far. Why not ask and see if anyone on here has a faulty PIR unit they would be willing to let you have to house the camera in? Good luck, let everyone know what happens won't yo?

When I first became interested in CCTV it was as a result of chatting with the guy from our local council's Anti-social behaviour team, who installs CCTV in victims homes for evidential purpose. We have had many chats since then and I've even loaned him some equipment which fitted with particular situations. He contacted me this week saying he was setting up a surveillance for a family that are subject of "racist hate crime" and verbal taunts are a big part of the harrasment they are experiencing. I have a microphone to loan him, however I understand that there are some issues with sound synchronization with the picture frame rates etc. Firstly how is the connection done? Second what recording parameters are required to sync the sound and picture? Remember, the captured sound and video must be evidential quality. ANY ADVICE OOH Just found this.

I am not, in fact I have no idea what the SIA is but I am guessing it is some kind of industry association or accreditation. No just an enthusiastic user and I am friends with the guy who installs the rapid deployment CCTV for the local authority. He's not trained to any particular degree in CCTV just that he has the duty to place the G3 DVR and a camera at the required properties. His main job is with the Anti Social Behaviour team. Incidentally, they don't install a monitor either since what they capture is subject to data protection and cannot be displayed in a place where they have no control over who can view it. The things you learn eh? That's why I joined this forum to learn more about CCTV so far I have learned a lot of basic stuff and have loads to learn. I have helped one or two friends with CCTV at their homes but mainly because they themselves are completely techno-phobic. I love a challenge but some of the schemes the professionals discuss on here have me reeling with confusion at the moment. My latest achievement was to blow a camera by plugging in a live DC cable and making a short, not easy to do. Expensive too.

Perhaps you should listen to Walter Carlos (or as he/she is now known Wendy) "switched on on Bach" He/she plays the Brandenburg Concertos on a Moog Synthesiser an experience worth having, I wonder what Bach himself would have made of it though? Sorry for wandering off subject...

I bought a cheap 4 channel DVR, and I have been running two cameras on it for a few months. It an Apollo Zeus Mk2 by A-Data. My first indication that things were a bit less than great was when I attempted to read the instruction manual. It was obviously a VERY poor translation from Chinese and gave little or no information. I virtually had to learn to use the unit by trial and error. The next thing I noticed was how light and flimsy the unit i, if I put the VGA monitor on top of it it sagged and vibrated. I had to make a plywood stand to fit over the unit , which could support the weight of the monitor, don't worry I left a lot of ventilation space around the unit. Today I re-ran all the wires through conduit which I removed last week when my Eneo 600 TVL board camera was rippling. I found the power supply was faulty. I received the replacement and started to reinstate everything. Then I decided to test the next camera I am going to fit prior to mounting on the wall. That is when the proverbial hit the fan. The channel I used for the test camera flashed on and off, but suddenly I realised it wasn't the picture from the camera I had just wired, it was from the camera on another channel. Sure it has a 3 year warranty, but what good is that if the unit spends lots of time in the repair shop. I am responsible for the cost of sending it back and shipping it back to me again. By the time that's happened a few times I can see myself wishing I had paid a bit more for a better unit. Oh it record fine and the captured video is as good as it is if not better than on the monitor and frame shots are very good even at 6fps but I use 12fps (as advised by our local police).

Thanks for replies (NOT) It turns out after 10 mins on the phone with supplier that there is no fault with my DVR however I did learn a valuable lesson, If one or more of the camera channels had been damaged, I would have been stuck with the cost of repair or using fewer channels than I wanted. In future, for a 4 - 6 camera scheme I would recommend an 8 channel DVR so what I am saying is it is worth having some unused channel just in case of a failure. I am not sure if that is over cautious, but this reflects my nature. I could live with a dead channel just so long as it did not restrict me, however I would be kicking myself if I had to repair or replace a relatively new item. Anyway I'm now happy that there is no fault with my DVR.

I have had a few problems with my cheap DVR, it doesdn't pay to save too much because it appears that the old saying "you get what you pay for". I can't even stand the VGA monitor ion top of it unless I want to hum God Save The Queen all the time. I had to make a shroud in 1/2'" ply to place over the DVR and support the monitor without humming or bending the case Mine is as light as a feather and it repeatedly vibrates, and the BNC inputs are so close together that if I didn't already have a pr of needle nose pliers to twist the BNC I most certainly would have had to do so. Until today, I have only used two cameras out of the four my DVR will support. I was testing another camera which I am soon to install and my DVR started flickering that channel, but it wasn't the camera I had attached to that channel but one of the existing cameras? It has a three year warranty, but if it's going to spend most of the time getting repaired then I'd have been better spending more on a sturdier one. Spend a few more $ £ etc, you'll have fewer issues and it will probably record better. You may not realize it now but buy cheap and these warnings will ring in your ears.....

I am not in a position to need to know this but I am interested to know how cables can be run underground to a remote post or tower. How would I go about planning such an installation. What materials and cables should be used What typical precautions are needed. This is something I have never dared to attempt because of the potential difficulties and efforts required.

Here is a typical split-charge relay setup, you will need only two outputs I suspect the unit will be cheap it's the extra battery that may cost you a lot but a cheap standard car battery would suffice for overnight monitoring

Drilling holes in glass is REALLY easy but you would require a special drill bit. I only know this because my dad was drilling a mirror with a masonry drill bit and it shattered then after replacing the mirror, he bought a glass drill bit (see below) and it worked perfectly. A 3or4mm hole should do it. I suppose you could scratch the backing off the glass first to see if the camera will see through the glass? Remember, the cost of getting a replacement glass for your wing mirrors isn't that much a few £ $ whatever. Getting the car paint repaired IS expensive. Experimenting is not going to be expensive. Incidentally, don't forget to have a wide angle lens to capture a face, varifocal might be an investment and watch the camera spec. if the camera i voltage range isnt upto about 14v or is restricted you may blow the camera, The additional batteries and charging relays are great, really easy too install ( unless you have a bad back) and I am sure they have instructions, but ask anyway. The second battery should be a slow draw battery which is different from a starter battery that required a massive surge at startup. These slow draw batteries are batteries designed for caravan (trailer) lighting and power, and not suitable for starting cars. There isn't a lot involved in fitting them so you wouldn't be charged a fortune to have one fitted for you.

The setup has been installed and apparently it's all been set up in a covert way. According to my friend, the mic was installed wrapped in foam and housed in a boiler flue housing glued, (yes glued) to the wall and it works way better than was expected. All that remains now is to wait and see if a big fish can be caught. Apparently the family, that are subject to bullying from their neighbourhood youths were so grateful that the father of the house was in tears. I hope he doesn't think that surveillance is a complete solution, it's just a means of gathering evidence, it's not a one stop solution in a box to the trouble they have been suffering. I was told that apparently a magistrates warrant was required to record covertly and it was granted as result of two years of police reports of harassment. The council's policy is to prosecute ringleaders, sending out a stern warning to others that might consider this kind of behaviour . This is a council run housing estate (project) the offenders can be evicted from their homes if they are in council run housing. Ringleaders can also be subject to a "restraining" order which could land them in gaol (jail) if they break the order. I am interested to see what happens now but unfortunately unless I hear about it in the media my friend cannot disclose any evidence to me for legal reasons.

My Brain still hurts !

Who could afford 70 meters?

Better, actually, because the camera will require half the current at 24VAC as it would at 12VDC, and the voltage drop will be less. That said, for a short run and smaller PTZs you're probably fine, but with larger PTZs that have higher power requirements, two pairs of 24ga. may not be large enough. Best check the power rating of the camera to determine if a larger power run will be needed, but Cat5e is fine for video and control together. Good point, about the current required I hadn't thought about that. I have never worked with low voltage AC current before, but the current rating at 24vac is about that of a typical CCTV camera about 500ma @ 24v With this particular PTZ I dont have the choice between 12v and 24V but i have decided to go with running one RG59 alongside a cat5 exterior grade.

I hate those twist on BNCs. I tried them when I used to fit police two way radio sets. Besides making my teeth grate I found them very unreliable and eventually forked out for a Nielson crimping tool (RG 58/59). You may already have them so they're free but if you have to keep climbing ladders to cameras to redo the BNC connector the could work out really expensive in time spent. If I were thinking of a new crimp tool for BNCs today I would think seriously about the BNC compression fittings, but until my crimper wears out, breaks or is stolen, I will be using 3 piece crimps. I also like the fact that I can glue a strain relief on them too. 3 pce crimps are really cheap on ebay so are the compression BNCs and the compression tools are really cheap too. The Compression tool will also work with those satellite TV plugs. [

This post is interesting because I have been planning the installation of my first PTZ camera at home. I already decided to use RG 59 for the video transmission ( I paid a lot for the camera I'm not chancing a poor picture). I used to install mobile radio for police and security and still have my crimping too for the BNC's You've all mentioned running a cat5 cable with the RG59 to satisfy both RS485 and DC power, but would the same work with 24V AC power? I haven't to make any long distance runs s ( only about 15m) I have considered RG59 composite and running a bell-wire alongside for the RS485, I just can,t make up my mind which is the safest and most desirable option. The dedicated PTZ cable with RG59, data and power run together is an option I looked at but it's just too expensive. Anyone that wants this cable in the UK it's available here

I want to connect my DVR wirelessly to my router, anyone know if it's a credible possibility?

I will look into these ideas and consider which will be the least complicated for me Thanks for the ideas and you have given me something to look into.

Thanks for that. This confirms what I thought would be the case, an omnidirectional mic (like the one I am loaning) will be eminently suitable in this case. I have advised my friend to place the mic under the window sill of the property on the 1st floor. The family that are being victimized are suffering regular verbal taunts, recording this combined with footage will be powerful evidence because it will give a fuller picture of the offenses being committed. I have experimented with the mic and DVR and above 12fps there is no problem with syncing sound and video. The only problem is if there is a prevailing wind across the mic (never expected that) and this is easily solved by masking the mic with a foam wrap. All sorted done and ready to go. Thanks all

I rather suspect this will end up costing you money.