the toss

spiders web ...... common fault with built in IR I agree. You can see the web thread going across the picture. If that blob in the middle is the intruder then he must be on a hoverboard.

http://www.foresight-cctv.com/Foresight-%20Security%20dealer.pdf These are not cheap but certainly cheaper than hiring a cherrypicker if needed to run new cable. The other way is to cable them in coax at the far end and plug into 2 x 4 way baluns then two cat 6 cables back to the DVR. I'm not a big fan of baluns but for this job I would make an exception.

Since they have video of the breakin & how they defeated the PIRs why don't they address & correct that problem. Properly installed (quality) PIRs are VERY hard to defeat. Seems like audio is just another false alarm waiting to happen

You will need a relay to switch 120 or 240V. The relay contacts inside the optex will only be rated for 50V or so at an amp or two. But since your extra relay ( 240V @ 10A ) is being switched by the internal relay there is no need for a diode. (assumong the diode you are talking about is for back emf suppression )

just put up a couple of dummy or non-working cameras until people get used to them. Then swap it over to a real working one

Simply specify that there is no warranty on the cabling for physical damage. State that you recommend conduit. Try to get them to see the long term benefits.

CCTV (closed circuit television) has nothing to do with the cameras and everything to do with the system architecture. The term is irrelevant nowdays and has become a generic term for surveillence installations.

Swap the lens

In that case you are not going to get out of it cheaply. Wireless PIRs will use proprietry encryption and the receiver will be a serial connection to the alarm panel. So it is not just a matter of relay contacts to be wires up to your NVR. You used to be able to get after market wireless PIRs / receiver with relay outputs but since most alarm manufacturers now offer wireless products they seem to have left the market.

You could find (build) yourself a 24Vac to 12Vdc regulated power supply but why bother. Just replace your no-name 12V power supply with a quaiity branded power supply

+1

My first thoughts were to say use RG59 siamese cable mainly for the physical robustness. BUT I have reconsidered. I think the best would be to use CAT6 and two 24/020 figure 8 cables. This will require the use of baluns at each end. With this combination you will cover any upgrades like IP cameras , video intercom , electric gate strike etc. Make sure it is run in a good sized conduit with glued joints to prevent water entry. Use sweeps instead of 90* elbows to enable new cable to be pulled in if required. The most difficult part will be cable entry back into your house

All the DVRs I have worked with will need to ID a HDD during the initialisation when first powered up. If it can complete its initialisation without a HDD then you should be able to see your pics.

Like anything , there are both practical & theory elements that are required. You won't learn your way around a building for cabling purposes from a book. You need to get in and do it. Similarly you won't learn much electronic or electrical AC & DC theory on the job, you need to hit the books. Like all skills you will get better with effort , application and learning.

Metal buildings will be earthed and are therefore one of the main culprits for causing earth loops. That is of course for cameras that share the electronics with the metal camera casing. There are MANY cameras whose metal casing is insulated from the electronics so these will not be an issue.

He thinks he is geek but he doesn't know how to read a loaded voltage. As mentioned , heaven knows how he got that current reading. Now he is going to drop a 12V supply down to 5 V , presumably using a resistor. What parameters he will use to determine the resistor value is anyones guess. I think his ambition is wayyyy ahead of his ability.

If you want to prove once and for all if it is a power or earth loop problem then disconnect one of the bad cameras from its power source and run it on a 12V battery.

No the power configuration has not been changed. I have switched both the bnc ends we had on one of the lines. The ones I replaced them with were used twist on ones, but it did not change the video quality. The picture has so many diagonal lines of snow that you can barely make out what the items in the room are. What are ground loop isolators and how could that help with a power problem? I would also ask if I have to have a special tool for the compression fittings and can I reuse the fittings if I don't get it on good the first time? It doesn't sound like an earth loop problem. Diagonal lines of "snow" is almost certainly an electrical interference problem. Make sure your cables are well away from sources of electrical noise , especially fluro lights. I'd be using quality BNC connectors to start with (not the twist on). You will need a special tool for the compression fittings. You can get re-useable compression fittings (called bluecaps in Aust) As a side note is this interference permanent or could it be due to arc welding .

RG59 is extremely robust and if indoors I can think of nothing that would put a lifespan on it short of mechanical damage. Your problems will most likely be caused by the terminations or (as stated) your power. Has the power configuration been changed from when your old system was working.?

It's not so much an industry standard as a personal preference. I tend to dislike the idea. If your camera pigtail is solid core then I have no issues with scotchlocks but it won't be , it'll be stranded and therein lies the problem. As to the performance of your cabling approach I would be ensuring the twist orientation of the camera cables and the DVR cable does not reverse where they join. Other than that it will probably come down to run distance and noise environment. If I join ANY cable I solder , sleeve and tape.

That looks like the seimens connectors that we used to use on 9Ghz microwave gear.

A few points - to start with scotch locks are designed for solid core cable which your power cable SHOULDN"T be. The next point that any disruption of the cable twist WILL result in the common mode rejection properties to degrade. The question will be how much degradation is acceptable. IN THEORY you can disrupt the twist by 10% of the wavelength of the fundamental signal without too much ill effect. All good in theory hey!

To start with RG6 is not the best choice for CCTV and doubly so when you are trying to run 800m. RG6 is designed for RF signals in the hundreds of MHz range NOT CCTV baseband signals up to 6Mhz. The shielding on RG6 is similarly designed for HF RF and performs poorly at frequencies below 50Mhz. So by trying to use RG6 to 800m your result will be degraded signal level as well as poor noise shielding. The high frequencies of your signal will suffer most over this distance resulting in loss of colour & maybe horizontal tearing of the picture. This can be overcome to some extent with pre-emphasis. By amplifying the high frequency signals to allow for the cable attenuation before the signal is transmitted along the coax the system can be set up to have a relatively flat frequency response. Also by amplifying the resultant pre-emphasised signal we can overcome the overall (dc) losses due to the cable length. So in short we - pre-emphasise to compensate for high frequency losses - pre-amplify to compensate for amplitude losses - S/N improves as the signal has been amplified while the noise stays the same If you do post-amplification then you amplify noise as well as signal If you take this path then use RG59 (or RG11) and at least most of the noise problem will disappear

If it is analogue then No - if IP then maybe

Quality RG59 (95% copper braid & 0.9mm copper centre) will give you about 250m. I seldom use cat5/6 because of the fragile nature of the terminations & the cable itself. Remember it is solid core and will fatigue very easily if subjected to movement. If used in a structured cabling environment it is ok.