JBull

Thanks for the input guys. Looks like we are definitely going POE with a combination of switches per floor (in the maintenance closets and maybe two more in the basement at the ends of the building to power vertical runs out there. The prices for this are far more reasonable than what I had been getting before and I am much more comfortable with the aesthetic impact. I will be looking into that tape style cable that was mentioned too. Sounds like a great solution The project is in central Connecticut USA.

I have a large (65,000 sq ft) multifamily I am trying to upgrade the monitoring on. It is basically 3 finished floors of roughly 21,000 sq ft each. Basically one long hallway (broken up by fire doors) with a wider central hub for the elevator and common areas. Also a full unfinished basement. Currently there are 8 junk cameras doing the two lobbies, 2 exterior doors and 2 minor exterior coverage. This is far from enough and I would ideally like 2 per lobby , 1 per exterior door, 4-5 PTZ for the parking and exterior, 3 more for elevator lobbies, 4 per floor (12 total) for the hallways, 2 per major common area (4 total) and 3 per stairwell (9 total). Existing quotes were way out of the budget, but the worst was running ugly conduit EVERYWHERE. I have been trying to figure out a combination of wireless, powerline adaptors (EOP), POE, etc that could get this done. I was even thinking of utilizing hidden cameras in the Exit lighting and Emergency Lamps but only for the convenience of the install and powering, not the hidden factor. I am WAY WAY over my head at this point though. I have two contractors recommended by TrendNet coming out next week, but would apreciate some suggestions or advice to further educate myself before then. Thanks in advance

Didn't think of it until after we hung up. That's why I asked you guys.

Another question to throw into the mix. I was just having a brainstorm session with one of the contractors in the mix. He is not a CCTV guy, but probably one of the smartest electricians any of us ever met. If I was to go all POE with well placed conduit we could do a POE system relatively easily. The question for that and its viability comes down to number of runs and that hard cost. What I dont know is can you put POE cameras in series or does each need a home run to the POE switch? Obviously that makes a big difference in install cost of the infrastructure as well as its aesthetic impact (size of conduit). Thanks guys

It isnt so much a matter of am I willing to invest in the property. I most definitely am. We are currently in the middle of a renovation well over 1Mil. It is mostly making sure it is the best possible investment and minimizing the aesthetic impact and cost by trying to utilize the existing properties of the building as much as possible. Your rough quote also brings up another interesting question. I have been getting quotes between 30k and 40k. And per the description I gave since this is what the described to me that would best cover the property. Am I walking into just a larger version of the junk system that was installed years ago? Am I completely missunderstanding what is being told to me by the two contractors who have taken a look? Or am I just one of the PITA clients who thinks he needs way more than he does and they are scaling down the system in a way that will still fit my needs? Maybe I am overthinking the system and you guys can help me find a way to best keep an eye on things. I dont need to watch every little thing on the property, but I do need enough coverage to make sure vandals and criminals are not messing up all of my renovation work and keep my good tenants safe.

Thank you Shockwave. Good point on the wireless interference and megapixle HD The old system has a dvr down in the basement. It looks like cat 5 that runs out from there through the rest of the basement to the majority of the cameras. There is obviously some conduit, but they places the cameras as close as possible to the basement level to minimize the install. Basically the old owner of the building chose the cheapest thing he could get (in comparison to what the property could actually use) from the cheapest guy he could find. There is no attic space on the building. There is a locked closet on all three floors in the center of the building that could be used for vertical runs, but the problem of branching out with conduit is still there. We could also run horizontally in the basement , but then we are running conduit vertically in the halls. This is why I started looking into Powerline adapters for EOP and found TrendNET. I was thinking EOP to a POE. While this would eliminate the conduit runs I'm not sure if it would end up being cost effective. The PTZ's is what was recommended by the installers I have already had out. I'm sure a better solution can be worked out than what I was being quoted. I will not be doing the install, but need to get up to speed on the options so I can make a smart buy.