Design/Balun Question

[HairOnFire 0]

Hi group,

 

I have been lurking for a while and have gathered enough confidence to try to tackle my installation DIY style. Constructive criticism is appreciated.

 

I am a network admin, so I am pretty familiar with Cat5e/6 pinouts and wiring. I know enough to be dangerous and can handle a punch tool if needed, however you Pro's would punch down a 110 or 66 block in 1/10th the time it will take me. I chose to go this route because I only want to have to cable once, and have plenty of room for expansion. The thought of so many terminal strips also made my hands hurt.

 

I will be installing a 12V 16 channel 800mA per channel central power supply near the 110 block for easy cross connect.

 

I am wondering specifically about baluns. BNC to one pair sounds easy enough to me, but with the four port cards, the 4 port to UTP seems like a no-brainer. No BNC/coax patch cables, ugly runs through the wall to deal with, all UTP. The product appears to be made for CCTV, and states 75ohm BNC to 100ohm UTP - seems right. One post that I read here, someone tested various baluns, with no significant issues, and that was a heck of a lot further distance than I will be running. This is a home install, so nothing fancy (although some will say this is wiring overkill). The baluns pictured are from some online vendors, even some that I have seen linked to here already. I have a really tight budget, so I am trying to keep the infrastructure costs down so that I can splurge on a few nice cameras (maybe even an IP MP cam!).

 

Thanks!

Michael

[HairOnFire 0]

I am doing my own install at the house, and I have run CAT6e (4 pair of 23 AWG + spline). I plan on using passive baluns. I see several different options out there and I am looking for some advice.

 

Several posts on the forum warn about "cheap" baluns. For a residential install with cable less than 60', does it really matter?

 

 

From what I can tell, I have five choices:

 

A) Small individual baluns on both sides of the cable.

I see several "cheap" baluns for $5-$7 a pair all the way up to the 16 port hub for $1,200. If I plan on 8 - 12 cameras, I can do the $60 for 12 of the $5 jobs and connect them each to the DVR card, then I would have to split a single cable into 4 pair, which will probably look like crap.

 

B) I have also seen a 4 BNC jumper cable to single RJ45 connector (see previous post) which may look better, but looks like the only place to find it is out of Hong Kong. So I would be concerned about dealing with someone reputable + extended shipping time. And I would need three of those and still need singles for the camera side...

 

C) I could go with three of the $70 four BNC to one UTP "boxes," and then I still need far end baluns, and then short coax jumper cables...so what to use at the far end?

 

D) A 12 or 16 port "BNC Hub" with small baluns at the far end. These hubs all seem rather expensive.

 

E) Call it a day, use the CAT6 as pull tape and pull siamese cable.

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Michael

[jjsafeware 0]

Check on this gadget. it's neat and closer.

http://www.safeware.ca/product-spec.php?pid=179

[Soundy 1]

^That's basically just four active baluns in one box... nothing he hasn't already looked at.

 

Hair: really, you seem to be on the right track with all your ideas - any of them should work fine, the choice really depends on your particular setup and layout, whether it will be more efficient, install-wise, to run multiple cameras over one run with a hub, or with multiple individual baluns, or to home-run each one with its own UTP... sorry I can't be more helpful, but ultimately your listed options all come down to personal preference.

[rory 0]

E) Call it a day, use the CAT6 as pull tape and pull siamese cable.

Do whatever is easier for you. RG59 Siamese and BNCs are so cheap these days and dont even have to give it a second thought.

[HairOnFire 0]

Thanks for the replies guys.

 

I'll stick with the CAT6 and bite the bullet for the baluns. As BPZLE pointed out, it "future proofs" the install. So when I do make the change to MP cams, I won't have to run cable again.

 

Wish me luck!

HairOnFire