Running 2 or 4 cameras in one cat5

[sicctv 0]

i saw a video online of somebody showing how to set up a balun and in their video they showed a quick shot of 4 baluns hooked up into one wire (one balun per pair of wire obv) .. It made me wonder why someone would do that? wouldnt the cameras be further apart? what are some uses for people running more than one camera in a cat5 if theyre all in different spots? is this how most installers do their work?

[t3chsupp0rt 0]

it can be done. multiple cameras on one cat 5- 4 pairs = 4 cameras. but think about what you will have to do if and when one camera goes out, or new cable needs to be run. I would say for less headache down the road run a cat5 for each camera.

[sicctv 0]

i know it can be done but i was wondering why would people do it that way if the cameras are in different locations? in what scenario would this way be used in?

[bongofury 0]

I have done this if I have to place many camera runs in a small conduit.

It works, but I avoid doing this.

[Soundy 1]

i know it can be done but i was wondering why would people do it that way if the cameras are in different locations? in what scenario would this way be used in?

 

We did exactly this for a site that required a massive re-wire: they had 12 cameras running between two buildings, over 12 separate coax (plus two more coax for monitor returns). Many runs were having issues, one or two appeared to be damaged, all existing conduit (two 2" and two 1" pipes) was packed tight... and they wanted to add two analog cameras, AND a couple IP cameras to the mix. So, we yanked out 14 coax runs, and replaced them with seven Cat5e runs: four for the cameras (with two spare pairs), one for the monitors (with a couple spare pairs), one for the new network feed (the two cameras feed a five-port switch in the main building's electrical room, where the runs terminate, so there's only one uplink run needed to the office in the other building), and one just to have a spare for future use. And they all fit within one 2" conduit between the buildings, with room to spare.

 

The cameras all had coax already running into the electrical room, which had previously all run through the conduits to the office - four of these made installation particularly easy: http://muxlab.com/products/vec_quad_video_balun.htm#

 

[SDM Group 0]

Have done installs many times with multi pair cables where you run the multi pair cable from the head end to a central location in a particular area and then star out to individual cameras. You pick up the power from the central location and use a punch down block to star out. Means running minimal cable back to the head end.

[fa chris 0]

Most of these products are made for situations where you need to reuse existing conduit or wire.

 

They also provides a good upgrade path, gives you the ability to easily expand the system in situations where you can't easily run new cable but want to add a few extra cameras.

 

I personally wouldn't ever use it in new construction unless I had some constraints from something else, but I also wouldn't use analog cameras anymore unless I absolutely had too. To each his own though.

[dustmop 0]

Have done installs many times with multi pair cables where you run the multi pair cable from the head end to a central location in a particular area and then star out to individual cameras. You pick up the power from the central location and use a punch down block to star out. Means running minimal cable back to the head end.

 

^^^ This. 100% agree here. Building I work in has 18 data closets. Run 25-pair from the closets back to the head end. Star out from the closets using 110 blocks. PSUs in the closets. Makes managing this monster pretty easy.

 

Also, I do my best to avoid multiple cameras on one UTP cable, but sometimes it is just unavoidable. If the original cable run was done during construction and is hidden or in a PACKED conduit, there may be no other way to get another cable to the area you are after. Then those spare pair(s) in the existing cables can be a real life saver.

[rory 0]

Run 25-pair from the closets back to the head end.

 

Also, I do my best to avoid multiple cameras on one UTP cable.

 

But you're running multiple cameras on the one 25-pair UTP cable?

[dustmop 0]

The 25-pair is used as a trunk line. I meant more than one camera per UTP when starred out from the closets.

[Soundy 1]

Most of these products are made for situations where you need to reuse existing conduit or wire.

 

They also provides a good upgrade path, gives you the ability to easily expand the system in situations where you can't easily run new cable but want to add a few extra cameras.

They're also handy if you need to relocate a system head-end, and the existing wiring won't reach that far. For example, a few years ago we had to move the DVR on one site from the old office, where all the wires terminated, to a new office 40' away. At the time, that meant a bundle of 15 runs of coax from the ceiling of the old office, into the new office - major pain, major cost: if you figure a buck a foot for RG59 (just for the sake of easy calculation), and add 10' to allow for snaking around and dropping down from the ceiling, that's $50x15, or $750 just for cabling, nevermind the labor to put BNCs on both ends of the extensions and the barrel connectors to join them all.

 

Baluns were super-spendy at the time and there wasn't a lot of selection; today, the whole thing could have been done with four Cat5e runs, four of these, and four of these, with very little additional labor costs and the baluns would simply plug right in at both ends.