First time Q-See install

[nStyle 0]

Hi.

 

I am going to install a basic camera system for my uncle. He owns a restaurant and just wants some added protection.

 

My problem is that the Q-See system I have only came with 60' of wiring. I am going to need 100-120' with all of the burying and twists and turns I am going to encounter with 2 of the camera runs.

 

I have a few questions.

 

1. What is the best way to weatherproof joints on cables; ie: exentions, couplers. I am especially talking about cable that will be buried or out in the rain.

 

2. What is the power wire called if I wanted to buy some and where would I find the power jack to go into my camera?

 

3. Would you recommend just getting ethernet and running both power and video with some baluns with this solution? (This might be easier since I am going through an exterior wall and the connectors are obviously kind of big)

 

4. Would it be plausible to extend the 60' of wiring I have? The Q-See wires combine the power and coax in one wire and branches off on either end.

 

5. Will 12V even power the cameras properly at a distance of 100-120'? Would I need any special power supply?

 

Thanks for any help or insights!

[shockwave199 0]

I have a q-see system but certainly defer to pro installers that might answer your questions. I can only speak from a DIY perspective.

 

1- Not sure what I'd use if I were to bury the. Perhaps PVC as a conduit to protect the cable. As far as weather proofing the connections, I used a weather proof electrical tape from home depot. It has held up thus far to some mighty serious weather and temps. Severe cold is next up at bat. I have no doubt it will do fine.

 

2- You can get the cable at lots of different places. The online q-see store, amazon, even gadspot.com- where I got my cameras for my qsee system. They have pretty darn good cable for great prices- much hardier cable than the qsee cables. You can also get siamese cable- superior cable in which you put the connectors on each end yourself. That leads into your next question which I'll leave to someone more qualified to answer.

 

4- Don't extend the stock 60'. Get the appropriate length cable you'll need and make one clean run with no extensions. The cable packages that are labled extensions, and come with adapter connections, can also be used right from the dvr to the cameras. If you need 120', don't use two 60's. Buy 120'. Extensions can weaken signal, therefore making the picture worse. One soild line, no extensions is best.

 

5- For any cable runs longer than the stock 60', you need a separate power adapter. Go to q-see.com and follow the link to the q-see online store. There you can buy the appropriate adapter for the cameras you're using. Many will suggest to use a CCTV power box to supply power to all the cameras separately and in my experience juggling an eight camera system, it's worth it. They are relatively cheap and it avoids power adapters completely. Don't hookup any less than two cameras to the stock 4 way power splitter. Not good for the cameras as those splitters are meant to power multiple cameras at once, not singles.

 

What q-see package did you get? I got the 408 and so far, I like it a ton. Take a look at my vids in my signature and at my youtube channel for more insights. Good luck.

 

Dan

[heckufaguy 0]

My experience, with a couple of Q-see packages under my belt, as well as a few dozen years in the industry.

 

1. The Q-see cables are very low gauge on the power side. IF you intend to ever upgrade a camera, specially an IR one, they may fall short of power requirements. Menards in the US, as well as others sell a small but thicker gauge siamese cable, might suit you better.

 

2. 18 gauge 2 conductor wire will handle all the power any camera and or illuminator will draw. Similar to doorbell wire, only stranded is much easier to work with vs. solid bell wire.

 

3. you could do this. Baluns do fail, and add to the cost. But running cat 5 is much easier. They do make injector assemblies to allow both power and video over a cat 5 cable.

 

4. I've had fine luck using to 60' cables back to back to reach a camera. It was a snowy day, the camera we needed working that day was further than 60 foot. So we skipped one, and added the cable. 2 years since, still running great. (Q-see bullet IR cam)

 

5. 12 volt will do it. The package cameras don't draw a lot. IF you get into commercial cameras, most will run on either 12vdc or 24vac. At 12 vdc some cameras require up to twice the amperage.

 

My advice. Avoid splices and connectors that are not absolutely required. (ie. doubling up 2 short cables for a longer run). Just adds to areas of eventual problems.

q-see cables are not UV proof. If you run them outside, you will be replacing them eventually. I've had great luck running it tucked into eaves and siding of houses. It's a very small cable and easy to conceal. You can get the ends through a 1/2 inch hole, however you'll need to do it one end at a time, it can get tricky.

 

Good luck!!

 

 

 

Hi.

 

I am going to install a basic camera system for my uncle. He owns a restaurant and just wants some added protection.

 

My problem is that the Q-See system I have only came with 60' of wiring. I am going to need 100-120' with all of the burying and twists and turns I am going to encounter with 2 of the camera runs.

 

I have a few questions.

 

1. What is the best way to weatherproof joints on cables; ie: exentions, couplers. I am especially talking about cable that will be buried or out in the rain.

 

2. What is the power wire called if I wanted to buy some and where would I find the power jack to go into my camera?

 

3. Would you recommend just getting ethernet and running both power and video with some baluns with this solution? (This might be easier since I am going through an exterior wall and the connectors are obviously kind of big)

 

4. Would it be plausible to extend the 60' of wiring I have? The Q-See wires combine the power and coax in one wire and branches off on either end.

 

5. Will 12V even power the cameras properly at a distance of 100-120'? Would I need any special power supply?

 

Thanks for any help or insights!

[SEANHAWG 1]

4. Would it be plausible to extend the 60' of wiring I have? The Q-See wires combine the power and coax in one wire and branches off on either end.

 

The cable made by Q-see is about only good for 60' or less. If you are going 100-120', use some Siamese cable with solid copper center conductor and 95% Copper braided sheilding. Or use solid copper Cat5. You should not have any problems at all at 120' using 12V.

[Birdman Adam 0]

If the Q-see cable is what I'm thinking it is, it really is not good for longer distances. They don't use actual coax, it is actually a really cheap version of it, with an inner conductor, a bit of insulation, and an outer conductor that does not fully shield it.

 

When I first cut into something similar, I thought it was just like 20ga wire...