Running wire wisdom?

[DogCatcher 0]

Hi All,

 

Newbie to home security systems, so I hope my questions over the coming period are not too dumb. I always do a search before posting, and came up blank with this one...

 

Where to run the wires from the outside cameras?

 

The cable that came with the system appears to be CAT 5 or similar, terminated with what looks like an RJ11 connector, slightly smaller than the RJ45. It carries power, video and sound.

 

We have a good sized crawl-space under the house and I can't really get inside the ceiling space as it is around 24" max. I am wondering whether to drill holes through the 6" thick timber wall at the camera and feed the wire through and run it down the inside wall and through the floor to the crawl space.

 

OR, to run it straight down the outside wall and through into the crawl-space which would be the easiest. I realize the wires could be cut, but my thinking on that is the wires could be cut right up at the camera anyway. Also someone cutting would probably get spotted on another camera making their way in to cut wires.

 

So, would anyone like to weigh in on how this should best be done? The camera mounts do not have the ability to feed through and into the mounting surface. They are just basic simple mounts.

 

Kinda like these...

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31uOF4ojLRL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

 

Thanks

[Soundy 1]

First the bad news: from your description of things, it sounds like you've bought a very low-end system that probably won't do much good when it comes to actually identifying someone... and using the types of connectors it does, it will be difficult if not impossible to upgrade the cameras later.

 

All that aside (and ASSUMING the outdoor cameras are actually outdoor-rated), I'd tend to keep the cameras and wires as high as possible, especially as these are probably bullet-style cameras that can be easily tampered with or "re-adjusted" with a well-aimed rock. Best bet is probably to try to tuck them into the soffit or under flaps of siding or some other way to protect them as much as possible, if actually routing them into the attic isn't an option.

 

BTW, if those connectors on the outdoor cameras are exposed, you can expect them to start failing as well before long - the pins carrying power in particular, will start to corrode, especially if you're near a coast.

[Numb-nuts 1]

If on the other hand you can fit those cameras inside a protective housing, you can run flexible conduit to a weatherproof junction box fitted adjacent to the housing mount then through the junction box into the wall so no wires are exposed.

I do this all the time and have never seen anyone attempt to damage the flexible conduit. You could even spray it with silver paint to make it 'look even tougher'.

 

Run your outside cameras to a central junction box and from there downward in rigid plastic or metal conduit to another junction box where they exit into the crawl space under the house. Paint it a colour that makes it less conspicuous.

 

[DogCatcher 0]

Thanks guys, yes it is a low end unit. I am a bit surprised at how low end for a Samsung, I expected better. The pics are quite fuzzy even though the cameras have a CCD, it was what I made a point of finding out about first, but the pics are little better, if any, than a CMOS.

 

The box also has 4 x BNC camera connectors so I am guessing it will take better quality cameras. I might spring for one that points at the door from the inside.

 

I have a question or two of FPS etc but will start a new thread.

 

Nowhere near the sea and in fact, nothing rusts or corrodes out here in the 25% average humidity and 340+ days of sunshine.

[Soundy 1]

Thanks guys, yes it is a low end unit. I am a bit surprised at how low end for a Samsung, I expected better. The pics are quite fuzzy even though the cameras have a CCD, it was what I made a point of finding out about first, but the pics are little better, if any, than a CMOS.

CCD vs. CMOS *really* isn't as big an issue as the industry makes it out to be. If anything, all else in the camera's design being equal, you probably wouldn't see a difference until you got well into the megapixel range. There are many other factors that have an impact long before CCD/CMOS becomes an issue.

 

Fuzziness, frankly, is more likely a lens issue... first, that the lenses are quite possibly not focused properly... and second, that they're just plain low-quality plastic lenses.

[DogCatcher 0]

Thanks

[Ken Layton 0]

In general, BNC connectors on the cameras are vastly superior to those "telephone" style connectors.