Loss of Power over long cable run - Please Help

[Syz 0]

Hi all,

 

(new member here, so far looks like a great forum)

 

I have been asked by a client to install a CCTV system as his resi property. It is a complete system from Costco made by Lorex

 

Due to the location of the DVR and location of two camera, I needed to use longer cables than the 60ft provided with the set. The cables that I used were from a local electronics suuply store, length of 160FT (50 Meters). Now the problem I have is that the power for the camera will not travel that length from the 12 V power supply located at the DVR.

 

What are my options here????

 

I have thought of doing the following. Either

 

A. Cut the 160 Ft cables at the DVR and resolder the ends. (I have about 20-25 ft left over) and hope the BNC and 12V power connections work.

 

B. Find a power source on the inside of the house near the location of the outside camers. Drill through the wall (drywall and brick) and install a waterproof junction box on the outside of the house. User another 12V power supply and plug it into the power source inside. Connect the tail end of the power supply in the juction box and run a seperate dedicted power cable to the cameras having this issue.

 

 

Side notes:

-I cannot rerun the cables in any other way. Entire house is finished and would be impossible to run cables inside the walls.

-I really dont want to rerun the entire cable(s) as it was a P.I.T.A to do it the first time and would be.

-There was no other length available between the 60 FT and the 160 FT at the supplu store.

 

-I had talked to the guys at the electronic store and they suggested replacing the cameras with ones that they know that work with that length of cable. I dont want to do this as its eating up more cost of the project.

 

 

Thank you in advance.

Shoot with any suggestions or more questions if I have left anything out that is important.

[tomcctv 190]

Hi. Syz. the problem with cctv kits is they are put together on a min budget to sell. so you get cheap cable and limited power supplies. as a kit they work. the problem is when you need to extend the cables this makes the cheap lead kits usless and also the power supply.

 

your power supply may be 12v 300ma which will be ok for the kit but as soon as you extend a cable your 300ma needs to be 500ma and you are getting to the max limit for the cheap cable.

 

 

quick solution pull cat5 to your cameras use baluns on 1 pair for video and the other 3 pair for power

or the two cameras you need to extend you can have both cameras and power down the 1 cat5 with power.

[fa chris 0]

You could use a 24vac power supply and put a 24vac to 12vdc converter at the camera.

 

Something along the lines of one of these:

http://www.altronix.com/index.php?pid=2&model_num=VR1

[Soundy 1]

Your problem isn't the "quality" of the cable or the types of connectors... it's the size. The power pairs are simply too small to carry sufficient power over the length used without excessive voltage loss.

 

Your options are:

 

- add larger power wires (wait, this guy PRE-WIRED his HOUSE with crappy LOREX cabling?!?! *facepalm*)

- power the camera(s) locally (separate power supply close to the camera)

- adjustable-voltage power supplies for the long-run camera(s), and while measuring the voltage AT THE CAMERA, dial up the voltage a bit.

- or as Chris suggests, run 24VAC out to near the cameras, then add a 12V regulator of some kind

 

You could also potentially replace the cameras with better, dual-voltage cameras and just send them 24VAC and be done with it.

[Syz 0]

Your problem isn't the "quality" of the cable or the types of connectors... it's the size. The power pairs are simply too small to carry sufficient power over the length used without excessive voltage loss.

 

Your options are:

 

- add larger power wires (wait, this guy PRE-WIRED his HOUSE with crappy LOREX cabling?!?! *facepalm*)

- power the camera(s) locally (separate power supply close to the camera)

- adjustable-voltage power supplies for the long-run camera(s), and while measuring the voltage AT THE CAMERA, dial up the voltage a bit.

- or as Chris suggests, run 24VAC out to near the cameras, then add a 12V regulator of some kind

 

You could also potentially replace the cameras with better, dual-voltage cameras and just send them 24VAC and be done with it.

 

 

So I was back at the job site today and took a look at my option with adding a local power source to the cameras.

It dows not look like it can be done as just on the other side of the wall is a washroom (a shower to be more specific). A walk-in closet is next and it does not have any pwoer outlets in it.. (BTW there is no attic in this house)

 

Looks like my options will have to be change the cameras to ones that will work with different power rating or long cable runs. (will have to see what I can pickup locally)

 

BTW, the cables for these two cameras are not Lorex. They are other China made from a local electronics store (CCTV and other products).

 

Is Lorex a product that you guys would not recocomend. This is my first time using them and I am not too impressed. (however is the price thats attractive).

[fa chris 0]

I don't think a lower problem camera will help you out here, you're better off switching to 24vac for longer voltage runs.

[Numb-nuts 1]

For all but the shortest runs say upto 30m you should start with 24V AC and a transformer at the camera end for 24Vac to 12V DC (regulated) The reason is that AC volts suffer less loss than DC volts and you will get a nice clean voltage at the camera without loss. This is especially important if the camera is an outside camera with IR and the current it draws increases as the IR trips in. Make sure your transformer can output at least 650ma @12VDC, better still 1 amp.

 

Of course you could use 24V AC cameras in the first place to eliminate the problem!