Camera replacement

[amealey 0]

I have a mini storage complex that has several cameras out. I have purchased new cameras and upgraded the DVR. My question is this: since the original cameras that were installed are hard-wired in (the wires are within the building walls through conduit and no connectors are visible), what is the best and most effective way to wire the new cameras to the existing wires? Thanks in advance for any help.

[Kawboy12R 0]

I assume you are planning on replacing the existing cameras and not thinking that you can add more cameras using the existing wiring? If you mean replace the existing cams with new ones, I suppose it depends on how long of a pigtail the new cams have and how far away the connectors are inside your wall or soffit. I suppose you could cut the existing wires at the existing cam and crimp on new BNC fittings and barrel connectors for the power and house them in a waterproof junction box of some kind (get a pro), but I'd prefer to find some access to the old connectors through the soffit or wall (probably from the inside) and use them. Major PITA if the original installer ran conduit right up to the outer wall and sealed the connectors in the tubing, but I'd hope that there's a junction box with the connectors in it somewhere just inside the wall.

[amealey 0]

Thanks for the quick response. I am simply replacing the cameras that no longer work, not trying to add more to existing wires. Unfortunately, I do believe the original installers buried the connectors (if there are any) within the conduit. I can only access a small amount of wire coming out of a hole in the metal building. I'm attaching a pic of the new camera so you can see what I'm working with on that end. There is approximately 18" of wire coming from the back of the camera. I'm thinking I need to splice, but wasn't sure if that was a good idea, or how to do it and keep the integrity of my system.

Thanks.

[Kawboy12R 0]

Splicing won't give you good results. In my inexpert opinion (I'm a hobbyist), if you're totally against digging into the walls to find out what's in there, I'd cut the old cables as close to the camera as possible, attach a BNC and barrel connector to the end of the old cable, mount a junction box, and connect the new camera's leads to the new connections on the old cable inside the box. The difficulty will be in getting the BNC crimped onto the old cable properly. With different grades and sizes of coax, especially if the exposed cable is the remains of something attached to a low-budget Chinese analog cam, it's hard to say exactly what's there to crimp to. That's why I recommended getting a local pro, but I suppose if the existing cams are dead, what's the worst that can happen if you do it yourself and it doesn't work? As long as you leave them exposed cable to work with, that is. Maybe cut off an inch or two of the existing cable and take it to your local electronics shop and have THEM identify the cable and sell you the right crimpers and connectors. There's no substitute for eyes-on expertise. My local place would even give a demo on how to properly use the crimpers. Heck, there's even a possibility that you're not dealing with coax at all...

[bigglebowski 0]

I assume the currently installed cameras have a similar pigtail to the new one you have their on the rug. You will not going to be able to get a reliable connection on that with a BNC type crimp connector. You could chop of the cables from both sides and put RCA solder type connectors on each side, one male the other female.

 

Finding RCA males will be no problem but finding RCA female end connectors are a lot less common.

 

Truth is since this isnt really a proper coax pigtail you probably could get away with just stripping the jackets back and splicing them together with solder that way.

[amealey 0]

Sounds like I need to re-evaluate my situation and/or my equipment. Most of the local "pros" around here aren't really worth their salt, which is why I wanted to try myself. I've had a couple of different contractors out there, but didn't get a lot of help. The outfit who installed my system initially has been a disappointment in their customer service as well as their ridiculous prices. Disadvantages of a small town. I'm sure there's a way...cameras go out all the time, right? At any rate, thanks for the replies and the advice. I'm sure I will be posting again in the near future.