Cameras in Elevator

[cshah 0]

 

We just got a project in Dubai to install CCTVs in a hotel 55 story high. All floors and outside cameras everything is fine but we are having trouble in installing it in an elevator. The elevators go up and down 55 sories and these are fast elevators. What kind of Coax cable do I need. Any one has any idea and brand etc....

[CollinR 0]

I would use stranded UTP, many elevator manufacturers provide the cabling already. It may alreadt be in the traveler you just need to find it and wire the car, then patch it back to the recording/observation gear.

[securitymonster 0]

I would use stranded UTP, many elevator manufacturers provide the cabling already. It may alreadt be in the traveler you just need to find it and wire the car, then patch it back to the recording/observation gear.

 

Exactly what Collin said. You also need to be careful what you run in an elevator shaft. They are very picky and some states have different laws on this subject.

 

We would always hire the elevator guys to do the cable work if the UTP wasn't already there, and then we would just terminate!

[Lolo Wolf 0]

To add to the good advice, if you have authorized access to the traveler cable and there is a emergency phone most Ive seen have at least two pairs sometimes four.(One pair dedicated to the cab telephone the other you could use with a UTP/CCTV product) If the building is presently occupied you have to take into consideration the downtime for each cab you can minimize the elevator down-time by doing a pre-wire from the elevator/machine room (often the top floor depends on the system) via 110 punch down blocks to the basement or lower pit and run to your security room. If the building is presently occupied you have to take into consideration the temporary interruption of service and work out a plan with the elevator company or maintenance provider and follow a safe shut down procedure. Your local Dubai, here in the US there are safety guidelines for suspension of service based on occupancy and exit.

[chanyickwai 0]

Lolo Wolf's explanation is great. I think you should use the traveler cable inside the lift. I am wondering if you need to seek help from lift contractor (though this is expensive). Or else, I just curious if you're skill enough to lay this cable inside the lift, unlike static things, this lift moving up and down all the time and need special consideration and skills. That's why even in our place, this cable normally goes back to the lift contractor, other just too risky to do this. Morever, controlling and opening the lift for installation must rely on lift contractor, we CCTV installers most likely unable to do that.

 

 

Regards, Dove

[martini 0]

many hotels put the dvr on the elevator roof !

[survtech 0]

Good advice above. Also keep in mind that it is not a good idea to run a separate cable in an elevator shaft and it is usually against building codes. You should utilize any spare conductors in the "traveller cable". Many traveller cables have coax or twisted-pair or both included just for that purpose. You will usually need to get the elevator manufacturer or service company involved in the installation to operate the elevator for you, stop it between floors so you can access the roof of the car and to connect your cables in the elevator control room and the elevator car's control panel.

[Rebco 0]

many hotels put the dvr on the elevator roof !

 

They Do?

[scorpion 0]

The moving elevator roof top, or the top of the elevator shaft??

 

Does the elevator shaft have air conditioning? How does the DVR stay cool?

[martini 0]

i don't know they crazy or not.. but yes they do..

 

 

i mean on the moving elevator roof not on the shaft roof..

 

hmm.. on the moving roof its still cool right?

 

 

 

cmiiw

[bigbuilding 0]

Make sure everything is written clearly in writing. If something does not work you will have the elevator company saying its the CCTV contractors fault or the opposite. Many Elevator companies do not have experience installating CCTV.

 

I would also think of the future, will you be installing Access Control, new intercoms or those Advertisement screens inside your elevators anytime soon, if so now would be the time to do it.

[survtech 0]

i don't know they crazy or not.. but yes they do..

 

 

i mean on the moving elevator roof not on the shaft roof..

That actually makes sense since many elevators don't have spare wires in the stringer cable for video. That has to be specified before the elevator is installed and most architects don't.

 

The cost to add a second stringer cable to an elevator is prohibitive. We have a freight elevator that only travels 3 floors. We needed to get a camera in the elevator due to vandalism issues. There were no spare wires in the stringer. Our contract requires that any work on elevators be peformed by the manufacturer's techs. Our only solution was to have the manufacturer fabricate and install a second stringer cable. The cost was around $10,000.

 

Many elevators have an AC outlet box on the roof of the car for service reasons so putting a camera power supply and a DVR there makes economic sense.

[Rebco 0]

You learn something new everyday

[scorpion 0]

I am just curious as to how they get to the video?

 

I would imagine on some of those elevators where the light grid is in the way of the trap door.

 

Have a screwdriver in hand, and you are good to go!

Edited April 12, 2008 by Guest

[rory 0]

Wonder if wireless would work .. or probably too much metal ..

 

to scorpion .. maybe install a Wireless Bridge at the DVR .. but the wireless router/switch would need to be somewhere up top probably so the signal wont need to try to go through the elevator metal.

 

PS. i just connected a Linksys Wireless Bridge to this EB1304 NET for the same reason, but its just a couple walls between the DVR and the router .. they just dint want to run any more cable ..

[scorpion 0]

Router / Bridge combo:

 

How much is that approx?? $150.00 to $200.00??

[rory 0]

Linksys Wireless Bridge .. its $150 in the Bahamas.

Then the Linksys Wireless Router .. using the clients.

[survtech 0]

Wonder if wireless would work .. or probably too much metal ..

 

to scorpion .. maybe install a Wireless Bridge at the DVR .. but the wireless router/switch would need to be somewhere up top probably so the signal wont need to try to go through the elevator metal.

Wireless digital may work or it may exhibit the same problems we experienced with wireless analog.

 

We discovered that wireless analog had too many problems when the elevator was in motion. The signal faded in and out as the car moved, causing tearing and ghosting in the video.

 

Another issue was that even though some companies said it would work, they all refused to let us return the equipment if it didn't.