[KAT5] Power over co-ax

[Eddy Carroll <ecarroll@xxxxxx>]

Not really a KAT5 question this, but I suspect some of the knowledgeable
heads on the list may be able to help.

We're installing a network of security cameras in the apartment complex
where I live, mostly outdoor units. Ideally, we'd like to avoid running
separate power drops to each camera, and instead supply 12V over the co-ax
cabling that will carry the video.

However, the only converters I've found that combine/separate 12V + video
onto a single feed seem rather expensive - about Stg40 per end. Since a
normal line-powered masthead amplifier is around 1/4 the price, as is a
line power injector, I figure there must surely be a cheaper solution
available to separate the 12V back out from the video at the camera end.

(We have around 10-12 cameras to deploy, and we're on a tight budget so an
extra Stg80 per camera really ads up.)

Has anyone else dabbled in this area (powering remote cameras off co-ax)?
If so, did you find a low-cost solution?

As an aside, d we started off deploying Axis network cameras over real CAT5
cable, with power over pins 7/8, and had our first arrest about two weeks
ago, when a guy was caught breaking & entering - the police identified
the
suspect directly off the camera footage. However, for the number of cameras
we want, network monitoring won't really scale that well - each camera
likes 10-15 Mb/s bandwidth for constant monitoring, and we don't have the
network infrastructure to scale up to 10+ cameras without killing
everything else on LAN.

Obligatory KAT5 qusestion: Any plans to allow the KAT5 units to derive
their power from the CAT5 line itself, without having to sacrifice one of
the cable pairs?

Eddy