Re: CCTV with Cat5 and what I've learned.

[Jim <alarminex@xxxxxxx>]

On Saturday, January 19, 2013 3:20:35 PM UTC-5, G. Morgan wrote:
 In a warehouse environment with the large lengths of cable I can see why y=
ou might be saying that it's not cost effective. If it were a 12 cam job wi=
th drop tile in a retail store (or home) it's definitely faster and cheaper=
 with baluns. Think about this, you can use a flex bit to corner mount a ca=
mera just like a motion because the cable is so thin. All your wire running=
 tricks from security come back into play with CAT5 video. Try using a 3/8"=
 flex bit to run siamese cable! As others have said, in the warehouse some =
guys will place the power supplies mid-run (wherever an outlet is convenien=
t). You can strip back the outer jacket and inject power before it goes out=
 to no-man's land. Makes it a pain to troubleshoot if you don't document wh=
ere the power supplies are though. Since *you* are likely the one to servic=
e it, you may not need that level of documentation a big company has where =
a different tech may go out each time. I think you'll find baluns cheaper t=
han $16/pair will do the job just fine. ADI sells them in a bag with two fo=
r half that. Also, if you plan for always using CAT5 in the future you may =
want to change the cams you buy. Some have built-in baluns. You can pre-bui=
ld the head-end box at the shop to make the on site part go faster. I have =
not found the perfect way to mount baluns in the box yet, but with some tri=
al & error and all the clips and stand-offs available I'm sure you can make=
 a system that works for you. MCM Electronics has TONS of stuff like that. =
The catalog is 2" thick. And it's full of goodies for our trade - including=
 audio. Anyway, how was the video quality? Any noticeable difference? <asid=
e> I bought a Raspberry Pi mini-computer for $35 from MCM. It runs Debian L=
inux on a SD card. It has 15 I/O's and the possibilities are endless. Comes=
 with 512M RAM and a HDMI & composite out, plus audio and network. If you l=
ike to tinker, get one! <aside 2> Someone asked where to get LCD screens ab=
out 6 months ago, MCM has them in all sizes. http://www.mcmelectronics.com/

Since I wrote the original post and got some feedback, I've done some more =
thinking and research and I'm zeroing in on a better way to do things.=20

Single baluns (that don't carry power too, are really inexpensive) For powe=
r on bigger jobs ...centrally locate power or ..... instead of using one bi=
g power source .... perhaps use two or divide power supplies in accoudence =
to where the cameras are located. If possible, use indivdual plug-in packs =
in nearby outlets too. I see that there are very inxepensive BNC connector =
jumper cables available ( I wouldn't like to wire Cat5 right up to the Balu=
ns that are plugged directiy into the DVR) Stripping back longer lengths of=
 the Cat5 for the runs to the power supply hadn't occured to me. That'll sa=
ve some time.=20

I hadn't seen cameras with built in baluns but I'm pretty particular about =
the cameras I use and almost always use a varafocal lens. I'm  using 700 li=
ne res cameras now with 100 foot IR. I know it's overkill but ..... If I co=
uld only convince more people to use higher res monitors instaead of an old=
 TV or computer monitor just to save a few bucks. I got all the way to the =
end of this job ... didn't quote a monitor because he said he had one and h=
e shows up with a 1990's era TV set. Jeeeeeeze.=20

With all the cameras showing on the screen it looks like a square bowl of t=
omato-maccaroni soup with black things floating in it. I'm going to bring a=
 monitor with me next week when I turn it over to him .... to let him see t=
he difference. What a F.... g idiot. =20