# wiring home security camera



## carpdad (Oct 11, 2010)

It may help with the house sale if I prewire the house for outside security cameras. And it looks like wired cameras would be cheaper. Or at least power cables for the cameras. 



But I know nothing about using or installing them. Example, is there a universal power/data line? Is it cat cable? I'm imagining home run cable to the camera locations for power and possibly data, then the cables would end in the basement power hub that would wifi the data to a computer. Do all the brands work about this way?


Also, can these cameras locate near or under outside flood lights, or is the flood light too bright?


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## Canarywood1 (May 5, 2012)

I don't think a wired system is really needed anymore , not with the advances they have made in wireless , of course this is only my opinion , but i just installed a wireless and glad i did over wired , and it's a cctv system to boot, here's a link to the product i did.


https://www.xmarto.com/wireless-security-system.html


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## carpdad (Oct 11, 2010)

Wireless would make life easier but don't they cost a lot more, and wouldn't they need battery changes? I was wondering if, at least, I can prewire for power. I thought all these different brands would use a common power cable.


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## HDS (Jun 21, 2014)

Look up power over ethernet (POE) systems. It is basically a network cable line that also transmits electricity to power the camera in addition to data. Wireless is nice, but you also have to change out batteries, etc...


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## Colbyt (Jan 27, 2014)

Changing batteries if used is a major downer. Power outlets outside have to be GFIC and are always subject to quirks. They can also be unplugged.


If I were to do anything on spec it would a POE cat 5/6 cable pulled to the proper locations. All low voltage and no license required.


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## adamz (May 13, 2018)

Power over ethernet is the way to go with a wired system. Also, in your central location, allot enough space to house the equipment and get to all sides of it including the power outlets. Some don't think about this and you end with a "rat's nest of wiring," things hanging by their power cords, etc. Neatness counts


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## Canarywood1 (May 5, 2012)

carpdad said:


> Wireless would make life easier but don't they cost a lot more, and wouldn't they need battery changes? I was wondering if, at least, I can prewire for power. I thought all these different brands would use a common power cable.




When they say wireless it doesn't mean battery , each camera needs to plug into an outlet for power , but everything after that is automatic transmission and hook up to your PC or TV if you like , no cables like POE.


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## carpdad (Oct 11, 2010)

Thanks canarywood1 for realizing how dumb I was about this.:smile::smile: Thanks all for the ideas. 



Corbyt, I had fairly good history with gfci outdoor outlets. What problems did you find? Does this outlet have to have great big outlet cover?


Now I'm also realizing camera is usually in one location, front door. So any kind of power source shouldn't need to much work. Also using ethernet cable would mean I need more money for taking the house voltage to ethernet. Seems like 120v to the camera location is most simple.


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## Canarywood1 (May 5, 2012)

The power cable is not very big , it can easily be run quite a distance to the indoors , and not have to be plugged into an outdoor receptacle , in fact they sell cables in various lengths as long as 30 ft. that just plug into one another no splicing needed , VERY easy to set up.


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## Colbyt (Jan 27, 2014)

carpdad said:


> Corbyt, I had fairly good history with gfci outdoor outlets. What problems did you find? Does this outlet have to have great big outlet cover?
> 
> 
> .



No specif problems. They tend to die sooner than inside units.


A POE system has the power converter in or near the base unit and utilizes a couple of the spare cat5 wires to send DC voltage to the cameras. One power supply supplies all the cameras connected to the unit. I've seen 4, 8 and 12 channel systems.


From you post I thought you wanted pre-wire only. The termination point would use a LV box or standard single gang with a blank cover for now. A e-plug and proper plate would be added by the final installer to match the camera cable.


When we built here we had all doors and windows prewired for a security system. It was a couple of years before we bought the alarm controller and system.



You can cover front and back doors only with one of those nest doorbells. While helpful they are not a real security system. A real system would let you view the entire exterior of your home and does take some planning.


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## jecapereca (Mar 28, 2019)

Canarywood1 said:


> I don't think a wired system is really needed anymore , not with the advances they have made in wireless , of course this is only my opinion , but i just installed a wireless and glad i did over wired , and it's a cctv system to boot, here's a link to the product i did.
> 
> 
> https://www.xmarto.com/wireless-security-system.html


Same in our case, previously mentioned somewhere in this forum I believe about the blink cameras we have at home (now owned by Amazon I think). They're straightforward in installation, and while they are battery-operated, we've had them for 18 months and they're still doing okay - although my friends have reported difference in performance, think it's based on the frequency and length of recordings. Can withstand weather too. Here's a review of the particular model we have in case you decide to go the wireless route: https://www.meccanohome.com/best-outdoor-security-camera/#BlinkXT


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## carpdad (Oct 11, 2010)

Blink looks very attractive. It is also the smallest, least intrusive I've seen. Also 2 yrs on batteries seem very attractive feature. Thanks for the direction.


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## raylo32 (Nov 25, 2006)

Wireless is OK but POE is the better way to go. No power bricks for the cameras and better data speed and security. Especially good for external cams where there is no AC power handy. Get a POE switch with as many ports as you want cameras and connect it to your router with a LAN cable.


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## Let it Snow (Feb 23, 2019)

HDS said:


> Look up power over ethernet (POE) systems. It is basically a network cable line that also transmits electricity to power the camera in addition to data. Wireless is nice, but you also have to change out batteries, etc...


Yes POE is the way to go. Simply run CAT5 or CAT6 from the recorder location to each camera. Also run it from your router to the recorder so the cameras can be seen over the internet and your phone. That's all you need.


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## jecapereca (Mar 28, 2019)

carpdad said:


> It may help with the house sale if I prewire the house for outside security cameras. And it looks like wired cameras would be cheaper. Or at least power cables for the cameras.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Hey there Carpdad, I see you are looking for a type of hidden camera. That's good bc it helps you follow what's happening in and out your house all day 24/7. You can refer to this article. Found it while I was searching for solutions about your problem. It's really useful bc explains everything (where to place the cam, how to install it, sound quality etc.) in details. I hope you find this useful. Have a nice day


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## KPDMinc (Nov 7, 2016)

Are you putting them in for the immediate sale of the house? Or, is your plan to use them and hope for an increased sale price in the future? been my experience, you wont get what you paid for the system back out, in fact, could hurt your potential sale due to buyers thinking the neighborhood is bad - since you have cameras. And, yes, I do have cameras myself, for my personal use...


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## Gregsoldtruck79 (Dec 21, 2017)

KPDMinc said:


> Are you putting them in for the immediate sale of the house? Or, is your plan to use them and hope for an increased sale price in the future? been my experience, you wont get what you paid for the system back out, in fact, could hurt your potential sale due to buyers thinking the neighborhood is bad - since you have cameras. And, yes, I do have cameras myself, for my personal use...



Three years ago I struggled with the blue text above, when I chose to install 7 outdoor soffit mounted security cameras with motion detector controlled floodlights in proximity to the cameras on our home. Because I did not want to be the person to "set the trend" of indicating a bad neighborhood, while using security cameras.

I also struggled with the notion, of how would our 3 neighbors right around us feel about them. While they knew our cameras facing the street, would be seeing them out in their front yards across the street from us. 

I drove around our around 1600 home subdivision and looked for exterior mount cameras on the homes. I only found maybe 10 homes with them. Now just 3 years later, they are getting installed on homes around me daily.

Our local police have even requested our communities here to let them know when we put up cameras. They asked us to do so, in case if there is crime committed in our neighborhood, someone may have caught some activity on their system that will help the police in their investigation.

Today, all anyone has to do today is watch their local news. The drug epidemic has painted a whole new face on crime here in the USA. No longer is it just the high priced homes getting broken in to. Few people are totally safe from crime now, no matter their location or economic status in life. 

Maybe just move to rural and be safe ? Another outdated idea now I am seeing come to fruition. In my state now, the rural crime rate is really on the rise due to the illegal drug industry. And IMO, rural living due to the lack of neighbors eyes/security cameras watching out for one another, makes them even easier targets. 

Now more direct to the OP. Before a person invests in exterior security cameras, they NEED to understand two points IMO. 

1. The exterior mount cameras are only going to be useful for the PREVENTION OF A CRIME, if one sits at their security monitor screen 24/7. Otherwise, the cameras are just video recording devices. Meaning any crime committed and caught on camera and recorded, will be seen AFTER the fact. So if buying a SS, be sure to get the WIFI systems to where a triggered camera alert or even live streaming monitoring of the homes cameras, will come to ones smart phone. 

2. The presence of security cameras on the outside of a home will NOT make a property 100% safe. There are bad people every day that look up right at a camera while robbing a food mart. Or, as they kick someone's front door in. 

Because these people doing so, have become hardcore criminals and they do NOT care about our cameras. So my thought of putting up cameras and floodlights, was not so they will prevent a crime happening to us. But more so as a possible deterrent. 

I just hope while using the law of averages, the person(s) thinking about doing a crime to my family or our property, will not be total hard core criminal YET. And hopefully they will see the cameras on our home, and then just keep on looking for a easier target. All JMO


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## carpdad (Oct 11, 2010)

100% agree on hard criminals. Doors themselves aren't much of a deterrent. Just petty opportunistic ones which there are more of. In nj and have always had neighbors no less than 20' away, well, maybe little more, all sides, which is both a blessing and a curse.:smile:


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## roberttimmons (Dec 28, 2019)

Yes cable the entire house with cat 5 including the bedrooms. Drops. No way a wireless camera will ever perform like a hardwired camera. Plus it would will hog your network bandwitgh which is precious if sell to a family with kids .

Power is supplied via a poe network switch at your main juntion , network cable is easy to terminate with some basic networking tools , plus having dataline will certainly increase your resale value. Most new houses are cabled.

Sent from my moto g(7) using Tapatalk


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## Missouri Bound (Apr 9, 2011)

POE is the only way to go. Cameras are relatively inexpensive yet with good resolution.
4 to 16 port systems are available. One wire from each camera to the ethernet DVR.
Low voltage, no additional outlets needed for power supplies.


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## bradcit (Aug 2, 2020)

nice post


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## bradcit (Aug 2, 2020)

Informative post.


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## terrefirma (Oct 18, 2020)

Canarywood1 said:


> I don't think a wired system is really needed anymore , not with the advances they have made in wireless , of course this is only my opinion , but i just installed a wireless and glad i did over wired , and it's a cctv system to boot, here's a link to the product i did.
> 
> 
> https://www.xmarto.com/wireless-security-system.html


Many people assume wireless means plugless/ power cordless, but i can attest it does not. It refers to how it gets the SIGNAL only.


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