New build CAT6 camera cabling through a wall

[BigJoe90]

Looking for any advice or help, thanks. . We have been rebuilding our house and I am now going to add cabling for the external IP CCTV cameras.

I am intending to drop the cables down the internal wall from the ceiling and then just drill out through the concrete wall bocks to where I am going to mount them externally. The internal wall will then be covered in plasterboard and the cables hidden.

Is this the best way or are there alternatives?

Should I terminate the cable internally just before I run it through the wall in some sort of wall box hidden behind the plasterboard.
Or
Should I add a network point on the internal wall near to where the cable is going out of the wall and use a patch cable to go through the wall? Would give me more flexibility and prevent issues with the cable in the future.
Or
Just run it down the internal wall and then out through the wall and stop over thinking it?

For example in this room there will be 2 cameras mounted on the other sides of the walls.

 

[TonyR]

Do you intend for the vertical run to be BEHIND or OUTSIDE of the plasterboard that's covering the block wall?

If BEHIND, will the plasterboard be stood off the blocks maybe with 1 x 2's or 2 x 2's ?

If so, I'd run 3/4" PVC behind the plasterboard, from a box to a box and pull in a CAT-6 and a string or two CAT-6's.

Make all runs continuous, no splices, coil at least 12" in each box.

 

[BigJoe90]

Do you intend for the vertical run to be BEHIND or OUTSIDE of the plasterboard that's covering the block wall?

If BEHIND, will the plasterboard be stood off the blocks maybe with 1 x 2's or 2 x 2's ?

If so, I'd run 3/4" PVC behind the plasterboard, from a box to a box and pull in a CAT-6 and a string or two CAT-6's.

Make all runs continuous, no splices, coil at least 12" in each box.

It will be behind the plasterboard, the plasterboard will be attached using using dot and dab, this will give around a 20mm void (3/4").

Thanks

 

[TonyR]

Not sure what's available in the UK but in the U.S., there a 3/8" PVC tubing that's .675" OD x 0.403" ID.
The intent is to protect the CAT cable from attachment to the plasterboard.

 

[Starglow]

A few more photos higher up the wall and from outside might help provide a better view of your installation area. I would not bury any boxes hidden behind the drywall because you may need to access them in the future, so an electrical box with a blank cover plate would be better if you use boxes.

 

[mat200]

Looking for any advice or help, thanks. . We have been rebuilding our house and I am now going to add cabling for the external IP CCTV cameras.

I am intending to drop the cables down the internal wall from the ceiling and then just drill out through the concrete wall bocks to where I am going to mount them externally. The internal wall will then be covered in plasterboard and the cables hidden.

Is this the best way or are there alternatives?

Should I terminate the cable internally just before I run it through the wall in some sort of wall box hidden behind the plasterboard.
Or
Should I add a network point on the internal wall near to where the cable is going out of the wall and use a patch cable to go through the wall? Would give me more flexibility and prevent issues with the cable in the future.
Or
Just run it down the internal wall and then out through the wall and stop over thinking it?

For example in this room there will be 2 cameras mounted on the other sides of the walls.
View attachment 179597

welcome @BigJoe90

This is what I prefer to do :

"Should I add a network point on the internal wall near to where the cable is going out of the wall and use a patch cable to go through the wall? Would give me more flexibility and prevent issues with the cable in the future."

Basically run all cables to a central data closet / network area .. leave a bit of slack in each cable run so you are not a bit short ..

Update : clarification .. bulk cat6 or cat5e in wall to camera .. and in the network data area .. bulk cable runs to a patch panel. From patch panel I have patch cables to switches ..

 

[Starglow]

welcome @BigJoe90

This is what I prefer to do :

"Should I add a network point on the internal wall near to where the cable is going out of the wall and use a patch cable to go through the wall? Would give me more flexibility and prevent issues with the cable in the future."

Basically run all cables to a central data closet / network area .. leave a bit of slack in each cable run so you are not a bit short ..

I ran Cat6 cables from the cameras to an in-wall electrical box with flush mounted keystone jacks on the wall right behind the NVR location and then just use patch cables from the wall to the NVR ports as needed. There's lots of ways the OP can go with running cables but we don't know enough about his overall install plans, however I would never bury cable boxes hidden behind drywall under any circumstances, which in most areas would also be a code violation.

 

[TonyR]

There's lots of ways the OP can go with running cables but we don't know enough about his overall install plans,

This! ^^^

... I would never bury cable boxes hidden behind drywall under any circumstances....

and this! ^^^

 

[Sybertiger]

Concrete block construction in Florida is common. You should have furring strips attached to the concrete block (usually 1 inch thick by 2 or 3 inch wide by 8 feet long) usually 16 inch apart where studs normally are for a wood framed house. The drywall is nailed to the furring strips. That leaves a 1 inch space between the back of the drywall and the block for your cables. This is how we run electrical from the attic down the walls to the electrical boxes. You'll probably want to install a plastic box with the appropriate ethernet cover. The box is installed by beating the concrete block with a normal hammer at your desired location with the hole knocked out to be approximately the size of the box. Don't worry about it being perfect. Once the box is in you'll use some concrete mortar to fill in any gaps or accidental chucks that busted out around the box. And yes...that is code here to do it in this fashion.

 

[BigJoe90]

Thanks for the replies, a bit more information.

I am based in the UK

I've already run network points into most rooms, down the wall from the loft space.

All these network points and the wiring for the cameras will be going back to a patch panel in a room just below the loft, so the route is up into the loft and then down into where they are going to be terminated at the patch panel.

I was mainly interested in the best way to get the cable through the internal wall to the outside. It is my intention to just run another network cable all the way from the patch panel down the internal wall and then drill through to outside, poke the network cable through the hole, connect it to the camera and mount the camera over the hole in the wall.

Having not done this before I was just trying to gauge if it was as simple as just drill through the wall, run the cable, mount the camera or am I missing something.

This is currently what the loft space looks like:


This is the outside where one of the camera will be mounted:


In the UK when adding plasterboard to concrete block work it is usually dot and dabbed, quicker and cheaper than using timber batons.

 

[Starglow]

Given that type of drywall mounting process you might not have much choice but to drill a hole through the block to run the cable through and then seal around it. Ideally you could run a short piece of PVC conduit through the block wall and into a box mounted on the outside which would help protect the cable. Depending on the camera mount you have, you may have problems mounting it directly to the block without a box or some kind of base because there's no room for the cable connector plus sealing around the hole would be difficult.

 

[IAmATeaf]

Personally I’d run all the cabling in trunking so if the worst happens at least you have a slim possibility of being able to pull a cable through if one gets damaged.

Although the dab method will provide a gap you can’t rely upon that if you need to replace the cable as you don’t know if the cable is going to get stuck down with a dab of the glue.

 

[Holbs]

What of putting external camera round mount base at the red circle of the outside wall, and with 1/2" EMT conduit travel 2' to the left, 90 degree bend down, another 2', 90 degree bend to the left so the EMT conduit ends underneath that 1st floor roof overhang.

 

[Flintstone61]

Drill baby drill. it doesn't take long to run a hammer drill thru that block. For some locations it might be the simple clean solution....esp. for appearances outside.
In other locations you might be able to try other options.

 

[Holbs]

If you do decide to drill through the block for any reason, drill through the mortar and not the block itself. Easy fixings, later.

 

[TonyR]

If you do decide to drill through the block for any reason, drill through the mortar and not the block itself. Easy fixings, later.

A LOT easier to fish, too.

 

[looney2ns]

How are you going to insulate those block walls?

 

[TonyR]

How are you going to insulate those block walls?

+1^^^.
I was also thinking about waterproofing and/or vapor barrier.
Maybe they won't sweat as badly in UK as they would in my location.

 

[Starglow]

How are you going to insulate those block walls?

My house in Florida had cinder block walls and there was no insulation behind the drywall. The attic had blown in insulation but that was it.

 

[Starglow]

If you do decide to drill through the block for any reason, drill through the mortar and not the block itself. Easy fixings, later.

The way cinder blocks are made, drilling through the mortar joint could cause the block to crack. I always drill where the open voids are in the block which is less prone to crack and doesn't affect the structural integrity of the block on the side edges or in the center. I've drilled a lot of block in Florida installing conduit, electrical boxes, and dryer vents.