Advice on a very short cable distance run & underground installation

[Rob2020]

Hello everyone, I will be mounting a hidden Andy/Dahua cam in a home built 95% watertight birdhouse on my cedar privacy fence. The installation will require about 4 feet underground through 3/4 plastic conduit (to cross the gate open/close area).

I plan on adding a lightning arrestor and grounding. Beyond that, is there anything extra I need to do? Do I need direct burial rated cable for such a short run?

I am on the coast so the frostline is in inches not feet.

Thank you for any guidance.

 

[mat200]

Hello everyone, I will be mounting a hidden Andy/Dahua cam in a home built 95% watertight birdhouse on my cedar privacy fence. The installation will require about 4 feet underground through 3/4 plastic conduit (to cross the gate open/close area).

I plan on adding a lightning arrestor and grounding. Beyond that, is there anything extra I need to do? Do I need direct burial rated cable for such a short run?

I am on the coast so the frostline is in inches not feet.

Thank you for any guidance.

Hi @Rob2020

I'd go for burial rated cable if you can find a short run of it since most members have reported getting water eventually in their buried conduit runs.

IF I could not find a short enough run of cable.. they I'd just use normal cable if I can easily rerun it.

 

[SpacemanSpiff]

Hello everyone, I will be mounting a hidden Andy/Dahua cam in a home built 95% watertight birdhouse on my cedar privacy fence.

Looking for ideas on this concept. What camera did you choose?

 

[sebastiantombs]

I would say if it's a short run and easily replaced, as Matt said, then a UV rated might help a bit. I've had some UV rated cable out in the elements for years with no problems, so far.

 

[Holbs]

4 feet in the ground? For low voltage (12/24vDC such as landscaping lights) or POE stuff.. can lay right on top of the ground if you wanted to.
I ran 1" PVC about 12" deep.

 

[Rob2020]

4 feet in the ground? For low voltage (12/24vDC such as landscaping lights) or POE stuff.. can lay right on top of the ground if you wanted to.
I ran 1" PVC about 12" deep.

4 feet width, about 6" deep just below the surface.

 

[Rob2020]

Looking for ideas on this concept. What camera did you choose?

I have several from Andy, still undecided but probably a full color bullet.

 

[Rob2020]

Hi @Rob2020

I'd go for burial rated cable if you can find a short run of it since most members have reported getting water eventually in their buried conduit runs.

IF I could not find a short enough run of cable.. they I'd just use normal cable if I can easily rerun it.

Finding small quantities is the problem, the total run will be about 40 - 50 feet of which 4 feet is underground so as not to create a tripping hazard in front of the gate, the rest will run down the fence and into the wall to the final termination point at the BI PC.

 

[Rob2020]

I would say if it's a short run and easily replaced, as Matt said, then a UV rated might help a bit. I've had some UV rated cable out in the elements for years with no problems, so far.

This is my likely approach, it would be easily replaced.

 

[Holbs]

Finding small quantities is the problem, the total run will be about 40 - 50 feet of which 4 feet is underground so as not to create a tripping hazard in front of the gate, the rest will run down the fence and into the wall to the final termination point at the BI PC.

contact your local telecommunication outfits, phone system places, etc. They will have stuff less than 100' on a reel that they are about to throw away.

 

[Teken]

Hello everyone, I will be mounting a hidden Andy/Dahua cam in a home built 95% watertight birdhouse on my cedar privacy fence. The installation will require about 4 feet underground through 3/4 plastic conduit (to cross the gate open/close area).

I plan on adding a lightning arrestor and grounding. Beyond that, is there anything extra I need to do? Do I need direct burial rated cable for such a short run?

I am on the coast so the frostline is in inches not feet.

Thank you for any guidance.

How do you plan to install the Earth ground? What is going to be grounded? What type of lightning arrestor do you intend to purchase and how will it be integrated with the system?

 

[Rob2020]

How do you plan to install the Earth ground? What is going to be grounded? What type of lightning arrestor do you intend to purchase and how will it be integrated with the system?

I am still in the research phase but I am looking at this:

Outdoor 10/100 Base-T CAT5e 24V PoE Lightning Surge Protector - RJ45 Jacks
Item # AL-CAT5EJW24

https://www.l-com.com/surge-protector-outdoor-10-100-base-t-cat5e-24v-poe-lightning-surge-protector-rj45-jacks

The camera location is near my Telco/Cable/Power Meter so there is a permanent ground right there I figured I would hook up right there.

I am open to suggestions but one thing I have learned here is research first, then make your plan of action, then purchase and implement. I know going off halfcocked and unknowledgeable is not the answer.

 

[sebastiantombs]

The PoE commonly used for cameras is 48 volt, not 24 volt.

 

[Rob2020]

The PoE commonly used for cameras is 48 volt, not 24 volt.

Thanks, I missed that, they have several models, I probably linked the wrong one.

Maybe this one;

https://www.l-com.com/surge-protector-outdoor-10-100-base-t-cat5e-lightning-surge-protector-rj45-jacks

"The limits are +/- 58 volts on the four cable pairs. "

 

[Teken]

I am still in the research phase but I am looking at this:

Outdoor 10/100 Base-T CAT5e 24V PoE Lightning Surge Protector - RJ45 Jacks
Item # AL-CAT5EJW24

https://www.l-com.com/surge-protector-outdoor-10-100-base-t-cat5e-24v-poe-lightning-surge-protector-rj45-jacks

The camera location is near my Telco/Cable/Power Meter so there is a permanent ground right there I figured I would hook up right there.

I am open to suggestions but one thing I have learned here is research first, then make your plan of action, then purchase and implement. I know going off halfcocked and unknowledgeable is not the answer.

What is the distance from the Telco / Cable / Power ground bar? Do you know what type of soil you have more specifically what is the ground made of under the grass.

 

[Rob2020]

What is the distance from the Telco / Cable / Power ground bar? Do you know what type of soil you have more specifically what is the ground made of under the grass.

The distance from the proposed installation to the existing ground wire/ground point is less than 5 feet. The existing ground is dirt with mulch over it, the soil is what I consider garden variety dirt, not clay, not sandy either, very rocky. I confess to my ignorance in this endeavor, I am just trying to do it properly. I have learned a lot on ipcamtalk and everyone here is always willing to share their expertise.

 

[Teken]

The distance from the proposed installation to the existing ground wire/ground point is less than 5 feet. The existing ground is dirt with mulch over it, the soil is what I consider garden variety dirt, not clay, not sandy either, very rocky. I confess to my ignorance in this endeavor, I am just trying to do it properly. I have learned a lot on ipcamtalk and everyone here is always willing to share their expertise.

Given the extremely short distance you don't need to ground the camera because it will use the ground from the POE Switch / POE Injector. If you want to go the extra mile using shielded Ethernet cable and insuring the POE Switch is connected to the Earth ground at the service panel / water pipe is fine. Incorporating a SPD (Surge Protective Device) is always recommended and prudent.

Keep in mind SPD's must always be installed in a layered approach from: Service Supply, Service Entry, Point of Use. As each SPD Type: Type 1, Type 2, Type 3 all provide protection in a scaled manner. The device you referenced here doesn't provide very much technical information with respect to clamping voltage and the time to do so nor does it indicate the let through voltages.

All of which is important to know because it tells you how it will perform vs not . . .

Here is something you may consider as an alternate SPD (Made in America) and uses field proven SAD / GDT components and is fully UL / cUL listed to comply with all industry best standards and is fully GB / POE+ capable.

DITEK DTK-MRJPOES Shielded PoE Surge Protector

Buy DITEK DTK-MRJPOES Shielded PoE Surge Protector featuring Shielded Surge Protection, Cat 5e, Cat 6 & Cat 6A Compatibility, Shielded RJ45 Connectors, PoE+ and HiPoE Ready, 328' Typical Transmission Range, Data Rate up to 10 Gb/s. Review DITEK DTK-MRJPOES

www.bhphotovideo.com

 

[Rob2020]

Awesome, think you for directing me to a product that has known specs, Made in USA is a bonus.

I appreciate you sharing your expertise and everyone who has added input in this thread.

 

[tigerwillow1]

With a 4 foot buried conduit I would think you could give it a little slope so any water that accumulates would eventually drain out the low end.

 

[Rob2020]

With a 4 foot buried conduit I would think you could give it a little slope so any water that accumulates would eventually drain out the low end.

I think it will be a non-issue. There will be coax running on the back side of the fence down from the camera junction box to a 90 degree elbow. On the opposite end I plan to use a 90 degree elbow to come above grade. I will probably use PVC caps with holes drilled for the ethernet cable and coax tape around the openings, this should be 99% watertight.