House install locations part deux

[conner05]

this is my switch - Switch 48 PoE

Is it not safe to have a single cat6 from the switch to camera mounted at the tree? Is there a risk of damage to the switch? If that's the case, isn't there a risk for any outdoor camera? And if that's the case, why am I just now hearing about it? @The Automation Guy @SpacemanSpiff

 

[wittaj]

I know you probably won't end up having this all up and running by the end of the month (but you might if ATT actually drops all those ethernet for you and you order the cams), but you will be much more pleased with this system than your original proposal of cams not on an ideal MP/sensor ratio and the 2.8mm focal lengths.

I am sure initially you would love the wide angle, see the whole neighborhood that those cams provide, but quickly you will realize that all they are good for is observing.

With that said, don't totally discount the 2.8mm either. I think you may want to add one or two overviews to see the whole front and back.

Once all said and done, I think this would make for a great case study for you to create a post and bringing this journey all in under one thread for future NOOB to see.

 

[wittaj]

this is my switch - Switch 48 PoE

Is it not safe to have a single cat6 from the switch to camera mounted at the tree? Is there a risk of damage to the switch? If that's the case, isn't there a risk for any outdoor camera? And if that's the case, why am I just now hearing about it? @The Automation Guy @SpacemanSpiff

This thread might help explain a little more:

POE Camera ground

Good evening everyone! Sorry I am new to this forum and I promise I have read hours and hours of thread regarding my next question with no luck before I decided to ask. So my question is about grounding. I am going to run about 200 feet of cat 6 cable (Direct Burial) this is the amazon link to...

ipcamtalk.com

And after that confuses you LOL, remember that many people have put cameras outside and in trees and mailboxes and bushes with no additional grounding considerations and have been fine (or lucky).

 

[SpacemanSpiff]

... And if that's the case, why am I just now hearing about it?

'Cause your not reading through this site fast enough!

 

[The Automation Guy]

Any lightning strike can cause damage to electronic devices. Obviously the closer the lightning strike, the greater the chance of issues. With equipment installed in or on my house, unless it is a direct hit, the strike is likely to be 20, 50, 100 ft away from my house at the closest because of where trees are, etc. However if I am running cables to cameras mounted in my yard, the odds of having a non-direct strike effect my equipment is higher because the cable will act as a conduit of that power.

It's all about the level of risk you are willing to take. Personally I have one camera mounted on a pole that is about 10' from my house. I have direct wired that camera and haven't worried about fiber etc. However the longer you run a wire outside of your house, the greater the chance that you'll have issues. Some people want to run cameras installed on an out building 50', 100', 200' from their house and those types of scenarios definitely need to consider the potential for nearby lightning strikes having an effect.

 

[sebastiantombs]

A word on getting cable out to trees.

Use conduit for the entire run from the house, through the foundation if possible, and at a depth of two feet or more out to the tree. Where it exits the ground use Liquid Tite conduit up the tree trunk. The Liquid Tite conduit needs to be clamped to the tree using metal bars secure to the tree with the clamp secured to the metal bar. This is because tress grow constantly, both height and girth. Over a period of time, say two years or so, they will literally crush any conduit, even rigid steel conduit. Incidentally, the Liquid Tite conduit is flexible to allow for swaying and twisting of the tree.

Use a direct burial rated, gel filled CAT5E or CAT6 shielded cable. One continuous run from camera to at least the interior of the house. You can transition from gel filled to standard CMR rated CAT cable once inside. The reason for this is that water will end up inside the conduit either by seepage or condensation. It can pay to pull two cables if you only need one so you have a spare if something goes wrong or if you want to add another camera. Proper grounding of the shield on the cables is important. You can also add surge protection designed for use on ethernet cables and, again, grounding those surge protectors is very important.

 

[mat200]

this is my switch - Switch 48 PoE

Is it not safe to have a single cat6 from the switch to camera mounted at the tree? Is there a risk of damage to the switch? If that's the case, isn't there a risk for any outdoor camera? And if that's the case, why am I just now hearing about it? @The Automation Guy @SpacemanSpiff

Hi @conner05

Some member have had no issues running cat6 and power to a box and putting a switch in a sealed box .. others have reported issues with heat / humidity .. and others report issues with lightning strikes .. so a lot "depends" applies.

Personally I can see myself running 2 conduit lines under ground about 1 ft apart to the front of my property for a mailbox camera set ..
One conduit for power, another for data - either cat5e/6 or fiber .. probably use a 3/4" PCV conduit just to make it easier to run ..

Example of a recent post on a mailbox cam ..

strange creature checking out my mailbox camera

ipcamtalk.com

 

[dok0619]

eek... just saw this thread and now wondering if I messed up with my install outside....attached is pic from my side yard garden. I have the ethernet cable running through the wall down the side of the house mounted to the vinyl siding (blue line)

 

[SpacemanSpiff]

eek... just saw this thread and now wondering if I messed up with my install outside....attached is pic from my side yard garden. I have the ethernet cable running through the wall down the side of the house mounted to the vinyl siding (blue line)

At the least it will fail at some point due to exposure to the elements. Good news is, it's not buried/hidden so accessibility will make it easier to replace. The device can be neutralized with a knife, scissors or pair of wire cutters. This act might also damage the equipment on the other end of the cable due to shorting the conductors when cutting.

edit: schedule 40 is cheap and easy to work with. Add a box where it exits the wall, and run the Ethernet cable in some 1/2" to camera location.

 

[dok0619]

At the least it will fail at some point due to exposure to the elements. Good news is, it's not buried/hidden so accessibility will make it easier to replace. The device can be neutralized with a knife, scissors or pair of wire cutters. This act might also damage the equipment on the other end of the cable due to shorting the conductors when cutting.

edit: schedule 40 is cheap and easy to work with. Add a box where it exits the wall, and run the Ethernet cable in some 1/2" to camera location.

thanks... this cam was more for critter watching then security so wasnt really concerned about someone cutting the wires....its amazing how much activity there is in the garden at night and my wife was wanting to know what was eating her fruit and digging up her garden lol. So far we have had tons of feral cats, raccoons, possums and field mice...

 

[conner05]

Hey Y'all. There are some updates to this build in the thread here - Help deciding on new install locations around house

Anyway, I have a question about the talk back cam I plan on using. If I'm using it with Blue Iris will I be able to hear the recorded audio on the video playback? Can I do so from the Blue Iris app? Also, how's the talk back UI for BI? We're used the Eufy interface and I don't think my wife will be very happy if the BI app is difficult to use lol. Thoughts?

 

[wittaj]

Yes you will hear recorded audio, but sometimes you won't hear your part during playback.

The two-way talk is kinda quirky - you tap the mic button and talk and then press again so you can hear them - it is more like walkie talkie than a phone or doorbell conversation.

I have five two way talk cams and outside of when I was testing them when setting up, I never use the feature.