Long Distance POE

wildlifecam

Young grasshopper
Aug 26, 2017
35
3
Has anyone done installs with cameras running over POE (proprietary or not) at longer distances? I need to get 4 to 8 cams running at distances from 1000 - 3000 feet. I'm guessing this is a serious challenge to get running reliably but figured I should ask the experts before I go the wireless route.

Decent night vision is needed. It would be useful to have a couple of PTZ cams installed, but not a requirement if the power drops too low over the longer distances to run the PTZ.

Blue Iris to capture the video.
 
So no 120VAC line power available at any of the distant sites, even at the 3,000 ft. mark?
 
Read ==>> Dahua’s patented Enhanced Power Over Ethernet (ePoE) product line

Excerpt: "With the ability to extend transmission distances up to 2625ft (800m) over a single Ethernet cable to an ePoE head-end device without repeaters, ePoE technology provides a lower total cost of ownership to users who require long transmission distances without interruption..."
 
? I need to get 4 to 8 cams running at distances from 1000 - 3000 feet. I'm guessing this is a serious challenge to get running reliably

It's going to be really difficult. Can you actually buy cable easily at that length?. I wouldn't be joining cables.
I'd also take the epoe specs with a grain of salt, they would probably only apply in ideal world conditions.

You would also need to look at very low powered Poe cameras, no IR etc
 
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Can you actually buy cable easily at that length
Probably not very easily. I've bought 5,000 foot rolls of #14 solid copper THW but never cables longer than 1,000 feet

I wouldn't be joining cables.
Nothing wrong with that if done properly. BUT......Installing cables that distance would be a huge chore and protecting the cables (as in conduit) even bigger. I can't even imagine the expense.

If power was available at both sites AND line of sight was possible, then I'd go with a Ubiquiti Layer 2 Transparent Bridge or P2mP....LOS doesn't matter because the OP says "no power" anyway.
Leaves me at a loss about how to implement.
 
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Read ==>> Dahua’s patented Enhanced Power Over Ethernet (ePoE) product line

Excerpt: "With the ability to extend transmission distances up to 2625ft (800m) over a single Ethernet cable to an ePoE head-end device without repeaters, ePoE technology provides a lower total cost of ownership to users who require long transmission distances without interruption..."

Thank you. I'll google to see if anyone has tested this solution at the longer lengths.
 
These POE adapters are actually made by Dahua.

https://www.amazon.com/Loryta-LR100...201&s=gateway&sprefix=POE+over,aps,196&sr=8-7

As discussed before, I would not pull super long runs of cat 5e/6 in conduit, but have no qualms about pulling long runs of RG-6.

These things work flawlessly and there is no config required. Great for retrofitting analog system and these are my current favourite POE over Coax adapters. No issues whatsoever running a Dahua 4k IPC-HDW5831R-ZE at about 1000' for 5 months.

I don't have 3 rolls of RG-6 on hand to test the thru-put at that length. That distance is the pretty long!
 
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What is your concern with long runs of Cat 6 in conduit?

The pulling force required for these long runs is a lot higher than I feel comfortable with. I treat cat cable pretty gently to avoid damage. (I am suspicious that a lot of cable runs I find to be bad have been treated roughly by previous installers). (I also test every run with a GOOD (not eBay or monoprice) tester for all 8 wire connectivity and POE power capacity).
 
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Makes sense. I can do a direct burial instead of conduit.
This is where we go down the rabbit hole.... if there is any break in the run, (and in our area there are plenty of critters that love to nibble (just a little bit mind you) on buried wire) how are you going to fix it without digging up the entire mess?

I will not work on any direct burial troubleshooting for this reason.

I can pull a new cable thru buried PVC conduit pretty quick, but the funny thing is I have never had to (except when an excavator dug right thru the conduit).

I assume the fix for any break in a direct burial run (in the portion that is buried of course) is replacement of the entire run.
 
I watch wildlife with my cams and something, I presume badger, munched one of my network cables clean in half. No nibbling or messing about...entirely severed :)

And yes I have also noticed lots of more minor nibble damage over the years, presumably from rodents...another cable became unreliable, but I was unable to pinpoint what/where the issue was so had to bin the whole (only) 40”

I try to keep them entirely off the ground now where possible.

Good luck with this project...must be something really cool you are watching to cable this distance?
 
To mitigate risk, maybe bury both a CAT6 and a RG6? Then you can try both plain ePOE and the coax media converters, and also get the benefit that you could run power via one cable and data on the other if you have power problems.