New, beyond new, please critique this equipment

S

Sibley

Young grasshopper
Aug 26, 2018
32
3
Indiana, USA
Hello all, someone on reddit kindly pointed me here. I'm putting in a couple of security cameras due to a neighbor situation. I am NOT happy about any of this. On top of it, I don't generally understand A/V anything - tvs, dvds, vcrs, phones, etc. Thus, the new user guides I looked at pretty much flew way over my head. I have figured out what PoE means, but that is probably the only one.

A kind Reddit stranger gave me this list of equipment/software:

· PoE switch - https://www.amazon.com/BV-Tech-Swit...TF8&qid=1535259448&sr=1-5&keywords=poe+switch
· (3) Dahua 5231 ZE 2MP Starlight Turret camera - Amazon.com: Buying Choices: EmpireTech IP Camera IPC-HDW5231R-ZE 2MP Starlight WDR IR Eyeball Starlight Network IP Camera English Version
· Blue Iris - Purchase Blue Iris (haven't bothered with the mobile app yet)
· Western Digital Purple 4TB Surveillance HDD - WD Purple 4TB Surveillance Hard Disk Drive - 5400 RPM Class SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache 3.5 Inch WD40PURZ - Newegg.com-22-231-535--Product
· Bulk Cat6 Solid Ethernet Bulk Cable - Monoprice Cat6 Ethernet Bulk Cable - Solid, 550Mhz, UTP, CMP, Plenum, Pure Bare Copper Wire, 23AWG, No Logo, 1000ft, Blue - Monoprice.com (I don't need 1000 feet, I got individual cat 6 cables, 2 50ft and 2 7 ft instead, and the 50 ft are probably way longer than I'll actually need)

I've ordered all this stuff, plus am acquiring/compiling a Win 7 pro desktop computer to run everything. It will be dedicated to cameras and I don't plan on linking it to the internet even. Also ordered the Command hooks that are designed for hanging Christmas lights, hopefully that'll hold the camera wires as well (if not, I'll just use them for Christmas lights).

My goal: be able to record my neighbor's crazy, which is typically at night, 90% verbal, under tree cover, so that eventually I can use it to get a judge to slap her down. Again.

Please critique. Also, will the christmas light stuff work on cat wire, or do I need to get something different to hold it? Most of the wire will be running outside on the house, I got white so it'll blend in better.
 
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I think you've done well so far.

You will love Blue Iris. Read the section of this site about choosing a good PC for running Blue Iris. And realize that while you're starting off with just two cameras, they're like potato chips. You can't stop once you get started. So buy enough computer to handle a lot more cameras than you think you'll want now.

I like Win 7, but to future-proof things more, you may be better off with Win 10. Fenderman is always posting links to good refurb PCs for just this purpose. You won't go wrong with his advice.

Those cameras are well-regarded. I think they're a great start.

Do you have much wind where you're at? Wind affects the ability to record good audio. So that's a serious consideration.

Also, even though you may be thinking of this as a temporary installation, you may find that you like having the cameras. It's good to be able to experiment with camera placement, so the Command hooks might be good for that. But you will want a better, more permanent installation at some point.

The connections from your Ethernet cables to the camera connectors and any unused connectors will all need to be waterproofed.

But it sounds like you're off to a good start. And this forum is the place to get good advice, too!
 
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Thanks! I've got 3 cameras to start with, need to cover one side of my house and wanted a spare. I did find the computer guide, the one I ordered is a refurbished Dell, it falls into the "good" category on the guide. Everything's on order, so just waiting for it all to show up. I'll have plenty of help over Labor Day to install, so crossing my fingers on timing.

I get full spectrum of weather, so I'm sure audio will be a challenge at times. However, the problem neighbor isn't usually out in bad weather, which will hopefully help in that regard. And I'm sure it'll be permanent as long as I have this neighbor. Beyond that, we'll see.

how do I waterproof the connections?
 
The cameras come with a weatherproof cover for the RJ45 connectors. The problem being that you need to put the weatherproof connector on your cable BEFORE the RJ45 goes on the end. That means you need RJ45s, a crimping tool and a cable tester. Since you've ordered bulk cable I assume you already have all those items. Adding a layer of rubberized tape can't hurt, either, and be sure to tape the unused power connector well. If you really want to be safe, add some dielectric grease, like this one https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000CCIDAA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 , to your RJ45s at the cameras before assembly. Just a little dab will do ya.
 
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Sibley said:
...how do I waterproof the connections?
Click to expand...

I like to have all of my connections inside of weatherproof electrical boxes or actually inside of the house (stuffed up into the soffits where that's how I'm mounting the cameras). I want them protected from water, dust, rodents, bugs, birds, etc., but I also want to be able to get to them and work on them later if necessary.

But if a connection absolutely must be made where it cannot be inside of a weatherproof electrical box or inside of the house, then you can use something like duct seal (gardner bender is one manufacturer, and you can find it at Amazon, etc.) and then wrap that with electrical tape such as Scotch 33. But I've also heard of people painting some of that "Plasti-Dip" over connections, as well. The Plasti-Dip can be cut off easily and cleanly later when you need to get to the connection again.

For testing, if the weather will be dry, you can temporarily mount things to get your camera placement figured out. But once you decide on good locations, I'd do a good job of running the cables and mounting the cameras. I prefer to have all wiring run inside of the house, and then mount the camera to a soffit or wall and end up with no exposed wiring. But this isn't always possible.

If you check out the Wiki and also look through the Camera Installation forum as well as the "Installation Pics" forum under "Pics and Videos", you'll find all kinds of handy tricks and tips. The installation really can be the hardest part of most of this, but doing it well can really pay off, saving you future problems and making for a neat-looking setup. Browsing through what other folks have done can be a gold-mine of great ideas.

Browsing the electrical department of your local home store can pay off by just showing you what's available. Don't take your significant other, though. They'll be bored to tears! (ask me how I know!) My wife now knows better than to go with me to any hardware store!
 
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Even in soffits I use dielectric grease and rubberized tape. Mr. Murphy visits me regularly.
 
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awsum140 said:
Even in soffits I use dielectric grease and rubberized tape. Mr. Murphy visits me regularly.
Click to expand...

Can't hurt! It just makes it more of a hassle to get into the connections later, but I'd rather have that inconvenience than have the connection fail because it wasn't properly protected.
 
Dielectric grease, a dab small enough for an RJ45, doesn't make it a hassel other than needing a paper towel to wipe it off if you have to take the connection apart. It doesn't, and sure shouldn't, harden with time. Whenever I tape them I always make a "pull tab" on the tape to make finding the end easier.
 
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Yeah, the grease isn't the issue at all. It's the way that rubber tape welds itself together over time, requiring it to be carefully cut away later. I just spent an hour carefully carving away several such balls of ancient rubber tape from the 480V 3 phase power connections to a 75 HP motor at one of our raw water pumping stations so we could pull the pump. The wires are all short enough that I couldn't just cut them back.

I, too, leave folded-over tabs at the ends of the electrical tape over the rubber tape to make it easy to find the ends and get started. But the rubber tape underneath is designed to self weld and "melt together", and after a while, you cannot unwrap it. There's no choice but to carefully and tediously cut through it and try not to damage what is inside. And even the best electrical tape gets hard and brittle after years and years, so you cannot unwrap it.

Gotta use hexane or something to wash that old goo off of your hands later, too! :)

For HV stuff, you have no choice. But if I can, for LV things, I prefer to make the connections inside of protected enclosures to make rework easier. The dielectric grease never hurts or makes things difficult. It's that rubber tape that is a pain years later.

I haven't used the Plasti-Dip trick myself, but know some RF guys who swear by it for coax connectors on antenna cables up on towers. They claim that it seals things up perfectly, but cuts off cleanly and easily even after years. I've got to give it a try sometime!

Years ago, we used a lot of Andrew RF connectors for coax and heliax. And they came with small tubes of teflon grease. That was excellent dielectric grease, and did not affect the impedance of the connectors. We always wished we could buy big tubes of it.

It also works great to lube the inside of a solder-sucker and its o-ring and makes the piston slide fast yet seal well, and keeps the solder from attaching to anything, making it really easy to empty and clean up. Best dielectric grease ever! :)
 
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I haven't experienced the welding effect of rubberized tape, yet, but will be on the lookout for it.

Even in a weatherproof rated enclosure, I use rubberized tape, tape and dielectric grease. Murphy says the enclosure will leak, at the worst possible moment...and I believe him.
 
It sounds like the rubberised tape everyone is talking about is self-amalgamating tape. It's commonly used for waterproofing joints and is designed to fuse into a single mass over time:

Self-amalgamating tape - Wikipedia

RS Pro Black Self Amalgamating Tape 25mm x 10m | RS Components

If you want to avoid a single fused joint, then it's best avoided. However it is the tape designed for this purpose and used by aerial fixers etc.

Although I haven't used tape on CCTV, I have used various tapes outside. My experience is all of the common tapes are affected by weather - with duck tape the glue hardens and fails plus the tape itself can go hard and start to break down (sounds like it could be uv). I've found a similar effect with electrical tape although here it's the glue that goes with the tape usually looking ok but starting to hang off. However, it does become more brittle despite the looks.

The tapes I know of designed for sealing outside, self amalgamating aside, tend to be designed for guttering and although they do a good sealing job they're either the aluminised type which not only looks ugly but has a strong adhesive that leaves residue and even this can harden and fail over time, or the bitumen type tapes which are horrible to deal with as they literally have bitumen as an adhesive and the tape itself is pretty much bitumen with a plastic film over the top. Again horrible oily residues that can only be removed with turps or a similar solvent. They also usually coat you with bitumen in the process, avoid!
 
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Wow, thanks guys. So, I did NOT get the bulk cable - I thought that factor sealed cable would be better for waterproofing. Will be reading all the wikis and stuff, because I just got the last component today. Will be setting everything up this weekend. Wish me luck - this is not going to be easy.
 
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awsum140 said:
I haven't experienced the welding effect of rubberized tape, yet, but will be on the lookout for it.

Even in a weatherproof rated enclosure, I use rubberized tape, tape and dielectric grease. Murphy says the enclosure will leak, at the worst possible moment...and I believe him.
Click to expand...

Did you applied dielectric grease on the connector pins or just on the outside?
 
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