No Attic/Crawlspace/Basement Installation?

[greyduck]

I'd like to install a 6-8 camera POE system but am running into some logistical difficulties as my house has neither an attic, basement, or crawl space so the POE cables will all have to be fed through a wall. I'd like to get feedback on whether or not this plan is feasible.

6-8 cameras mounted using outdoor rated POE cables that will be run on the roof without a conduit and then fed through a wall into a bedroom where all the cables will be connected to the NVR. The NVR will then be connected to a wireless extender so that it can get connected to the network. The wireless extender is necessary as the router is located in another room.

What would I use to feed the POE cables from outside into the house? I have this thought in my head that I'm going to have this massive hole in the wall that will drop the bedroom temperature down by 15 degrees in the wintertime.

Is it feasible for me to connect the NVR to my router using a wireless extender? Assuming that it works will it be necessary for me to have like a 100 Mbps down internet connection?

 

[bigredfish]

Is it feasible for me to connect the NVR to my router using a wireless extender? Assuming that it works will it be necessary for me to have like a 100 Mbps down internet connection?

Yes. I have my home system setup this way. Approx 35 ft from router to a Netgear WNCE3001 and it works just fine.

 

[greyduck]

Yes. I have my home system setup this way. Approx 35 ft from router to a Netgear WNCE3001 and it works just fine.

So do I need a really high speed internet connection? I get around 25 Mbps right now.

 

[bigredfish]

You Internet connection shouldnt affect the connection between your router and the DVR using the adapter, inside your network. It would be more a matter of the capabilities of your router.

I use the Netgear etxender to be able to reach the DVR from my laptop to be able to mange it through the DVR's web interface.

 

[looney2ns]

I'd like to install a 6-8 camera POE system but am running into some logistical difficulties as my house has neither an attic, basement, or crawl space so the POE cables will all have to be fed through a wall. I'd like to get feedback on whether or not this plan is feasible.

6-8 cameras mounted using outdoor rated POE cables that will be run on the roof without a conduit and then fed through a wall into a bedroom where all the cables will be connected to the NVR. The NVR will then be connected to a wireless extender so that it can get connected to the network. The wireless extender is necessary as the router is located in another room.

What would I use to feed the POE cables from outside into the house? I have this thought in my head that I'm going to have this massive hole in the wall that will drop the bedroom temperature down by 15 degrees in the wintertime.

Is it feasible for me to connect the NVR to my router using a wireless extender? Assuming that it works will it be necessary for me to have like a 100 Mbps down internet connection?

Post a couple of pics of the outside of your house, we may have some ideas that avoids the roof.

On the outside, use a this: Carlon 3/4 in. PVC Type LB Conduit Body-E986E-CTN - The Home Depot
Cut the hole with the proper sized bit, so the end of the LB fit's snuggly. Use a short piece of 3/4" conduit through the wall.
Caulk around where the LB enters the wall, then use expanding foam to seal around the wires entering the house.

 

[mat200]

I'd like to install a 6-8 camera POE system but am running into some logistical difficulties as my house has neither an attic, basement, or crawl space so the POE cables will all have to be fed through a wall. I'd like to get feedback on whether or not this plan is feasible.

6-8 cameras mounted using outdoor rated POE cables that will be run on the roof without a conduit and then fed through a wall into a bedroom where all the cables will be connected to the NVR. The NVR will then be connected to a wireless extender so that it can get connected to the network. The wireless extender is necessary as the router is located in another room.

What would I use to feed the POE cables from outside into the house? I have this thought in my head that I'm going to have this massive hole in the wall that will drop the bedroom temperature down by 15 degrees in the wintertime.

Is it feasible for me to connect the NVR to my router using a wireless extender? Assuming that it works will it be necessary for me to have like a 100 Mbps down internet connection?

Do you have any space between the ceiling and the roof?

One option: 1/2" EMT conduit to junction boxes outside along your walls.

 

[greyduck]

Post a couple of pics of the outside of your house, we may have some ideas that avoids the roof.

On the outside, use a this: Carlon 3/4 in. PVC Type LB Conduit Body-E986E-CTN - The Home Depot
Cut the hole with the proper sized bit, so the end of the LB fit's snuggly. Use a short piece of 3/4" conduit through the wall.
Caulk around where the LB enters the wall, then use expanding foam to seal around the wires entering the house.

Thanks I'll check out that conduit body next time I'm at Home Depot. I have a mostly flat roof so I don't mind running lines on it.

 

[greyduck]

Do you have any space between the ceiling and the roof?

One option: 1/2" EMT conduit to junction boxes outside along your walls.

There's probably less than 10 inches between my ceiling and roof. It's a flat foam roof so I don't trust myself to do much diy stuff due to the risk of causing a leak.

 

[tangent]

How big is your house? How many stories / floors is it? How old is it?

 

[greyduck]

How big is your house? How many stories / floors is it? How old is it?

Single story around 1600 sq ft. It's about 50 years old.

 

[tangent]

Single story around 1600 sq ft. It's about 50 years old.

conduit around the perimeter is probably your best option. I'd keep it off the roof.

 

[greyduck]

conduit around the perimeter is probably your best option. I'd keep it off the roof.

Is the roof not a good idea because it can get too hot? Is the conduit to protect the POE cables from the elements and make it harder for for thieves to cut? Sorry for the noob questions. Wanted to avoid the conduit because they seem unsightly.

 

[tangent]

Is the roof not a good idea because it can get too hot? Is the conduit to protect the POE cables from the elements and make it harder for for thieves to cut? Sorry for the noob questions. Wanted to avoid the conduit because they seem unsightly.

I'd avoid the roof because of sun and weather and roof maintenance. Conduit is harder to tamper with and depending on exactly what you're doing it may result in a cleaner look.

 

[Merlin93]

Is the roof not a good idea because it can get too hot? Is the conduit to protect the POE cables from the elements and make it harder for for thieves to cut? Sorry for the noob questions. Wanted to avoid the conduit because they seem unsightly.

For exterior runs you can either use indoor rated cable and run it through conduits, or use UV jacketed outdoor rated cable and tack it directly against the walls. Both can look very clean depending on the install. Conduit looks more professional though IMO... particularly if you use junction boxes and only expose wires for short distances between the junction box and the camera.

Conduit is mostly there to protect the cable against the elements, but I suppose it could also help deter anyone who would try to tamper with your cabling. If you use grounded metal conduit, it can also help avoid electromagnetic interference and reduce the impact of nearby lightning discharges. Some recommend using grounded shielded cabling if you're doing outdoor runs as well, but that is a bit more complicated. At the least you should make sure to add grounded ethernet surge protectors on all your exterior cable runs to be safe.

Running cable over the top of a roof is almost always a bad idea for all the reasons listed above and more.

 

[mat200]

FYI - after watching this I like the idea of metal 1/2" EMT conduit as an option if you can not bring the cabling inside the walls.
Two guys stole my security cams :(

 

[Merlin93]

FYI - after watching this I like the idea of metal 1/2" EMT conduit as an option if you can not bring the cabling inside the walls.
Two guys stole my security cams :(

Yeah, cutting exposed cables is an easy way to defeat video monitoring. Running the cables inside the walls is best, with conduit being next best and exposed wire being least secure (but easiest to do.)

 

[TonyR]

+1 for Merlin93's suggestions.
I use Ubiquiti Toughcable Pro Cat-5e, it's UV protected, outdoor-rated AND shielded. With it I use the Ubiquiti Toughcable RJ-45 connectors for shielded cable and the Ubiquiti ETH-SP Poe External Surge Suppressors, 1 for each cam, of course. Gee, I guess you might think I like Ubiquiti gear....I've had good really good luck with it here in NW Alabama where outdoor temps can vary throughout the year from 98 to 12 F and the lightning can fry even 'protected' gear if it's 'in the mood.' FYI, to prolong their life I install even 'outdoor rated' cables under roof eaves or under the seams of vinyl siding whenever possible and cams under the eaves whenever possible for the same reason.

 

[Tolting Colt Acres]

I own a 300 year old post and beam farmhouse. I found it best to run conduit along the outside, tucked under the eaves, which was then painted the same color as the trim, making it relatively transparent to routine passer-bys. With some pre-planning, you can get up to 5 cat6 cables through a 3/4" piece of conduit.

 

[greyduck]

I own a 300 year old post and beam farmhouse. I found it best to run conduit along the outside, tucked under the eaves, which was then painted the same color as the trim, making it relatively transparent to routine passer-bys. With some pre-planning, you can get up to 5 cat6 cables through a 3/4" piece of conduit.

300 years old! My house is post and beam construction as well but I have the tv and Internet cable running under the eaves for about half of the house with no room to spare since the beams run pretty much to the edge. Would it be ok to have the conduits running at the base of the house right under the siding?

 

[Tolting Colt Acres]

You can run conduit wherever you wish, as long as the aesthetics do not bother you.The only issue with making it reachable near the ground is, if someone knows it contains the cable for the cameras, they can cut it. But still, they have to get through the conduit, and if they're that determined, they're going to want to break in anyway.

I use conduit T's as egress points for the cat5 cable where I want to connect a camera. Everything spray painted white, you can't even see it (my trim is white) unless you're looking for it.