POE camera's and cabling

C

cdw

n3wb
Nov 17, 2023
10
8
Arizona
When we moved into our current home I threw up some POE cameras up around the roof parapits and simply ran some UV rate outdoor cat6 cable across the flat roof and it worked fine for a little over 2.5 years. Now some of the plastic jacket is falling apart due to the sun and weather changes and I'm looking to try to do something a bit more permanent. None of the runs are over 300 feet. Right now I'm running the cameras to a wireless bridge, which I know isn't idea, but would like to keep the actual penetrations into the house to a minimum.

Looking at my options it looks like I can run some plastic conduit with the cable inside them to perhaps keep them alive a bit longer, though I'm curious how to attach them to the roof or parapits.

Anyone else take on a project like this? any advice?

Thank you.
 
A few photos would really help.

Any possibility of running the PVC conduit under the roof eaves, just under (but outside) the horizontal soffits.......if there are any with your roof style?
 
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I'll have to see if I can get some photos.

Unfortunately, no eaves or soffits, just stucco parapits and a flat roof.
 
cdw said:
I'll have to see if I can get some photos.

Unfortunately, no eaves or soffits, just stucco parapits and a flat roof.
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Being in Arizona, I'm guessing you have solid masonry construction. I'm in that boat and my wife has to grin and bear the conduit until we redo the exterior but that's several years off.
 
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Honestly not entirely worried about the conduit, basically all of it would be on the flat roof and not that visible. I'm just not entirely sure if I just lay it on the roof after putting it all together. Given the history, I'd really really really like to not make any penetrations if I don't need to.
 
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cdw said:
Honestly not entirely worried about the conduit, basically all of it would be on the flat roof and not that visible. I'm just not entirely sure if I just lay it on the roof after putting it all together. Given the history, I'd really really really like to not make any penetrations if I don't need to.
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If you do put it on the flat roof, I'd suggest using something to keep it at least 2 inches off of the roof. This should prevent the conduit and fittings from degrating and keep any water from getting in. The PVC would bake sitting on a cement roof in that heat and even though PVC is pretty durable stuff, best to play it safe.
 
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Unfortunately, or fortunately, it's not a concrete roof, it's a foam roof with a silicon paint on it. I've seen some examples of running some other conduit on a flat roof with some blocks that kept the conduit off the surface for the most part. Might be worth looking into those.
 
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cdw said:
Unfortunately, or fortunately, it's not a concrete roof, it's a foam roof with a silicon paint on it. I've seen some examples of running some other conduit on a flat roof with some blocks that kept the conduit off the surface for the most part. Might be worth looking into those.
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That is what I would do. Run the conduit and use some blocks to keep the conduit off the surface of the roof. Do not use plastic tie wraps as the sun will make them short lived.
 
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Maybe. The temperature of the roof and an inch or so above that will be quite a bit warmer than the surrounding ambient temperature on a hot Arizona Summer afternoon. However, it will be better than what you now have.
 
Out of curiosity, how long have the current cables been on the roof?
Thanks for adding a new word to my brain. "parapits"
 
Parley said:
Maybe. The temperature of the roof and an inch or so above that will be quite a bit warmer than the surrounding ambient temperature on a hot Arizona Summer afternoon. However, it will be better than what you now have.
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Good point. There's another major project I'll need to finish before getting to this, as the silicon up there is looking a bit tired.

Broachoski said:
Out of curiosity, how long have the current cables been on the roof?
Thanks for adding a new word to my brain. "parapits"
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LOL, I completely missed that, I think it's parapets. The current cable has been up there for a little over 2.5 years.

fenderman said:
They sell specialized rooftop conduit supports..

They have similar supports for rooftop cable trays...

Also keep in mind that despite claims of UV protected cable, cheap brands may not be....you might have no issues with a quality uv rated cable.
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Pretty positively reviewed before I bought them, and honestly after a little over 2.5 years on the Arizona roof I'd say they did pretty well.
 
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cdw said:
Good point. There's another major project I'll need to finish before getting to this, as the silicon up there is looking a bit tired.



LOL, I completely missed that, I think it's parapets. The current cable has been up there for a little over 2.5 years.



Pretty positively reviewed before I bought them, and honestly after a little over 2.5 years on the Arizona roof I'd say they did pretty well.
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2.5 years is terrible for a uv cable. What brand?
 
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cdw said:
Well now you have my curiosity. I figured it wasn't bad, but then I only really do have this one metric.

This is what I used.
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This is a no name china cable...they barely have a website...
look at true cable...they have outdoor cable above ground only and direct burial with UV protection for above ground...you might call them and explain your use and see what they recommend. They are also one of the few that have white outdoor/uv cable...
www.truecable.com

Outdoor Ethernet Cables | Outdoor-Rated Cables | trueCABLE

Shop aboveground outdoor Ethernet cables that are made to last. Enjoy weatherproof Ethernet cables you can use anywhere when you check out trueCABLE today.
www.truecable.com www.truecable.com
 
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fenderman said:
2.5 years is terrible for a uv cable. What brand?
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I have some internet cable designed for the oil rigs I used for my non CCTV pc. It's been outside 15+ years now and hasn't even changed in appearance. It;'s hard to handle because it's also armoured. However, it shows the brand used here isn't as good as what you'd might be expecting when mine is East facing and gets full sun all morning every morning and looks and works like the day it was put in.
 
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fenderman said:
This is a no name china cable...they barely have a website...
look at true cable...they have outdoor cable above ground only and direct burial with UV protection for above ground...you might call them and explain your use and see what they recommend. They are also one of the few that have white outdoor/uv cable...
www.truecable.com

Outdoor Ethernet Cables | Outdoor-Rated Cables | trueCABLE

Shop aboveground outdoor Ethernet cables that are made to last. Enjoy weatherproof Ethernet cables you can use anywhere when you check out trueCABLE today.
www.truecable.com www.truecable.com
Click to expand...

I'll give them a ring and see what they say.
 
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