Professional install advice on running cat5 to outside?

rufunky

rufunky

Pulling my weight
Dec 2, 2015
689
241
I already have WALL mount dome cameras and contemplated getting the CEILING (soffit) mount but really do not want to put a huge hole in my soffit for the dome for a few reasons.
1) I'm stuck using a dome unless I repair the soffit
2) I'm stuck using the same size or bigger dome unless I replace the soffit.

My idea is to put a Gangbox on the side of the house and run weather proof flex tube to a hole in the soffit ( I have no idea what the names of the stuff you run the wires through is called maybe someone can help me out with this! haha) I figure I will put the hole in the soffit in the area I would mount a bullet camera just in case I decide to upgrade my cameras to 4k Bullets down the road.

Does this sound like the best idea for this situation? I attached a picture of where the gangbox would go and a picture of the camera so you can get a better idea of what I am working with.

GANGBOX.jpg
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I'm not sure where you plan on running your wire but if you don't want a hole in your soffit then why not mount the dome to the soffit but run the wire to the drainpipe, down to under the edge of the overhang or tucked below the the shingles just above the grass, and then to wherever you want?
 
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I'm sorry, I should have mentioned my plan is to run it through the attic to a access panel that leads to a bedroom closet on the top floor.
 
How about running the cable through a small hole in the soffit directly into the camera or dome mount via a sealed grommet? Either run the wire completely covered straight up or out the wall side in the back. No conduit at all. A drop of silicone will seal the hole after removal.
 
That would probably be the easiest way to do it. Can you leave standard cat5 exposed to the weather?
 
The professional answer is no. The DIY answer is yes but with possible consequences, depending on exposure to sunlight, rain, and luck. If the casing cracks from longterm exposure to sunlight, water can enter the cable. Water travels easily downhill but can also travel UP the wire inside the casing and then into your server, NVR, or camera. For short term use like yours seems to be if you're concerned about leaving holes (renting I assume ), then under a soffit out of the sun then you're good for a while. Possibly quite a while, but that depends a lot on location, how UV resistant a particular box of indoor cable is, and a bit on luck. Understand the risks, manage the probability of failure by minimizing exposure, and use your best judgment.

Use a drip loop on anything exposed to rain outside in all cases. Water runs downhill easily and all seals will fail eventually.

If there's a possibility that the installation will be in place more than say a couple of years, why not buy a short length of burial grade outdoor cable and do it up with that?
 
This is actually my home I am not renting. I just don't know how long I will have these cameras. For instance, if they fail, I will be replacing them with something else most likely with a different mounting system. Regardless, there will be some camera there permanently so I would like to run the correct cable and run in in a professional manner. So I could get a small run of this burial grade outdoor cable for the exposed length and put a cable adapter just on the inside of the soffit to run the rest of the indoor cable. Where would I find this burial grade outdoor cable? Does it have a specific name that I can google?
 
For the price of that cable per foot, you are probably better off just to run the good stuff the whole length.

You can probably find Charter patch as well. Monoprice has good stuff for a good price though. You might end up getting junk buying short lengths on Amazon. You might even get stuck with some CCA which is garbage. I have a local electronics supply place that will cut me wire to length though. You might be that lucky.

edit: "Charter patch" should've been something like "a shorter piece". Voice dictation on my phone and I guess I missed that translation fail. Just noticed the error a day later.
 
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rufunky said:
My idea is to put a Gangbox on the side of the house and run weather proof flex tube to a hole in the soffit ( I have no idea what the names of the stuff you run the wires through is called maybe someone can help me out with this! haha)
Click to expand...

google flexible conduit 20mm, don't run internal cable externally the outer cover will go brital crack and allow water to ingress depending on your climate you could have to change the cable after a year. use an external grade cable as all ready posted, personal i would go the conduit box route.
 
Why not run the cable down through the soffit to a convenient gang box and then run a short length of conduit to the camera? You could easily change the conduit past the gangbox to match whatever you might mount in the future. Leave extra cable slack just inside the house so you can adjust the length to whatever you might decide in the future. That might save you from crawling in the attic in the future to adjust where your cable drop comes from.
 
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I mounted my Hik Turret to the soffit using a special junction box made just for that brand camera. Pulled the piece down and didn't like how the plastic anchor mounts looked so I put a piece of scrap wood on the top side of the soffit. Screws went thru the soffit and anchored into the wood basically pinching the soffit in between the box and wood on the top side.

Then ran the waterproof plastic conduit from there, down alongside the house and under the deck where I already had another junction box mounted to the concrete foundation. Conduit is also anchored to the house with regular conduit clips. Camera and box are solid, won't move at all and the cable is secured from the elements inside. I don't have any other pictures available on my phone but can take a few more tomorrow if u want another angle or whatever.

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Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Thanks! I was hoping to go right into the soffit and avoid running conduit on the exterior of the house. Go right into my attic and route the cable from there.
 
Thanks! I was hoping to go right into the soffit and avoid running conduit on the exterior of the house. Go right into my attic and route the cable from there.
Click to expand...
What's to stop you doing that?
No space above the soffit to sneak an ethernet cable in?
 
alastairstevenson said:
What's to stop you doing that?
No space above the soffit to sneak an ethernet cable in?
Click to expand...

I guess nothing, first I was concerned if I should try to wrap the hikvision cable inside the housing, but didn't seem to be enough room, then I thought I will need a junction box and the junction box for the camera looked like it had a side port (like pictured above). But I guess I can just mount the camera no junction to the soffit (if theres a small piece of plywood or wood to screw into).
 
nutshellml said:
I guess nothing, first I was concerned if I should try to wrap the hikvision cable inside the housing, but didn't seem to be enough room, then I thought I will need a junction box and the junction box for the camera looked like it had a side port (like pictured above). But I guess I can just mount the camera no junction to the soffit (if theres a small piece of plywood or wood to screw into).
Click to expand...

Most junction boxes, like mine, have a hole in the middle. If I wanted to I could have installed the junction box, taken a boring bit and drilled straight thru the hole and thru the soffit and fished the wire up inside. And then of course run it thru the attic to wherever I had the switch/NVR. I'd just be wary of the edges if you cut thru the soffit. Might be worth putting a layer or two of duct tape over the edges to keep it from slicing thru the network cable from the camera.
 
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