In my old house I did several runs of cat5 both in the crawlspace, and the attic, when installing cameras. I recently moved to a different house. I wasn't thinking about wiring at the time, but now I realize that (1) there's no installed ethernet wiring anywhere, (2) there is no attic (the ceilings go right up against the roof) and (3) there is no basement or crawlspace underneath. Architecturally the place looks very clean right now, so running exposed wiring on the outside of the walls is going to look bad and get some pushback, I think. There are regular AC power outlets in each room, as you'd expect. My experience with AC powerline modems was not great in the past, but I assume (apart from wifi) that's my best bet here?
mat200
IPCT Contributor
- Jan 17, 2017
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Welcome Remote,
Well, you've got a more challenging setup - still can be done, and unfortunately it will be more work.
I would go with running 1/2"-3/4" conduit around the house, and use junction boxes - or bring the cable inside the wall and down / up to your camera location.
Normally if you have a detached garage you've got at least a few good placements points you can access from the garage side without too many issues.
Matching paint and/or conduit can help interior wiring look okay, but what looks okay is purely subjective and differs from one person to the next.
I have had nothing but trouble from powerline networking gear myself. Wifi is not any different really. The wifi cam I have in my house not 30 feet from the ubiquiti access point is offline more often than it is online now. The powerline network won't stay up more than a day or so anyway so I don't even try to use that anymore.
I have had nothing but trouble from powerline networking gear myself. Wifi is not any different really. The wifi cam I have in my house not 30 feet from the ubiquiti access point is offline more often than it is online now. The powerline network won't stay up more than a day or so anyway so I don't even try to use that anymore.
mat200
IPCT Contributor
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Oh,
And another OPTION which I overlooked...
Upgrading or adding foot / crown molding and using that as your raceway for cabling.
And another OPTION which I overlooked...
Upgrading or adding foot / crown molding and using that as your raceway for cabling.
bababouy
Known around here
@remote1 I have the same issue. My roof is poured 6" concrete which overhangs the exterior walls. Inside, the ceiling goes all the way up to the roof, with the exception of furring strips and drywall. I puched out of the wall in one place and ran 1' and 3/4' pipe around the house, under the overhang. I also had a utility pole in the front yard, which was pre-wired with one cat5 cable and the Comcast coax coming off of the main utility poles. I used the single cat5 to pull 4 other cat5 cables and an 18/2 for power in case I wanted to add a PTZ in the future. It was tough to decide on running the pipe all the way around the house, but I had to put cameras on the house, security was my priority, and this was the only way to do it. A positive note that I have used to justify this type of install is, If someone does not like the way it looks, they can just pull the tapcons out and remove it.
mat200
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I liked what @bababouy has done considering the restrictions and that there really was not another good option - and I would have done the same given the same property and location.
Note - IF you paint the conduit to match the background color - it will blend in nicely and many people will not notice it just glancing at it or walking by.
Note - IF you paint the conduit to match the background color - it will blend in nicely and many people will not notice it just glancing at it or walking by.
bababouy
Known around here
Agreed on the paint. Also, my place is raised up about 6ft from the ground. The two bullets on the side of the house are still a good 10' off of the ground. I brought them down because I wanted a good long shot along that side of the house. The other bullet is high up because I have quite a bit of property on that side of the house and our camper is usually parked there.
bababouy
Known around here
@tangent For me, EMT is a little tougher to work with, especially when cutting it or making bends. Where I am, it would rust through the paint in a year, whether its under an eve or not. The OP might fair better if he is in the middle of the state or west of I-95 where the salt air isn't as prevalent. We primarily use EMT inside where it meets fire code.