Single run and POE switch or individual runs?

[Ri22o]

Why did you decide to do one or the other?

I am getting my to-do list together for when my deck is complete so I can have everything ready to run the ethernet and power but I am not sure if I want to run a single ethernet and use a POE switch or run individual runs.

I will be installing 7 cameras. So I would run 8 ethernet runs for that purpose (plus 2 for regular network). The runs would not be overly difficult to make, but it's 10 runs instead of 2, maybe 3, and would require getting another box of cable to be efficient with it.

I see the ease in one run and a switch, but I also like the idea of being able to pull connections at the rack to power cycle, troubleshoot, etc. I also have plenty of room left on my network rack POE switch and patch panel.

I know which way I am leaning, but maybe someone has some reason one way or the other.

 

[wittaj]

While I would love to have them all go to the same switch, the benefit if you have several switches scattered throughout is if one goes bad, you don't lose all your cams. If they all go to the same switch, if it dies, so do your cameras. Now people will argue enterprise and what not and it won't happen, but anything can break.

And inevitably we add more cameras LOL.

Many of my switches are where I originally thought I only needed a camera or two and originally they all went to the same place, but 4 cameras added later and a switch at the endpoint of the original run makes a lot more sense LOL....

 

[Ri22o]

The second switch would be connected to the main switch (which is where my individual runs would go). So in either scenario, if the main switch takes a dive then neither will work. Unless you are relying on all of the downstream cameras to have SD cards and are advocating for the downstream POE switch solely for power?

 

[wittaj]

That is correct - relying on the SD cards on the downstream switches to pick up motion if the main switch dies.

 

[CrossingStreams]

For me it was convenience. The shorter runs were individual, the longer distance cameras was a single run to a POE switch, so I had short runs to that.

 

[samplenhold]

I have four POE switches for may cams. Two are in the IT rack and two are deployed elsewhere in the house closer to the cams. The main POE switch is a managed switch that has 16 ports, 8 POE and 8 non-POE, and is in the IT rack. The other three POE switches run to that 16 port POE switch into the non-POE ports as does the connection to my BI server.

I have spread out the cams in such a way that if one switch goes down, I can still see some of the cams in each deployed area. If the managed switch goes down, I can substitute a spare non-POE switch that I have lying around just for that purpose. I have a few open ports on the other POE switch in the rack plus two POE injectors and can plug some of the cams that go into the managed switch such that I only lose a few cams until I can procure a replacement.

 

[Injunfarian]

I too have been thinking about this as well, it would be nice to have a switch in the attic for the soffit/higher mounted cameras and one in the basement for the lower/yard mounted cameras.

Another thing to consider in my case atleast is the length of the run as well due to limitations on the general POE system of 100m, this can be fought using ePOE as well but for example I have a shop that will be getting cameras and definitely going to be just doing atleast 2 wire runs to the shop(one for internet, and one for cameras) however likely will end up with 3 or 4 just incase one of them fails for whatever reason there is a backup that can be used.

I will then simply just setup the switches for each network in the shop and run the lines for each camera from that shop switch. Also I plan on putting a Female Jack in each area(e.g. attic, basement, shop) for each long run so that those lines will be less likely to get damaged if they were just an entire run, that way the line that is usually getting moved around, plugged/unplugged etc will be a smaller patch cord that can be easily replaced.

 

[Crest6010]

I’ve got a POE switch for my cameras in my garage with a fiber run back to my rack. Decided to do this in case of a lightning strike, I figured I’d lose my cameras but it wouldn’t travel back to my rack.

 

[tigerwillow1]

I like the idea of the fiber run, but being lazy, I consider my <$100 used POE switch to be a disposable lightning protection device. If a strike passes through and fries the NVR, it will be a failed experiment. My biggest lightning concern is with the cameras, that's where the big money is.

 

[Ri22o]

Since we're talking about lightning, I actually had my house hit 2 years ago. It hit the HAM antenna in my attic, traveled through the coax, to the radio, and then out through the ground cable. It arced through the insulation to Romex grounds along the way.

It fried the most random things, most of them being ethernet ports.
All of my POE cams and analog cams were fine.
The POE ports on the NVR were done.
HDDs were fine.
Network switches in the rack were toast.
Ethernet port in the desktop PC I am using right now was fried, PC is fine.
ARC HDMI on the main TV was fried, everything else was fine.
ARC portion of my Firestick was not functional.
It took out the HDMI port on my PS3.
A couple desktop switches were killed.
I replaced all of the ethernet cable in the house because after I replaced some items they worked briefly, lost connection, and then the run tested bad.

I don't know if anything could have saved/protected any of the equipment.

 

[tigerwillow1]

A few years ago the power pole that feeds our church got hit. It fried almost all of the audio equipment, DSL modem, and the connected VGA input of the projector. The unconnected projector inputs were ok. The mixer had blown ICs but no visible damage. The power supply section of one of the the audio amps turned to a heap of black garbage.

 

[Thirdson]

And inevitably we add more cameras LOL.

Is this why I started with 6 cameras, and am currently contemplating the 16th? Not exactly a reply to the original question, but reaffirming this comment. Allow for expansion!

 

[wittaj]

Is this why I started with 6 cameras, and am currently contemplating the 16th? Not exactly a reply to the original question, but reaffirming this comment. Allow for expansion!

Exactly LOL. Even with running an extra cable, I still ended up with more LOL.

 

[Mike A.]

Same. Splitters all over even with extra runs. lol

And it's not just cams. Quite a few of mine are for IR illuminators which I hadn't really planned for originally.

Better to make it a POE+ switch too btw.

 

[Ri22o]

Well, I decided to do individual runs...

I just got done pulling numbers 10 and 11. Two were 122', the others were about 110'. 7 are for immediate camera use, 1 is for an AP, 1 is for standard network, and 2 are spares. I still need to pull 2 runs to the back fence (about 180') after I get the trench dug and the conduit dropped in. These runs will be for the camera network and a spare/normal network in case I want to add an AP to the backyard. I do plan to put a switch on the camera run so I don't need to worry about power drop from the main POE switch over that distance.

I will say cable lube is your friend when pulling that many cables in 1.25" conduit. I only had the one 90* bend, but if I could do it over I would use 2 45* bends to soften the turn. I do plan to change to this method with the conduit going to the back fence.

 

[mat200]

Well, I decided to do individual runs...

I just got done pulling numbers 10 and 11. Two were 122', the others were about 110'. 7 are for immediate camera use, 1 is for an AP, 1 is for standard network, and 2 are spares. I still need to pull 2 runs to the back fence (about 180') after I get the trench dug and the conduit dropped in. These runs will be for the camera network and a spare/normal network in case I want to add an AP to the backyard. I do plan to put a switch on the camera run so I don't need to worry about power drop from the main POE switch over that distance.

I will say cable lube is your friend when pulling that many cables in 1.25" conduit. I only had the one 90* bend, but if I could do it over I would use 2 45* bends to soften the turn. I do plan to change to this method with the conduit going to the back fence.

This is my preferred way for the main house .. separate switches for perhaps a detached building / garage ..

"Well, I decided to do individual runs... "

 

[samplenhold]

^ I agree. And sometimes the individual physical circumstance dictates just what you can do with hardware.

While most of my cams run back to the IT closet and get their power from one of two POE switches there, I have three other POE switches in different parts of the property that give power to cams in each area. This is due to not being able to run multiple cables back to the IT closet but allows me to utilize original ethernet in these areas that were installed during the build of the house. Those POE switches then have an upload port to go back to the IT closet switches and then on to the BI server.

 

[bradner]

Why did you decide to do one or the other?

I am getting my to-do list together for when my deck is complete so I can have everything ready to run the ethernet and power but I am not sure if I want to run a single ethernet and use a POE switch or run individual runs.

I will be installing 7 cameras. So I would run 8 ethernet runs for that purpose (plus 2 for regular network). The runs would not be overly difficult to make, but it's 10 runs instead of 2, maybe 3, and would require getting another box of cable to be efficient with it.

I see the ease in one run and a switch, but I also like the idea of being able to pull connections at the rack to power cycle, troubleshoot, etc. I also have plenty of room left on my network rack POE switch and patch panel.

I know which way I am leaning, but maybe someone has some reason one way or the other.

After installing 30+ cams at my place around the property - I like the idea of fewer runs and using switches. Sometimes it's hard pulling cable in some spots but then I had to think about power availability too. Where I had easy access to AC power I put in a POE switch and made one cable run - looked much cleaner for me that way. Using the Unifi environment - I even used their USW-Flex switches when I had no AC power and weren't using big PTZ's and I could run 3-4 5442's off a 80W powered USW-Flex switch with a single run to it on a pole outside.