Security camera extension cable question

[Ross/Kzoo]

I bought a Q-See 8 camera system for the detached garage and house. The garage is 80' behind the house and I would like 4 cameras out there and 4 on the house. Do they make extension cables to hook the 4 in the garage and the base unit in the house and where could I buy them? Also should I run them in a different conduit from the communications cable going out there?

 

[Thorold]

Their site shows all kinds of extension cables.

http://www.q-see.com/accessories/cables/

 

[nehog]

You can extend them with coax, or get baluns (a matching transformer) on eBay and use Cat-5/5e/6 network cable. With network cable you can have four cameras on each run and it is cheap. Just search for "video balun cat5" (without quotes) in eBay.

Edit: I did my cameras using about 200 ft of Cat-5 and it works well.

 

[Ross/Kzoo]

Then that goes to an Ethernet cable and then reverse the process at the DVR?

 

[nehog]

Yep, one at each end, with ethernet cable between.

 

[hedgehogdog]

would it matter if i had to go 1500'....?

 

[Ross/Kzoo]

I asked about a 100' extension to the supplied 60' cable and told them I was thinking about going to a 4 channel balun to Cat5 as suggested by nehog and then to Ethernet and then back to cable to DVR and he said there may be a problem adding 100' and I may need a booster. FWIW

 

[Ross/Kzoo]

Yep, one at each end, with ethernet cable between.

I'm now installing the system and have the balun as shown in the second photo.


My concern is there is a connection for the BCN cable (yellow connection) but none for the red. Any ideas?

 

[nehog]

The red is audio. I don't bother with audio (it is not legal in NH to record it) but if audio is important for you then you can probably just connect the red audio (RCA jacks?) to CAT5/6 directly--the mismatch won't matter that much.

 

[Ross/Kzoo]

Thanks for that info. Audio isn't what I'm after so it won't be necessary.