CCTV, workshop security

[Sandyn]

You are assuming that I have little to no knowledge of electronics... you know what they say about assuming something...

I did said 'with all due respect'. 50 years is a lot of experience and I say it again with all due respect, but I still think you are misunderstanding what I am saying and what my original comment was about. The user had a 12V camera connected via long power leads, so in order to compensate for the volts drop, they simply used a 15.5V supply to get 12V at the end of the long leads.

My comment was just a warning to anyone who simply increased the voltage to compensate for volts drop, runs the risk of exposing the camera input circuit to a higher voltage that it was designed to withstand.

 

[PDW125]

4 camera HDD based Reolink system for a client using power over ethernet.

I run Reolink PoE stuff and it’s excellent - the app is pretty good too and 100m is no issue with PoE on CAT5E or CAT6 as long as it is not CCA cable

 

[Dabop]

I did said 'with all due respect'. 50 years is a lot of experience and I say it again with all due respect, but I still think you are misunderstanding what I am saying and what my original comment was about. The user had a 12V camera connected via long power leads, so in order to compensate for the volts drop, they simply used a 15.5V supply to get 12V at the end of the long leads.

My comment was just a warning to anyone who simply increased the voltage to compensate for volts drop, runs the risk of exposing the camera input circuit to a higher voltage that it was designed to withstand.

The OP didnt have that, one poster later on said he had done so (and I myself said that using a higher voltage supply at the feed end wasn't exactly uncommon)- but a professional wouldn't have done as the poster in question did (ie try to compensate for the line voltage by trying to supply a 'matched voltage' PSU- which probably plugging it in is the least of your issues- the voltage swings between day and night (IR on and off) would see it having a short life...)
The 'correct' way of doing it would be a much higher voltage PSU at the feed end- and at the camera end, fit a regulated voltage supply between the feed and the camera- that way there is no risk....
That's why professionals do things one way, and amateurs do it whatever they think might work...
(yes it may, or in other cases may not... the pro way will work in every case....)
:-(

 

[Sandyn]

The OP didnt have that,

With all due respect, you have misunderstood what I was saying. My post was not aimed at the OP. I don't think there is any point continuing this 'conversation' It's irrelevant to the thread. I wish you well.

 

[Housey210]

Yes, 24V cameras would help, but they all seem to be 12V!

G.

to be honest I thought they were all 12v! Eight camera kit, swann, and as I said pleased with the quality and their support both online and phone.(influential in my purchasing)

 

[Dabop]

to be honest I thought they were all 12v! Lesson learnt.

5v, 12v, 24v, 48v- all available...
Pro tip- on really long runs, feed it 24 or 32v at the power source end, and if you have a 12v camera, use a 'multivoltage in, 12v out' regulator between the power cables coming in, and the camera itself, that way you get a stable 12v regardless of loading on the line- let the voltage rise and fall, the reg doesnt care (the nighttime current is far higher, most cameras will use around 250mA during the day, but might rise to nearly an amp at night with the IR LEDs running...)
Something like this is weatherproof (although I'd still mount it in a junction box myself) and will keep voltage swings from long lines and high voltage power supplies from frying the cameras electrics, or making it shut down at night because of the increased current...

 

[Housey210]

The OP didnt have that, one poster later on said he had done so (and I myself said that using a higher voltage supply at the feed end wasn't exactly uncommon)- but a professional wouldn't have done as the poster in question did (ie try to compensate for the line voltage by trying to supply a 'matched voltage' PSU- which probably plugging it in is the least of your issues- the voltage swings between day and night (IR on and off) would see it having a short life...)
The 'correct' way of doing it would be a much higher voltage PSU at the feed end- and at the camera end, fit a regulated voltage supply between the feed and the camera- that way there is no risk....
That's why professionals do things one way, and amateurs do it whatever they think might work...
(yes it may, or in other cases may not... the pro way will work in every case....)
:-(

thanks for input, just wondering, is there a safe percentage increase to the 12v? Looking at a cctv switching psu's that has a potentiometer to increase.

 

[Housey210]

The furthest camera is 12mtrs from hd. All eight cameras are wired using the factory included 18mtr leads.

 

[Housey210]

Don't forget to have the camera connected and active when you measure the voltage - it'll be interesting to see what it is.

G.

Will a loop tester thingy be needed for that?

 

[Dabop]

thanks for input, just wondering, is there a safe percentage increase to the 12v? Looking at a cctv switching psu's that has a potentiometer to increase.

I wouldn't recommend relying on the voltage drop along the power cable to drop it reliably, as the drop varies according to the current flowing through it (ohms law)- I would rise it up but only using a reg like that in my photo to regulate the voltage at the camera end (one like that that can take 5-32v input so you don't even have to fiddle with the voltage at the powersupply at all- unless it falls below 5v at the camera end- as that reg will take it and and boost it back up to 12v...

 

[Dabop]

Will a loop tester thingy be needed for that?

You can easily make your own to measure the voltage, don't even need a soldering iron, just a small screwdriver...
Get a plug and a socket (most are 2.7mm DC barrel connectors) with attached screw terminals, hook + to + and - to - on them and then plug it into the camera end, and use the screw terminals to measure from with your meter...
(do this in a dark room, or put your finger over the light sensor to trip the IR LEDs on- this is when it will draw maximum current...)
(doublecheck that it is wired correctly before plugging in!!!)
These can also be used on those regs for solderless wiring (but then I would REALLY advise putting it all in a weatherproof enclosure/junction box lol)

 

[Housey210]

You can easily make your own to measure the voltage, don't even need a soldering iron, just a small screwdriver...
Get a plug and a socket (most are 2.7mm DC barrel connectors) with attached screw terminals, hook + to + and - to - on them and then plug it into the camera end, and use the screw terminals to measure from with your meter...
(do this in a dark room, or put your finger over the light sensor to trip the IR LEDs on- this is when it will draw maximum current...)
(doublecheck that it is wired correctly before plugging in!!!)
These can also be used on those regs for solderless wiring (but then I would REALLY advise putting it all in a weatherproof enclosure/junction box lol)
View attachment 137565

thanks.

 

[Crazy Dave]

Anyone have any experience of cctv. The cameras keep blacking out! Restore is done unconnecting and reconnecting power supply at camera, jack plug. One 1amp, 12v dc, power supply unit feeds two swann cameras and with just one camera being lost, in the paired units of 8, I am thinking it is a power issue. Great system, easy to use and 4 days recording so not looking to change anything bar the power units to a dedicated cctv psu. My question is, can one have too many amps as the psu I looking at gives 1.65 amps per channel, compared to the existing .5 amp? No amp rating on camera! Existing system is all prewired with 30mtr cables. Another thought I had was the excess cable as that had to be tidied up by means of large loop.

I'm having a similar issue with a single camera on it's own PSU, for some reason it will lose power and then come back on again seconds later. The only way that I'm aware that this is happening is because I get an email saying "camera is offline" but by the time I login to the camera it's working again.
So, I would suggest if you can to swap the camera that has the issue with another one and see if the problem follows or it may be easier to swap the PSU's that way you'll know what you're dealing with.

Remember KISS (keep it simple stupid).
Good luck.

Edit: Why not just scrap the PSU get a lead acid battery, a 100watt solar panel and a 10amp charge controller and run the lot from the battery then even if there's a power cut your camera will still be working. Just a thought.

 

[Dabop]

I'm having a similar issue with a single camera on it's own PSU, for some reason it will lose power and then come back on again seconds later. The only way that I'm aware that this is happening is because I get an email saying "camera is offline" but by the time I login to the camera it's working again.
So, I would suggest if you can to swap the camera that has the issue with another one and see if the problem follows or it may be easier to swap the PSU's that way you'll know what you're dealing with.

Remember KISS (keep it simple stupid).
Good luck.

Edit: Why not just scrap the PSU get a lead acid battery, a 100watt solar panel and a 10amp charge controller and run the lot from the battery then even if there's a power cut your camera will still be working. Just a thought.

That's exactly what I am doing at the front gate here- running a half km long power cable from the shed would be 'an issue' (thats how long my driveway is here lol)- local at the gate solar, battery and a long range wifi link back to the shed (it will run the gate opener as well, with a wifi intercom and wifi controller so I can talk to someone at the gate and remotely open it...)
There's now a gate at the 'post box drop box in the center, drive 1/2 a kilometre and you get back to my place...

Wired??? yeah thats not gunna happen lol

 

[Housey210]

You can easily make your own to measure the voltage, don't even need a soldering iron, just a small screwdriver...
Get a plug and a socket (most are 2.7mm DC barrel connectors) with attached screw terminals, hook + to + and - to - on them and then plug it into the camera end, and use the screw terminals to measure from with your meter...
(do this in a dark room, or put your finger over the light sensor to trip the IR LEDs on- this is when it will draw maximum current...)
(doublecheck that it is wired correctly before plugging in!!!)
These can also be used on those regs for solderless wiring (but then I would REALLY advise putting it all in a weatherproof enclosure/junction box lol)
View attachment 137565

top tip.

 

[Housey210]

5v, 12v, 24v, 48v- all available...
Pro tip- on really long runs, feed it 24 or 32v at the power source end, and if you have a 12v camera, use a 'multivoltage in, 12v out' regulator between the power cables coming in, and the camera itself, that way you get a stable 12v regardless of loading on the line- let the voltage rise and fall, the reg doesnt care (the nighttime current is far higher, most cameras will use around 250mA during the day, but might rise to nearly an amp at night with the IR LEDs running...)
Something like this is weatherproof (although I'd still mount it in a junction box myself) and will keep voltage swings from long lines and high voltage power supplies from frying the cameras electrics, or making it shut down at night because of the increased current...
View attachment 137559

top tip

 

[Spectric]

Yes, 24V cameras would help, but they all seem to be 12V!

I think they call them dual voltage camera's so they run on 12 Vdc or 24 Vac.

 

[Dabop]

I think they call them dual voltage camera's so they run on 12 Vdc or 24 Vac.

The mob that make my long range wifi routers have a 48v one that plugs into their 'combo' system (its a wifi router (long range) that can also have their solar controller (up to150w panel) and their camera, all running off a 48v battery bank- it allows you to monitor battery voltage etc as well as view the camera, all from the one app- even do 'controlled shutdowns' at avrious states of charge (kill the router if the battery is low, and only store video locally, or activate it again if the camera is triggered
They aren't the only 48v ones out there- these tend to be aimed more at the commercial market rather than 'home systems' where long runs (say on a factory or the like) and larger IR LED arrays (to light up larger areas) are required...

 

[Sandyn]

The mob that make my long range wifi routers have a 48v one that plugs into their 'combo' system (its a wifi router (long range)

Who manufacturers it. That sounds interesting. My son-in-law has a similar situation to yours, an entrance which is far from the house.

 

[PDW125]

The mob that make my long range wifi routers have a 48v one that plugs into their 'combo' system (its a wifi router

This is because it is designed to run on PoE - most likely configured to operate at IEEE 802.3at which is 44-53v (48v nominal) 30W per port. This is the benefit on using PoE for runs up to 300m as it uses the spare pairs of cables in the CAT5/6 cable.

Using a 48v buck/driver from a 12-24v backup battery and a solar panel will allow you to run a LR wifi link from one of the usual suspects as they don’t have a significant power draw. You can set up a wifi repeater, PoE router and camera all on the same setup and it’s pretty seamless.