sundance-communications.com/forum Forums Wiring - Telecom Carriers - Trunks & Services Security, Alarms and Paging IP Cameras with long cable runs

I was just asked by one of our customers to provide a quote for 5 IP cameras (PoE) in a parking lot. Cameras are 1100', 850', 750', 650' and 400' so out of reach of CAT 5/6.. I have looked at and priced a solution from BerkTek called OneReach and wow, super expensive, more expensive than the whole camera system. Also looked at Veracity but would need power at the light posts. Anyone have any affordable solutions to getting data and power out to these distances?

you could look at PHYBRIDGE probably pricey for this project but 1.5M on 1 pair of cat3 and POE. It is meant for TDM telephone equipment without having to re-cable. Just a thought.

Check out a company called Qviss security we signed up a few months ago, ask for Lesley. They make some nice IP stuff and have great prices on fiber converters

I'd probably abandon the whole PoE part. I would probably want to do 10-baseT over cat-3 with a separate line for power. The cat-3 is rated for 300m/960', which covers 4 out of 5 within spec. So it would be a gamble whether that 1100' run would work or cause issues. If you assume there is a 15% under-rating, then 1100' should work. I'll let the others chime in as I'm just purely guessing on that number

As far as the separate run for power goes, I was just thinking something like 16 or 14 gauge low-voltage cable. In-wall speaker wire comes to my mind. Something that would have minimal loss within the camera's range. And if that's a problem, just get a bigger voltage supply and put a regulator on at the camera end.

Maybe not the most plug-n-play solution, but still not overly complicated or home-brew. Two cables (or siamese) per pole, a switch that you can port limit to 10-baseT, and a PSU.

At least that's my take on your situation.

What ever you wind up using make sure it is properly rated for outdoor use. Underground conduits are Wet Locations as per the NEC and will fill with water due to condensation.

Regular cat.5 and speaker wire will not last long in this application, you need gell filled if you expect it to last.

I think the best thing would be fiber with convertors on each end, you could pull some THWN with the fiber for camera and convertor power.

If you're installing IP cameras (that use Ethernet), you need to install using Ethernet standards. That means 90 meters of station cable + 10 meters of patch cable max. This is 300' +/-. Any longer distance and you're taking a chance. At those distances, baseband analog cameras will work fine.
Mike