This guide
is written for those who do need video security and can’t
afford costly installation services, or if the CCTV installer
is not available in your area - the later is more common than
one could think. We will cover most common security equipment
types, as it is virtually impossible to go over such a wide rang
of different security cameras and recording/video processing equipment
available on the market.
I assume anyone
considering do-it-yourself CCTV installation has basic knowledge
of wiring techniques and practices. I am not to be held responsible
or liable for damages to the equipment due to mishandling or misuse.
Remember; during the installation always pay attention to safety.
Working at heights and using tools can be dangerous, please follow
all safety practices. Lets jump right to it now.
Planning:
First step of any camera installation is to plan camera and monitoring
equipment locations. When planning for camera locations please
take in consideration light condition, never install cameras in
low light room pointing straight into the sunny area it will add
glare to the picture, even if your camera has back light compensation
it will not be enough. Use infrared cameras for very dark conditions
and/or B/W cameras with as low LUX number as possible. I am not
going to discuss proper equipment selection, as this was subject
of my last article.
Selecting
the best possible camera locations is not easy, and will directly
impact the camera views. Besides light conditions, the distance
to the monitoring object is equally important. There are many
different types and focal lengths of lenses; your selection will
depend on light condition and distance from the camera to the
monitoring object. In small rooms around 500sq. ft. cameras with
standard 3.6mm lens should be OK. Keep in mind that most bullet
and board type of cameras come with 3.6mm lens, the greater the
distance to the monitoring object the longer focal length of the
lens will be needed. There is no ease way of judging lens selection,
you can guess or buy professional lens selector tool. Alternatively
you can start with your lens selection and if needed get longer
or shorter focal length lens later. Other option as far as lens
selection goes, is to use variable focus lens, which is very versatile
approach and takes the guess out of the lens selection process.
For those who do not know what variable focus lens is, it’s
basically adjustable focal length lens that will allow to change
the focal length within specified range, fore example: 2.6mm –
8mm or 5mm - 50mm.
To maximize
cameras coverage and get the most out of the CCTV system for least
amount of money minimize number of cameras by placing cameras
in strategic places, unless complete area coverage is needed.
Avoid overlapping camera views, do not install cameras with source
of light directly in front of it and do not place infrared cameras
pointing at each other to eliminate risk of overexposure. These
are the most common mistakes that need to be avoided. After the
initial camera locations are predetermined, lets look at cable
placement. Make sure that it is actually possible and practical
to run cable to each camera location, if running the cable to
any camera location is for some reason impossible opt-out for
alternate camera location.
Wiring:
The most time consuming and important part of any camera installation
is wiring. Plan your installation carefully to minimize cable
lengths and insure good quality video signal. Never run cables
alongside high power electrical lines, at least 12” spacing
between video cable and power lines are recommended. Keep the
cable lengths below 400ft and use good quality cable, most people
take the cable for granted, but it is actually very important
aspect of any installation. The CCTV system is only as good as
its weakest component. I usually stick with RG59U with power cable
sometimes. It is combo cable and will transmit video and power,
as an alternative it is sometimes possible to use less expensive
RG6 standard coax cable with separate run of 18/2AWG for power.
The Siamese
cable is less bulky and easer to run, distribution power supply
is recommended with this type of cable as power will be supplied
from common place right next to monitor and recording equipment.
Using Siamese cable makes for more clean and neat installation,
as only one line is required for each camera. Running RG6 cable
with separate run for power is the likely solution if power outlets
are available near each camera locations. In this case individual
plug in power supplies are used to power the cameras with power
cable running as separate and independent line to the camera.
When running the cable it is good practice to leave couple of
loops of extra cable at both camera and monitoring locations.
This extra length of cable is needed if in the future monitoring
or camera location will have to be moved slightly. After the cable
is in place, the labor-intensive part of installation is over,
now we can get to the fun part of installation.
Camera mounting:
Most cameras come with mounting screws and bracket included, attach
the bracket firmly and remember that in some cases different brackets
than the ones supplied with the cameras could be needed, for example
drop sealing installation will require T-Rail camera bracket.
Attach the
camera to the bracket and adjust the camera position approximately
at this time, we will come back to it later. Typical security
camera is powered by 12VDC or 24VAC and power input type is screw
or push terminals or 2.1mm plug. Power connection will differ
for each type of power supply and input style. Most cameras are
12VDC, in this case it is important to observe polarity or you
may damage the camera. The power cable has two conductors and
in most cases it will be red or white and black cable. Use the
red or white for positive and black for negative terminals. If
your camera has screw or push terminals power input connect the
cable directly observing polarity, if it is 2.1mm plug, a special
2.1MM Female DC Plug with Flying Leads have to be connected to
the cable again keep attention to polarity. The 24VAC connection
is very similar, with one major difference - polarity is not important.
Next step
will involve some special tools and accessories. We will attempt
to go over installation process of BNC crimp-on video connector,
I will post video demonstration of BNC crimping techniques shortly
so please check the web sites mentioned in this article often.
Steps:
1. Remove about 1/2-inch long outer jacket from the end of video
cable exposing braid.
2. Slide the crimping barrel onto the cable with the larger diameter
facing end of the cable.
3. Pull the braid backwards exposing the inner isolator material
and remove 3/8-inch of it so you have now core conductor exposed.
4. The main part of BNC connector has a small hole on one side;
push the exposed core conductor of the cable into that hole as
far as it will go.
5. Push all the braid folded backwards in step 3 onto the BNC
connector and spread the braid evenly around connector.
6. Push the crimping barrel onto the BNC connector all the way.
7. Using crimping tool, squeeze the crimping barrel onto the BNC
connector, now the cable braid is compressed in between crimping
barrel and BNC connector assuring secure connection.
BNC connector
is on, lets hook it up now and repeat the steps for each camera,
if you have purchased 16 camera system you may want to get some
coffee first.
Monitor
and recorder connection:
Cameras are
on, its time to make final connections. I will focused on standard
CCTV monitor, standalone DVR recorder and distribution power supply,
as this is the most popular and likely solution for most CCTV
installations.
First we have
to install BNC connectors on this side as well - its time for
that coffee again. It is good idea to make room for monitor and
recorder now and setup some type of desk, shelf or rack to place
all the equipment on.
We need the
monitor and recorder in place so we can determine proper power
supply location. Power supply should be mounted within couple
of feet from the DVR video inputs. After power supply is secured
separate the power conductors from the Siamese cable, and run
it to power supply. Like we did with the cameras if 12VDC power
is used, we need to watch the polarity, each terminal on the power
supply is marked, so there should not be any doubt. Make sure
the power supply is not plugged in to the power outlet yet.
Connect video
cables to the DVR video in ports. We need one video cable to connect
the DVR with the monitor, if you do not have one you may cut piece
of Siamese cable separate the power conductors from it and install
BNC connectors on both ends, you now have the cable.
Connect the
DVR monitor out port to monitor video in. We are almost ready
to power up everything; there is only one more thing to take care
before we do that.
We need to
protect the equipment from power spikes by plugging it into power
conditioner or better yet, buttery backup unit. If the installation
location is experiencing frequent power outages, the backup unit
is strongly recommended. To extend the backup time only plug the
DVR and camera power supply to the backup unit and the monitor
to regular power strip, this way if we do loose power for some
time the DVR and cameras are still functioning as normal while
monitor is off. Turning off monitor will not affect DVR and cameras
in any way; it is actually good habit to turn the monitor of if
not used to extend its life.
Power
on and final adjustment:
Yes… we are now ready to power it up for the first time,
if this is your first installation it may be nerve-racking experience.
Start with turning the cameras power supply on, turn the monitor
on as well followed by DVR system. The stand-alone DVR, after
self-test will show cameras or setup menu on first power up depending
on your model.
To setup the
DVR refer to the manual for proper settings. Go over each camera
view to determine if the camera view is actually what you want,
hardly ever it will be without additional readjustments. To properly
and easily adjust camera positions, the test monitor will be very
handy if not essential tool. Go to each camera location and connect
the test monitor to adjust camera position to your preferences,
if satisfied secure camera bracket adjustment screws - we will
not go back to this camera anymore.
Conclusion:
Congratulations! You have just completed your most likely, very
first installation of CCTV system. Visit our store fore more information
on surveillance cameras, DVR recorders, tools and accessories.
Article Source:
http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Robert_Moskal
