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Telephone wire to power 12V cameras?

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Hi,

 

I'm just wondering if I could use Telephone wire to power 12v cameras? I'm using RG59 cables for transmit my video.

 

Thanks

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Hi,

 

I'm just wondering if I could use Telephone wire to power 12v cameras? I'm using RG59 cables for transmit my video.

 

Thanks

yes you can. but if you have not got your cable yet (rg59) why not buy it with power in it .... in the uk its called shotgun.....or siamese

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Hi,

 

I'm just wondering if I could use Telephone wire to power 12v cameras? I'm using RG59 cables for transmit my video.

 

Thanks

 

Yes. We usually use four-conductor "station wire" for power alongside RG59, which is probably pretty similar to what you're looking at. You can also use 18/2, 16/2, Cat3, Cat5, or anything else with at least two conductors of thick enough gauge to handle the current needs. Heck, you could even use a separate coax run for power... just be careful not to mix them up with the video runs!

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Since the telephone wire has 4 cables in it how many would I use? Just 2 one for positive and one for negative?

 

I'd recommend doubling the conductors, standard phone wire can be a little thin for some cameras' current requirements. We typically use the red and yellow together for positive, and the green and black together for negative.

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Since the telephone wire has 4 cables in it how many would I use? Just 2 one for positive and one for negative?

 

I'd recommend doubling the conductors, standard phone wire can be a little thin for some cameras' current requirements. We typically use the red and yellow together for positive, and the green and black together for negative.

 

Thanks for your help

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Simply, NO!!

Buy 18awg and do it properly.

If you are dealing with cheap cameras with low power consumption it will most likely work though. I cant tell you how many jobs Ive been to where the idiots used 2 pair telco wire doubled up and were wondering why at night time the Camera was going blank ... use the right wire the first time or dont do it at all.

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I have to agree with rory. Why cheap out the job? If you run siamese you will save something on labor not to mention it is eaiser to hook up single 18 ga and keep the polarity correct than messing with phone wire. Just about anything will get the volatage to the camera but does it look professional?

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I have no idea but you should ask that question in the IP video section please, that has nothing to do with CCTV. Thanks.

 

The OP is asking about power on multi-stranded small gauge solid core wire. POE has power on multi-stranded small gauge solid core wire. Just trying to understand the options by exploring similar techniques.

 

Best,

Christopher

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The OP is asking about power on multi-stranded small gauge solid core wire. POE has power on multi-stranded small gauge solid core wire. Just trying to understand the options by exploring similar techniques.

 

Best,

Christopher

the OP is talking about powering a 12VDC CCTV Camera using 2 pair 4 conductor solid core 24awg wire, POE has nothing to do with CCTV cameras.

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The OP is asking about power on multi-stranded small gauge solid core wire. POE has power on multi-stranded small gauge solid core wire. Just trying to understand the options by exploring similar techniques.

 

Best,

Christopher

the OP is talking about powering a 12VDC CCTV Camera using 2 pair 4 conductor solid core 24awg wire, POE has nothing to do with CCTV cameras.

 

PoE is also 48VDC (nominal), which means 1/4 the current draw of 12VDC (for the same power requirements) and thus less loss over an equivalent distance.

 

Nevertheless, the original question was whether one "COULD use telephone wire", and the answer is, simply, YES.

 

Whether that's a GOOD idea is a whole other question.

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PoE is also 48VDC (nominal), which means 1/4 the current draw of 12VDC (for the same power requirements) and thus less loss over an equivalent distance.

 

Thanks. I checked the IEEE specification and as I suspected the power is supplied on two pairs (4 wires). However, as you note, the current is significantly less for the same power. In any case, the recommended wire is cheap and it's falling-off-a-log easy just to do it right the first time.

 

Best,

Christopher

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PoE is also 48VDC (nominal), which means 1/4 the current draw of 12VDC (for the same power requirements) and thus less loss over an equivalent distance.

 

Tell you what, let him go try to power some Extreme Infrared Cameras using telco and come back and let us know how it goes.

 

Nevertheless, the original question was whether one "COULD use telephone wire", and the answer is, simply, YES.

 

I "COULD" jump off a 10 storey building, but I dont think its a great idea, and so I will say so when the topic comes up, if thats okay?

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I'm using low power camera's without LED's. So I doubt they draw a lot of current. Also, I'm using the telephone wire because I was able to obtain a 500ft roll for $5. I understand that there are better wires out there but I think for my setup it should be ok.

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My runs are all under 100ft. Would telephone wire still be good?

 

It'll be fine. No, it's not ideal, but it will work just fine for you. Double-up the conductors to be safe. I've powered two 24VAC cameras over a single 22-gauge pair in a 250' run of station wire in a pinch.

 

(Cole's notes: gas station wanted another camera added to their canopy; we used doubled-up station wire to power each camera; so I split off one pair on the closest camera to use for video with baluns, and used the other pair to power both; conduits are sealed before final inspection so pulling new wire was NOT an option).

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Like Soundy wrote, it isn't ideal and I wouldn't recommend it myself unless it is the only option. I haven't used it but I did an expansion to an existing system a while back where the installer ran a pair to a 12V DC to a box style camera and the other pair to a 24V AC heated housing. It had been operating for 4 years like that without a hitch on a 150' run.

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I hooked up my cameras this weekend and they are working fine. No problems using the telephone wire. Thanks everyone for your help.

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Hii

 

I'm just wondering if I could use Telephone wire to power 12v cameras? I'm using RG6 cables for transmit my video.

 

Thanks

 

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