anyone have Ubiquiti NSM5 setup with multiple cameras?

rufunky

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Does anyone have Ubiquiti NSM5 setup with multiple cameras? I'm looking to mount 4 x 4mp cameras on a pole with direct line of site about 300ft away.

Does Ubiquiti have hardware to do this or would I need to install a 3rd party POE switch and bridge Ubiquiti's onboard POE ?
 

cyberwolf_uk

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I have installed single ones with Nanobeams & loco's a number of times. For your install I would put a USW-FLEX DPST on a pole send a POE cable to it and connect one loco to that switch which would be powered from the switch via a ins-3af-o-g adaptor which would then power you 3 cameras.... Simples ;) Just this wouldn't power all 4 but you get the drift

Switch Ubiquiti USW-FLEX DPST Switch, Aluminium, 1 Gbps : Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories

Loco Ubiquiti NanoStation AC Loco airMAX Outdoor 5Ghz 13dBi WiFi Access Point - NS-5ACL (Enterprise Computing > Wireless Networking): Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories

Adaptor
 

rufunky

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I have installed single ones with Nanobeams & loco's a number of times. For your install I would put a USW-FLEX DPST on a pole send a POE cable to it and connect one loco to that switch which would be powered from the switch via a ins-3af-o-g adaptor which would then power you 3 cameras.... Simples ;) Just this wouldn't power all 4 but you get the drift

Switch Ubiquiti USW-FLEX DPST Switch, Aluminium, 1 Gbps : Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories

Loco Ubiquiti NanoStation AC Loco airMAX Outdoor 5Ghz 13dBi WiFi Access Point - NS-5ACL (Enterprise Computing > Wireless Networking): Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories

Adaptor
Thank you [B]cyberwolf_uk[/B] . Can you clarify why this wouldn't support 4 cameras? Also, what would I use in this setup to add more cameras on a separate pole to transmit a signal.. just another loco? Sorry, I've never set one of these Ubiquiti systems up so i'm not sure what they are capable of.
 

sebastiantombs

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I currently have three cameras on a Loco M5. One is 4MP and the other two are 2MP. Bandwidth is not even being scratched, say about 20Mb/ps. So in your case I'd expect to see ~30Mb/ps. The throughput of the M5 is around 300Mb/ps.
 

rufunky

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I currently have three cameras on a Loco M5. One is 4MP and the other two are 2MP. Bandwidth is not even being scratched, say about 20Mb/ps. So in your case I'd expect to see ~30Mb/ps. The throughput of the M5 is around 300Mb/ps.
Thanks sebastiantombs. What are you using for a POE hub/switch?
 

sebastiantombs

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I've got a cheap four port Netgear switch out there with an 8 port PoE injector. Both were hanging around so they're serving a purpose again. Incidentally, the remote end is inside an unheated shed. The server side is mounted inside the house, office/server room, in a window. It's never lost connection other than power outages, no UPS on the remote end.

Remember, Ubiquity uses a different style PoE and will become a crispy critter if plugged in to a standard PoE switch. Only use their power supplies.
 

cyberwolf_uk

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Thank you [B]cyberwolf_uk[/B] . Can you clarify why this wouldn't support 4 cameras? Also, what would I use in this setup to add more cameras on a separate pole to transmit a signal.. just another loco? Sorry, I've never set one of these Ubiquiti systems up so i'm not sure what they are capable of.
The reason for only powering 3 cameras is the switch only has 5 ports. 1 of which will be used for POE in / power and the other for the loco / nanobeam leaving you with 3 spare
 

rufunky

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The reason for only powering 3 cameras is the switch only has 5 ports. 1 of which will be used for POE in / power and the other for the loco / nanobeam leaving you with 3 spare
Got it, I wasn't understanding that the unit only powered off of POE. I do not have a way to connect POE via a direct cable, only via a POE injector as there is no way to pull cables to that pole.

Do you know what injector would be used to power the switch in this situation? I may have to get two in order to have 4 cameras..
 

Teken

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I'm about to deploy a similar setup but went with two Air Max Nano Station (NS-5AC US) as it foregoes all the extra bits required and is on board: airMAX NanoStation AC 5 GHz Radio

The above model incorporates two POE AF ports one to power the unit and the other as pass through. Perfect to power a POE AF (48 POE) camera system. For this install I purchased the entire system for a cleaner look while offering the required power, box, and switch holder: Switch Flex Utility

The PSU has a maximum output of 46 watts plenty for the camera's in use even when IR is on.

At some point a POE++ (BT) PSU will be installed to power the Switch Flex so higher power devices can be used: Switch Flex

Because this is a dual use installation fiber is planned in case RFI / EMI is an issue. Decided to try the Ubiquiti branded fiber media converter to see how it compares to other 3rd party hardware: Optical Data Transport for Outdoor PoE Devices

Will need to wait for the spring / summer before the trench and fiber cable can be done. So having RF to connect the site to the station is a huge win to get things up and running for now.
 

Teken

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As @Teken mentioned the Switch Flex Utility is a great clean way and would power your switch. I haven't used one yet but was thinking of one for a clean install for somebody, if I can only persuade then to let me mount a camera on their property to capture a suspect area.
Just to be clear I normally wouldn't buy something like this as there are better options in terms of water proof / stronger boxes. As it relates to this installation there wasn't any need for a much larger box. The added bonus is this box is made specifically for all the hardware being used so it will be really clean.

I'm on the hunt for a similar IP rated box that can hold the extra solar charge controller, fiber media converter, and optical SPD's.
 

rufunky

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Got it, I wasn't understanding that the unit only powered off of POE. I do not have a way to connect POE via a direct cable, only via a POE injector as there is no way to pull cables to that pole.

Do you know what injector would be used to power the switch in this situation? I may have to get two in order to have 4 cameras..
Does anyone have an answer to this?
 

Teken

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rufunky

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In my last reply I offered all of the hardware to make the entire system operate from the PtP radios, POE Switch, POE Injector, and the case. The only thing I did not mention was the redundant SPD (Surge Protective Devices) Ethernet Surge Protector In the spring I'll be trenching a fiber line so wanted to try out Ubuiti's media converter: Optical Data Transport for Outdoor PoE Devices
I'm an idiot. I thought the Switch Flex Utility was the "switch flex". I did not realize it was a housing and PSU for the Switch flex! Thanks so much for clarifying :)
 

Teken

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I'm an idiot. I thought the Switch Flex Utility was the "switch flex". I did not realize it was a housing and PSU for the Switch flex! Thanks so much for clarifying :)
No worries, the naming is so similar it’s easy to confuse what does what. If you decide to go this route ensure that PSU has enough power to supply the PtP radio, switch, and the four cameras you intend to use while IR is on.

The spec sheet is fairly accurate from most hardware makers.
 

rufunky

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No worries, the naming is so similar it’s easy to confuse what does what. If you decide to go this route ensure that PSU has enough power to supply the PtP radio, switch, and the four cameras you intend to use while IR is on.

The spec sheet is fairly accurate from most hardware makers.
Looks like I should be good with

- 4 X IPC-HFW5442-ZE Specs read Power Consumption :<10.9W

- Switchflex Specs read Power Consumption :5W not including POE power budget

My only concern is this from the switch flex specs:

Max PoE Wattage Per Port25W
Total PoE Power Budget
Powered by 802.3af
Powered by 802.3at
Powered by 802.3bt
Powered by PoE Adapter
(Enabled in Controller)

8W
20W
46W
46W
Powered by 802.3af 8W? Does this mean the 802.3af10.9W cameras wont run off of this?
 

Teken

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Looks like I should be good with

- 4 X IPC-HFW5442-ZE Specs read Power Consumption :<10.9W

- Switchflex Specs read Power Consumption :5W not including POE power budget

My only concern is this from the switch flex specs:

Max PoE Wattage Per Port25W
Total PoE Power Budget
Powered by 802.3af
Powered by 802.3at
Powered by 802.3bt
Powered by PoE Adapter
(Enabled in Controller)

8W
20W
46W
46W
Powered by 802.3af 8W? Does this mean the 802.3af10.9W cameras wont run off of this?
Given the maximum power output for that Flex PSU is 46 watts you have no headroom left if the cameras you indicate consume 10.9 watts. Keep in mind the device can be powered by a more powerful POE injector to solve this problem. As I noted early on my long term goal is to power the same via POE++ (BT) that can provide 90 watts.

My system will never ever break 50 watts but wanted the extra headroom when the mercury drops or if conditions change in the system / network environment. Best practice is to use the maximum power consumption for every device intended to be used to see if you're within the limits of the PSU.

Than, add an extra watt for each device to obtain a fudge / safety factor for the what if's you don't know about.

You don't use that extra 1 watt per device you win - Or you later find out while deploying the hardware in the field each device consumes more power than spec (variance due to manufacture tolerances) you still win because you planned for this out of band power consumption.

You can never go wrong having more power on hand than needed. The reverse is not true as things will quickly burn up due to the lack of power and the PSU tries to meet that demand. In many cases when the PSU goes poof it spikes and takes out what ever device is attached.

Regardless, I always bench test all of the equipment before deploying the same in the field. Since I am still waiting for all of the hardware to arrive I decided to connect and power the hardware on hand to validate what the power consumption was at idle and full load. This is a PSU from a AC Pro I had laying around which is rated for 48 VDC, 24 watts, 0.5 amps, and draws no power while connected. I call this out because there are lots of PSU's that draw power with nothing attached and this is the Phantom Power consumption that needs to be considered.



This is the Flex Switch connected and at idle and consumes 3.5 watts.



Once the switch was operating for ten minutes I connected a spare Cloud Key which consumes 3.9 watts.



After the controller was running for about twenty minutes I attached a AC Pro to the system which consumes 4.7 watts.



I later connected a thermal camera to the system and stopped there as the PSU is only rated for 24 watts. The meter indicated the current power consumption was 19.1 watts.



Once the PtP radios arrive I'll use the same to setup and validate the power consumption. This is important for me as the same hardware will be deployed in a stand alone solar system in the field. Given winter is seven months long in the Bad Lands the system needs to be designed and built to sustain at least seven days of no sun. :banghead:

Purchase a larger PSU POE Injector and forego the Flex Box and push forward. :thumb:

EDIT: Here is the perfect example of why you always plan to have more power as without long term monitoring you'll never know how much power something consumes without actually monitoring it.

The thermal camera at idle consumed 5.68 watts for more than an hour.



Later it spiked up to 7.28 watts and the IR isn't even running yet. That's a difference of 1.6 watts and this is all using the ideal 23 AWG solid copper cabling at a very short run of 15 feet.

 
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rufunky

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Got it, again I miss read something somewhere because I had it in my mind the POE was 60 watts. Do you have a higher wattage POE injector you would recommend for outdoor use ( By outdoor I mean, in this enclosure )? I used a POE adapter that wasn't rated for outdoor use on a parking lot pole camera and it turned into a nightmare...
 

Teken

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Got it, again I miss read something somewhere because I had it in my mind the POE was 60 watts. Do you have a higher wattage POE injector you would recommend for outdoor use ( By outdoor I mean, in this enclosure )? I used a POE adapter that wasn't rated for outdoor use on a parking lot pole camera and it turned into a nightmare...
When I was researching the same thing I didn't find any PSU of high wattage that would fit in that dedicated (Ubiquiti) Flex enclosure. Hence why, I stated early on that a 3rd party IP rated enclosure was the most flexible route to use. As you're not restricted by space limitations imposed by the hardware in use.

Comes down to just buying the largest sized enclosure you believe will offer you the space you need - Now & Future.

This Ubiquiti 54 VDC, 80 watt, 1.5 amps is slightly larger than what comes with the Flex enclosure but doesn't have the same operating range which is 32 ~ 104'F / 0 ~ 40'C.

EdgePoint PoE Injector, 54V 80W

Whereas the Flex is 54 VDC, 60 watt, 1.11 amps, and has an operating range of -4 ~ 140'F / -20'C ~ 60'C.


In one one installation this TrendNet hardened industrial flat POE+ switch was used. It comes with a lifetime warranty and operating range of -40 ~ 140'F / -40'C ~ 75'C. :thumb:


What are the expected (seasonal) temperatures your installation will see? As you clearly noted environmental conditions play a huge role as to how things operate and their longevity. Below I was taking a base line as to how hot each device became after operating for several hours in a very cool conditioned space like my basement.

The floor measured 18.8'C / 65.84'F



The PSU after several hours of powering the four network appliances was 28'C / 82.4'F



The Flex Switch was 44'C / 111.2'F sitting on a cool floor.



That's why something as simple as installation location that is well shaded helps tremendously - if possible. If the installation site can't be placed in the shade than a simple plate cover can be installed to reduce the amount of direct sun light impacting the enclosure. It goes without saying painting the enclosure with UV rated white paint also helps out a lot.

When I am in doubt a temperature regulated fan is installed in a vented enclosure along with a cooling fan. In some cases I install thermal pads to a external heat sinks which are than affixed to the enclosure.
 
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