Cat 6 cable/connection keeps corroding

[bertsirkin]

I have a Hikvision bullet camera. It's mounted outdoors under a large overhang and is connected via cat6 cable and a TP-LINK TL-PoE150S PoE Injector Adapter (indoors). It's was working for 3 years, but about a month ago, the camera stopped showing up in Bluiris. I took the camera down and noticed that the inside of the female rj45 connector on the Hikvision camera was covered in a black soot-like covering. So, I ended up buying a new Hikvision camera. I also replaced the cat 6 cable and PoE adapter, so everything was new.

I heavily taped the junction of the cat 6 cable and the Hikvision receptacle so that it would be waterproof, and mounted it behind the corner molding of the vinyl siding.

It lasted about 4 weeks. When I checked the connection, it now has the same black gunk inside the Hikvision cable receptacle.

I've tried cleaning it with "QD Electronic Cleaner" and q-tips, but no matter how much I clean it, I can't get the new camera to work again.

I need suggestions on how to clean the cable and receptacle so I can get it working again, plus, how to keep this from happening again.

 

[fenderman]

I have a Hikvision bullet camera. It's mounted outdoors under a large overhang and is connected via cat6 cable and a TP-LINK TL-PoE150S PoE Injector Adapter (indoors). It's was working for 3 years, but about a month ago, the camera stopped showing up in Bluiris. I took the camera down and noticed that the inside of the female rj45 connector on the Hikvision camera was covered in a black soot-like covering. So, I ended up buying a new Hikvision camera. I also replaced the cat 6 cable and PoE adapter, so everything was new.

I heavily taped the junction of the cat 6 cable and the Hikvision receptacle so that it would be waterproof, and mounted it behind the corner molding of the vinyl siding.

It lasted about 4 weeks. When I checked the connection, it now has the same black gunk inside the Hikvision cable receptacle.

I've tried cleaning it with "QD Electronic Cleaner" and q-tips, but no matter how much I clean it, I can't get the new camera to work again.

I need suggestions on how to clean the cable and receptacle so I can get it working again, plus, how to keep this from happening again.

What did you use to tape it?
You should be using coax seal / silicone tape.

 

[bertsirkin]

Thanks fenderman for the tip about coax seal - I had forgotten about coax seal (I used to use it 10 years ago). I was using/stretching plastic electrical tape over the junction. Just ordered some - hopefully that should help with corrosion, but I still don't understand how it happened so fast (3 -4 weeks).

Any suggestions on how to clean the Hikvision cable receptacle?

 

[fenderman]

Thanks fenderman for the tip about coax seal - I had forgotten about coax seal (I used to use it 10 years ago). I was using/stretching plastic electrical tape over the junction. Just ordered some - hopefully that should help with corrosion, but I still don't understand how it happened so fast (3 -4 weeks).

Any suggestions on how to clean the Hikvision cable receptacle?

There has got to be some water leakage.
Some folks also use dielectric grease. Although I never have and never had this kind of issue.
The water may have fried the POE module. You can try cutting the connection off and replacing it with a jack.

 

[J Sigmo]

The best contact cleaner/lube/preservative that Ive used is called DeoxIt D5. A tiny bit goes a long way. Leave some in place after cleaning. It creeps across the surfaces of the contacts and coats them to prevent corrosion. When the contacts are mated, it squeezes down to an extremely thin layer and fills in the microscopic pores and imperfections in the surfaces and conducts by quantum tunneling. That effectively increases the contact surface area and lowers contact resistance enormously.

Anyhow, get the big crud out of the connectors with some cheap solvent-type contact cleaner and scrubbing with a tiny brush. Then use the DeoxIt. You won't be sorry.

Then seal the connectors up as advised above.

 

[bertsirkin]

Thanks for the suggestions! It's very strange that I had no problems for 3 years, then twice within a month the corrosion appeared with this camera. I also have 3 other outdoor cameras, and none of those have had a problem for 3+ years.

I've ordered DeoxIt and coax seal.
In any event, I've tried twice to clean the RJ45 receptacle with contact-cleaner and qtips. I got a lot of black on the qtips, but not all of it. I'll try using a toothbrush next time it warms up above freezing outside.

 

[TonyR]

When the contacts are mated, it squeezes down to an extremely thin layer and fills in the microscopic pores and imperfections in the surfaces and conducts by quantum tunneling.

Uh...."quantum tunneling" ? Uh.....I knew that.

@J Sigmo , I didn't need to see your avatar or username to know who posted this info....you bring a level of scientific validity and intellectual authenticity to our forum here. If it was said that we had an anonymous, retired NASA engineer /chemist / physics professor /philosopher amongst us, you'd get my vote.

Please understand this is a complimentary, not ridiculing, post. You impart a measure of common sense and level-headedness with a touch of seasoned knowledge and factual observation that is easily digested and applied.

Speaking for myself, I'm glad you joined us last year and look forward to more posts and replies!

 

[slopolytech]

Is the camera powered by the same AC mains as the system? If say, for example, the camera is powered by another building, there can be a ground potential difference causing this.

 

[bertsirkin]

Is the camera powered by the same AC mains as the system? If say, for example, the camera is powered by another building, there can be a ground potential difference causing this.

It's the same AC system.

 

[bertsirkin]

Update: I've cleaned the camera contacts really well and replaced the PoE Injector adapter and cat 6 cable (both from the camera and to the switch). It still doesn't work. At this point, I have to assume that the camera is at fault. I've purchased a replacement camera and will see what happens.
FWIW, I purchased the camera from Amazon.com - and, according to Hikvision, USA, Amazon is NOT an authorized distributor, thus there's no warranty or support from Hikvision.

PS. I called Amazon and, although the return period ended 4 days ago, they are letting me return the camera for a new one. They also told me that their technical department provides support for products like this. I'm not sure how much support they could be on a Hikvision camera, but I suspect they would exchange it for a new one, as they did with mine.

 

[StewartM]

We use electrical tape over our connectors (RJ45) then wrap them with butyl tape (hard to get off if you don't first use the electrical tape). Exposed to the elements, 6 years and no issues for more than 50 outdoor cameras.

 

[crw030]

They also told me that their technical department provides support for products like this

I feel like they are more willing to accept the return and stick it to the distributor who likely has no recourse, just based on EMPIRETECANDY's experience and others that have tried to do an Amazon shop. I recently watched a video that discussed this in great detail, but basically if you wanted to keep in good standing with Amazon, you had to tolerate a bit of headache/costs to avoid negative ratings which would impact your visibility and ability to sell in the first place. In some cases people even game the system, by ordering and then opening cases with Amazon to cancel the order after the shipment occurs, so you are stuck with no money and a product in transit you won't likely ever see again. Just based on that video I'm glad I'm not a small business trying to make it on Amazon.

 

[fenderman]

Update: I've cleaned the camera contacts really well and replaced the PoE Injector adapter and cat 6 cable (both from the camera and to the switch). It still doesn't work. At this point, I have to assume that the camera is at fault. I've purchased a replacement camera and will see what happens.
FWIW, I purchased the camera from Amazon.com - and, according to Hikvision, USA, Amazon is NOT an authorized distributor, thus there's no warranty or support from Hikvision.

PS. I called Amazon and, although the return period ended 4 days ago, they are letting me return the camera for a new one. They also told me that their technical department provides support for products like this. I'm not sure how much support they could be on a Hikvision camera, but I suspect they would exchange it for a new one, as they did with mine.

The camera is not at fault. The water/moisture entry due to improper sealing shorted the camera and caused the poe module to fail. There are many threads with the same result after water damage. Generally the 12v connection works. Yes amazon is not an authorized distributor....amazon does not sell the hik cams, it is sold by third parties.

 

[bertsirkin]

fenderman - I replaced the PoE adapter, along with the cat 6 cable from the PoE adapter to the camera and the PoE adapter to the switch. Everything has been replaced except the camera, and when I plug the camera cat 6 into the PoE adapter, the connection LED doesn't turn green, as it does on all the other cameras. The camera is the only component left.

 

[fenderman]

fenderman - I replaced the PoE adapter, along with the cat 6 cable from the PoE adapter to the camera and the PoE adapter to the switch. Everything has been replaced except the camera, and when I plug the camera cat 6 into the PoE adapter, the connection LED doesn't turn green, as it does on all the other cameras. The camera is the only component left.

I understand that, you fried the poe module inside the camera. That is why it's not working. It's not the cameras fault.

 

[J Sigmo]

Speaking for myself, I'm glad you joined us last year and look forward to more posts and replies!

Thank you. I appreciate it. By the way, my understanding of quantum tunneling is very limited. I'm no physicist! That's just the way this phenomenon is described.

The interesting characteristic of the DeoxIT is that while it reduces contact resistance, it is an insulator, which seems counterintuitive to say the least. The explanation for how that can be possible is this idea of quantum tunneling taking place where the liquid gets squeezed down to a very thin layer right where the contacts mate. Yet it is still an insulator over larger gaps.

I've used it on high voltage connectors and allowed it to coat circuit boards that have HV on them, especially when treating card edge connectors, and it does not create leakage paths. Yet it protects and enhances the connectors. The HV devices I've used it on are radiation detectors and pulse height analyzers that use photomultipliers, and thus have operating voltages between 750 and 1500 Volts, and are very sensitive to leakage. I've never had anything but good results.

I have learned a ton here on this forum from you and everyone else.

It's amazing how deep things get when all I (or most people visiting this forum) really wanted was to hook up a few cameras! There are a lot of people on this forum with fantastic experience and knowledge. The range of subjects that this seemingly easy chore ends up requiring us to learn is daunting, but with the help of everyone here, it is possible to get things working and make improvements.

And the cyber security, networking, and other information is applicable to a lot of other things most of us encounter. What an amazing and humbling resource this site/forum is!

Is the camera powered by the same AC mains as the system? If say, for example, the camera is powered by another building, there can be a ground potential difference causing this.

Even if this isn't the problem in this instance, it is a situation that bears watching. A high voltage spike or surge that creates a momentary potential difference between the camera's ground reference and that of the switch into which it is plugged might cause a flashover in the connector that leaves a carbon residue much like what you can get with water damage.

I wonder if the OP can find any other evidence of water having gotten into the area. These POE systems really do need to be kept clean and dry at the connection points.

 

[bertsirkin]

<<I wonder if the OP can find any other evidence of water having gotten into the area. These POE systems really do need to be kept clean and dry at the connection points.>>
There was no evidence of water getting into or near the connection. I had the connection well taped with plastic electrical tape, and the connections directly under an overhang. The camera is in the corner of a building where there's a second camera - each camera points in a different direction, but the installation is almost identical. The PoE Injector adapters for each camera are physically next to each other and they're using the same AC outlet. Both cameras had been working for well over 3 years with no issues.

I agree that a voltage spike of some kind may have caused the carbon in the connector - and it may have fried the camera. I'm not sure that water was the catalyst, though. In any event, both the camera and PoE injector are going to be replaced.

 

[tigerwillow1]

I'll add my opinion that the electrical tape was an imperfect seal that let moisture in. I found out the hard way that an imperfect seal is worse than none at all, because it lets the moisture in, and then traps it. On a temporary basis I've had unprotected connections with the camera pigtail hanging straight down (so any water will run down and out) out in the weather for months with no glitches. This was after trying a "pretty good" weather seal that led to failure in less than a week.

 

[tangent]

The best contact cleaner/lube/preservative that Ive used is called DeoxIt D5. A tiny bit goes a long way. Leave some in place after cleaning. It creeps across the surfaces of the contacts and coats them to prevent corrosion. When the contacts are mated, it squeezes down to an extremely thin layer and fills in the microscopic pores and imperfections in the surfaces and conducts by quantum tunneling. That effectively increases the contact surface area and lowers contact resistance enormously.

Quantum tunneling is happening inside every semi-conductor, photovoltaic, and image sensor but I don't really it's what's happening here.
Here are a couple wikipedia articles on the subject: Contact protection, Contact cleaner, Asperity (materials science)

 

[J Sigmo]

Quantum tunneling is happening inside every semi-conductor, photovoltaic, and image sensor but I don't really it's what's happening here.
Here are a couple wikipedia articles on the subject: Contact protection, Contact cleaner, Asperity (materials science)

Yep. In fact, conduction within conductors themselves is actually poorly understood and a subject of no little debate.

The manufacturer is the source for the claim that conductivity at the contact interfaces is improved by quantum tunneling.

Regardless, the stuff works amazingly well.

I've used it since the mid '70s when the similar product was called Cramolin.

An example of its effectiveness: We had a batch of old thermal self-resetting circuit breakers. They could not be opened without breaking them. Their contact resistances were too high for the application, averaging around 70 milliohms. They presumably had silver alloy contacts inside, and of course silver tarnishes, creating an oxide layer that is rather hard and tough, and a lousy conductor to say the least .

We mixed a solution of about 3% Cramolin Red oil in Freon TF (we used to get that in 50 pound cans from VWR back before it was restricted and finally banned - wonderful stuff!). We then dropped these breakers into a glass jar of this concoction and left them in until the bubbles stopped coming out.

Then one by one, we pulled the breakers out and rapped them on a table top a number of times to get their contacts to vibrate a bit.

After this treatment, the average resistance across these breakers was around 5 milliohms. And after a year or so of use, they remained at about that same resistance.

It's pretty good stuff. Not a typical contact cleaner.