Network/Design Question

[1Mike1]

Hello,

I have an attached garage to which I will be adding 5 - 7 cameras to ( interior and exterior), I will be installing conduit and pulling cat5 from the basement to the garage. Is there any disadvantage/advantage to home runs all 5-7 cameras to the basement w a single 16 port poe switch OR could a pull a single cat5 connection to the garage and have an 8 port poe switch located in the garage connected back to a switch in the basement

It would be less cabling /simpler to pull a single cable but not sure if I would saturate that link between the garage and basement?

The run from the basement to the garage would be close to 100’from the switch to camera.
Not sure if there is attenuation at the length for the poe etc.

The basement is where all my network equipment is and where I will be hosting my BI server.

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

 

[OICU2]

You should be good with a single run to the garage switch. I have 9 cameras going to a switch in the garage then over one drop to my main switch with no issues.

 

[sebastiantombs]

If a camera uses 10Mb/ps it's a lot. So eight or ten on a gig capable switch linked on a CAT5E or CAT6 is way more than enough. I would suggest that you use direct burial, gel filled cable for that run. Water always seems to get into conduit one way or another. Cheap insurance.

 

[JNDATHP]

I’d run at least 3 cables just in case one fails.

 

[TonyR]

+1 to all the above suggestions and recommendations, but I do have a couple of questions:

In what geographic area are you located? I ask because of severe lightning in some parts, especially the SE and mid-central states of the U.S.
If you are in a lighting prone area, there's power in the garage, correct?

 

[Old Timer]

If you want more insulation for power surges and lightning, use a run or two of fiber like Tony is talking about.

I have had cat5 running to a building about 120' from my house, but lost the cable and switch to a power surge, so
I went to wireless temporally, then dug up the ground and laid 2 fiber pairs, couple coax, and 1/4" air hose.
Fiber works great, and I have way more bandwidth then I need.

 

[TVille]

Single run of CAT5 will be fine. However, as others have said, run at least two, if not three cables, and make SURE they are waterproof if underground. Conduits ALWAYS get filled with water. I don't know if they leak, condensation, or the water fairy, but they always get filled up. My cameras run about 1,000 kBps, (Bytes) or 8 Mbps (bits) per camera, so 8 cameras would be around 64 Mbps, pushing a 100 Mbps line.

I needed one camera at a garage about 75 feet from the house. I looked at cable but went with a dedicated radio (not wifi) link instead. Less than $180 for everything. I couldn't have bought the conduit, fittings and cable for that, and didn't have to dig anything. It also avoids the concerns about lightning protection from the underground line.

 

[1Mike1]

Thanks everyone for the advice. Good ideas on fiber and running a backup line.

I’m in Denver front range. So we get our fair share.

If I’m only running 2 lines from the basement to the garage along a single exterior wall, poping out and then back inside, is conduit needed w outdoor rated cat5? Or can I just run it down a crease in the siding?

 

[TVille]

Conduit is run for several reasons. First to provide physical protection. From mowers, weed eaters, rats, etc. Second is to allow you to pull in a new wire when that one fails. If you don't need it to be protected, and the install is not that difficult, I would just run the cable. I have numerous tuns of cable. If I am putting in a new installation, doing construction, I would install conduit, never know what you might want in 10 years.

 

[Teken]

Some things to consider given the amount of time, resources, and finances. Any serious installation will always home run every cable to the network infrastructure. Doing so negates any possible bandwidth and power issues.

Going this route assures complete fail over should any single cable be compromised. Following this basic and important infrastructure deployment negates the need for electronic hardware in a unconditioned space!

You don’t have to worry about 120 VAC, mounting, securing, housing that POE switch!

As others noted given how cheap fibre is today running armoured fibre provides complete immunity to RFI / EFI and induced EMI from a overhead boomer.

If you decide to run armoured fibre invest in multiple pairs as the cost isn’t a whole lot more but assures you only need to pull the cable once!

The only problem with fibre is the need for AC / DC power for a media converter / switch.

If lightning is an issue shielded cable must be considered. Regardless of all the above proper use of a single point earth grounding system must be followed along with a tiered SPD.

Keep in mind when you use shielded cable the same must be present on the RJ45! Everyday people spend thousands of dollars in the best shielded cable only to negate the whole protection system by installing plastic RJ45 connectors?!?

This is made worse because even when they use the correct wire and connectors they don’t ground the entire system to the homes earth grounding cable / bar!