How To Install A Wired Security Camera System

If you've decided to get a wired security camera organization instead of a Wi-Fi camera, the setup is a bit more involved, simply you lot'll end up with a better organisation in the terminate. Hither'south how to install wired security cameras.

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For this guide, we'll be installing an EZVIZ 1080p system, which comes with a DVR that locally records footage 24/seven. No matter what system you end upward going with, the installation procedure is similar across the board, with maybe a few differences here and in that location based on the system.

What You lot'll Need

Dissimilar a simple Wi-Fi cam, you'll demand more than tools for installing a wired photographic camera system, including:

Ethernet cable
Baluns (Converts analog to digital—highly recommended if your organisation is analog)
A ability drill with drive bits and spade bits (and some regular drill bits likewise)
Steel fish tape
Masking record (or whatsoever kind of tape for that matter)
A monitor, mouse, and keyboard
A friend to help out (seriously, this is highly recommended)

As y'all go through the installation process, you lot might decide to use other tools to make things a bit easier depending on your specific state of affairs, but the things listed above are the nuts that you'll need.

How Wired Camera Systems Are Set Up

Before you swoop deep into installing a wired security photographic camera organization, you commencement have to empathize how everything is connected.

Pretty much every arrangement consists of a gear up of cameras and a DVR box that serves equally the user interface for managing the entire system, as well as storing all of the video footage that gets recorded.

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All of the cameras connect directly to the DVR box, either using BNC cable for analog camera systems, or ethernet cablevision for digital systems. If yous accept an analog system, I highly recommend skipping the BNC cable and getting special adapters called baluns, which let you to use Ethernet cables—they're a lot easier to install and more than modern overall.

Since the cameras straight plug into the DVR box, this ways that if you lot install a camera by your dorsum patio and the DVR box is upstairs in your domicile role, you'll need to route the camera'southward cablevision through your business firm in social club to connect it to the DVR box, which tin can get a scrap complicated, depending on how your house is built how exactly you lot plan to route the cablevision.

From in that location, the DVR box gets plugged into a power outlet and and then you connect an external monitor to the DVR box to manage the unabridged arrangement, encounter a live view of all the cameras, and review by recordings. Most systems volition too come up with a mouse, but a keyboard is too recommended.

Step One: Effigy Out Where You Want Your Cameras

With my business firm, the best identify to mount my cameras is on the soffit (the area underneath the roof overhang), that way the cables can travel directly through the attic.

When information technology comes to installing wired security cameras, information technology's not enough to pick only any spot and mountain them. Y'all take to call back about what makes the most sense as far as ease of installation (and if information technology's even possible to install a camera where you want information technology).

For example, information technology would exist slap-up to have a camera mounted on the exterior wall side by side to your front door in the upper corner, but you accept to think virtually how yous're going to road the cable from the camera all the style to the DVR box. That is your limiting factor when it comes to installing the cameras.

So instead of mounting information technology on an exterior wall, perchance mount it on your front porch's ceiling. From there you can run the cable through the porch'south ain fiddling attic and then up into the master attic, taking information technology wherever you want from there. Evidently, you'll have the best judgement on this, but it's something you'll demand to continue in mind.

Footstep Ii: Ready the Camera Installation

Depending on where exactly you lot install your cameras, you lot may need some different tools than what I use. For case, I'm just drilling through wood, drywall, and aluminum, so a regular ability drill and some basic drill bits will work fine. However, if you have to drill through brick or other masonry, you'll likely want a hammer drill with some masonry drill bits.

In any case, start by marking a hole where the camera'southward cable will feed through, too as holes for where the camera'south mounting screws will get. Some kits volition come with a template sticker that makes the job a lot easier. If yours doesn't come with these, hold the photographic camera up to the wall or ceiling where you want it and mark the holes with a pencil.

Become your ability drill and a drill bit and drill pilot holes where the mounting screws will go. Then drill the bigger hole in the center that the cable will feed through. Ordinarily you have to use a spade chip for the bigger hole, only yous might be able to find a regular drill scrap that'due south big enough.

Step Three: Run Cables to Each Photographic camera Location

One time you have holes drilled for your cameras, it'due south time to run cable to each of your camera locations. This is also where the order of things might be dissimilar for you based on your state of affairs, but essentially you lot'll be drilling holes either through walls or ceilings in order to feed cables to where you need them to get.

For my installation, all of the cameras' cables will converge in the attic above my garage, and from there they'll all feed upward into the main attic above the second floor. So to start, I'g going to take cable and feed various lengths out to the edges where my cameras will be. This is a lot easier to practice if you have steel fish tape—it's very difficult to physically locate yourself around the edge of your attic, since that's where your roof slopes downward and creates a very cramped space to work in. Then to solve that, fish tape will be your best friend.

At that place'south no way I'one thousand crawling all the style to the edge here, so I accept fish tape do that for me.

You can feed the fish record up into the hole that you merely drilled for your photographic camera.

Once the fish tape extends far plenty into the cranium for easier access, tape the cease of the cable to the fish record and pull on the fish tape from the exterior to thread the cable through the pigsty yous drilled. This task is a whole lot easier with a friend helping you.

RELATED: How to Crimp Your Own Custom Ethernet Cables of Any Length

Side by side unwrap and remove the fish tape, and your cable will exist fix to claw up to your photographic camera when you're set to install it. If yous're using ethernet cable, you might accept to crimp your ain connectors on if they're non already installed.

Step Iv: Run the Cables to the DVR Box

Once yous take all of the cable runs located where each camera will exist, it's at present time to route all of those cables to the DVR box.

Y'all'll likely need your fish record for this once again, also equally your power drill to drill holes through walls or ceilings. This is where things tin become a bit complicated, and so if you're not quite sure where to start, maybe phone that friend if you oasis't already.

A section of wall is already cutting out hither, allowing me to easily fish all of the cables upwards into the main attic.

Essentially, I'g routing the cables from my garage's attic up to the main attic that's a floor higher. This requires a hole to be drilled in the garage'due south attic wall, plus a second hole in the main attic to feed the cables all the fashion through. However, I got pretty lucky with my cable runs, since the path I wanted to take with all of the cables was already cleared by previous cables runs, so I didn't have to drill any new holes through studs or walls. You may non be then lucky.

After all that, I'll drill a hole in the ceiling in my closet to feed the cables down through that pigsty where they'll meet the DVR box.

How yous mount the DVR box is completely up to you. Near volition take mounting holes on the back, like to what ability strips and surge protectors take. Yous tin can also only have information technology sit on a desk or tabletop of some kind.

Fish tape will exist required to pull cables through all walls and ceilings, and you may end up taping cables to the fish tape, pulling them through, removing them, and repeating the process several times through multiple walls before the cables finally arrive to their destination.

Step Five: Install the Cameras

Things become a lot easier from here, since running the cables is definitely the most difficult role. Installing the cameras should just have a few minutes each.

Offset past connecting the cable coming out from the hole to the camera itself. Then feed the excess back up into the hole.

If y'all desire, you can wrap the connectedness with electrical tape to secure information technology so that it doesn't become unplugged past accident.

Side by side, catch the mounting screws that came with your kit and use your power drill to mount the photographic camera to your house.

After the photographic camera is installed, you tin can then make some rough adjustments to the camera by loosening the adjustment screws and then tightening them back up when all adjustments have been made. Keep in mind that you'll probable demand to make finer adjustments once y'all tin actually see the live view of the camera, then you're not entirely washed with this step just even so.

Step Six: Connect Everything Together

Once the other cease of the cables are completely routed through your business firm, you can brainstorm connecting them to the DVR.

The connections should be pretty easy, and every bit you tin meet, I'thou using those special adapters that I mentioned further to a higher place. Just connect each cable to its own port, and and then connect the external monitor to the DVR box, as well as the mouse and keyboard. You tin can likewise keep a USB drive plugged in for when you need to export any footage in the hereafter.

Step Seven: Set Up the User Interface

This is where things can be unlike for y'all depending on what photographic camera arrangement you take, but the setup process is likely like beyond the lath.

With my system, the user interface setup consists of creating a countersign, setting the engagement and time, and going through a quick tutorial on how it all works.

From at that place, you're expert to become, only taking some time to navigate through the settings to customize some things is recommended, similar whether or non your cameras should record 24/7 or only during motion, for instance. Your arrangement may also have video settings that you can tinker with to brand the image quality a bit better.

One time you lot take your camera system officially upwardly and running, take a look at the video feeds and make up one's mind if any of the cameras need adjusting. As described farther above, use those small screws on the camera to adjust the positioning to where yous want information technology.