Installing/mounting security cameras outside the front door?

[jeromedawg]

Hey guys,

I was thinking about installing a security camera out above the front door but was wondering how it would all work as far as cabling and power goes. I think I'd want to avoid a wifi unit as well. The outer wall is stucco and I'm not quite sure what's behind it. What's the best way to get cabling in and fishing it through to a power source?

[brotatochip]

I've installed 8 security cameras around my property last summer and the hardest part was actually configuring them to work over WiFi.  I mounted them in the corners of my house and fished the wires through the roof vents and into the attic to the DVR. 

[lthenderson]

I think the best way is to install the cameras on the bottom side of your soffit. It gives you a place to mount and an easy route to fish the wires up into your attic. It's also up out of the way where it isn't as visible to those around or likely to get damaged. I'm guessing you can also tap into a household circuit for power via the attic as well. The hardest part will be fishing your data cable down to wherever your computer or recording device is and that depends on the layout of your house.

[Jack]

I think Power over Ethernet (PoE) would be the best way to go -- or at least, the perfectionist in me does -- but the equipment tends to be more expensive than Ethernet + separate power (and especially more expensive than analog coax CCTV + separate power).

[jeromedawg]

If I have no attic (since I'm in a bottom-floor condo unit) what are my other options as far as running wire, etc?

[BDWW]

If I have no attic (since I'm in a bottom-floor condo unit) what are my other options as far as running wire, etc?

Well depending on aesthetics, Ethernet cable is actually pretty resilient. You can just drill a hole in the wall, and seal it with silicone. Where you run it in your house itself is up to you, do you have a crawlspace?

[ShoulderThingThatGoesUp]

Since this is the MMM forum, can we interrogate your desire for a security camera within a condo complex?

[lthenderson]

Not knowing the rules of your condo association, I would rethink your unwillingness to use something wifi. Assuming you had an outside outlet to tap into, you wouldn't need to fish any wires or drill any holes in the walls.

[jeromedawg]

Not knowing the rules of your condo association, I would rethink your unwillingness to use something wifi. Assuming you had an outside outlet to tap into, you wouldn't need to fish any wires or drill any holes in the walls.

That's the thing - there is no outside outlet to tap into in this case. I'd have to go through the wall and find power from inside the house. I guess wifi would be OK if there's too long of a cable run. But the concern with wifi is if the signal drops out or it's unreliable etc.