In brief: new cabling is often the biggest cost in a CCTV upgrade. Many sites already hold coaxial cable, spare network capacity, or both. A survey shows what you can reuse and what you can’t.
The hidden saving
Older buildings, schools and estates often have cabling from a previous system. Assume it’s unusable and you may pay for a full rewire you didn’t need. Assume it’s fine and you may find out otherwise halfway through installation.
Existing coaxial cable
Cable that was fine for dated analogue cameras can be too poor in quality to carry high-definition video. Four checks decide whether it can be reused:
- Continuity: is the cable unbroken from camera position to recorder?
- Solid copper conductor: copper-clad cable loses signal sooner and can limit how far high-definition video travels.
- Sheath and connector condition: damaged sheaths and corroded or poorly fitted connectors degrade the picture.
- Route: does it reach the positions the new design needs?
Existing network cabling
Many schools and offices have spare capacity in the network cabling they use for computers and phones, and that spare capacity can often carry CCTV too. Three points matter:
- Short extensions: a camera 10 to 20 metres from the nearest outlet can often be reached with a short extension.
- Patching and switches: each camera needs a patch connection and a switch port. The switch must supply enough power over Ethernet (PoE) for the cameras it feeds.
- Keeping CCTV separate: existing structured cabling can still be kept on its own network, using separate switches or a VLAN on shared switches.
Beyond 100 metres
A standard Ethernet run is limited to 100 metres. Long-range PoE switches can carry a camera up to 250 to 300 metres.
Reuse where it works, replace where it doesn’t
Many of the best-value upgrades reuse sound coax where it reaches the right positions, use spare network capacity where it exists, and run new cable only where coverage is extended or an old route won’t work. On occupied sites, this also means less disruption.
Check before you pay for new cable
Finding out that a cable is unusable during the survey costs nothing. Finding it out during installation costs time and money. Existing cabling is an asset to assess: don’t ignore it, and don’t rip it out by default.
Electronic security for over a decade, after an early career in IT networks.