If you\u2019ve bought analogue cameras, then you\u2019ll need a means of converting the output into a digital one that can be transmitted along your Ethernet cable.<\/p>\n
Planning locations<\/h3>\n
![\"security](\"https:\/\/www.vividdoors.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/bernard-hermant-Xm3SPoOvNXs-unsplash-scaled.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Photo by Bernard Hermant<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/p>\n It might seem obvious where to install a front door camera: the front door<\/a>, right? Choose mounting locations which offer the widest possible view of the area under surveillance. Cameras should go in the very corner of the room they\u2019re sited in. In the case of external cameras, you\u2019ll want to ensure they\u2019re out of reach of vandals – ten feet in the air is usually a good benchmark.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re going to fix it to the plasterboard ceiling of your porch, then you\u2019ll get away with an ordinary power drill. If you\u2019re drilling into masonry, then you\u2019ll need a hammer drill with a masonry bit.<\/p>\n Think about the location of your DVR. If it\u2019s on the other side of the house to your camera, then you\u2019ll need to thread cable through multiple walls and floor spaces. If the joists are facing the wrong way, you may need to drill through them. As such, garages and lofts make great locations for DVR hubs; there, you\u2019ll be able to thread wiring through the middle of the room.<\/p>\n Your cameras will usually come with a template which you can use to plan your location. Once you\u2019ve stuck it onto the wall (or ceiling) you can start drilling. You\u2019re going to have multiple small \u2018mounting holes\u2019 around the edge of the installation, and then a single larger one in the centre. It\u2019s this larger one that you\u2019ll be threading cabling through.<\/p>\n Different cameras come with different mounting arrangements, so be sure to check the instructions that come with yours to see exactly what size bits you\u2019re going to be using.<\/p>\n Photo by Steve Johnson<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/p>\n To thread cables, you\u2019re going to be using something called fish tape. This is a roll of rigid wire that you\u2019ll be able to run up through the hole you\u2019ve drilled to where your cabling is. You can then tape the Ethernet cable to the other end and pull it down to where your camera is going to be. As every electrician knows, this task is a great deal easier with the help of a friend. They\u2019ll be there to recognise when the cable is getting tangled and tell you when to stop pulling.<\/p>\n Fish-tape isn\u2019t the only way of doing this job. You can also use a series of interconnecting flexible rods, usually called a cable access kit. Threading the cables is assuredly the most difficult part of the job. If you\u2019re using super-fat cat 7 or 8 cabling, then you\u2019ll struggle to bend it round awkward corners. As such, we\u2019d suggest sticking with cat5e – it\u2019s more than sufficient.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re buying looms of cabling and then crimping it once it\u2019s cut to length, then you may save money, as you\u2019ll be able to get the cabling precisely as long as it needs to be. Bear in mind, however, that crimping is a pretty fiddly task, and you\u2019ll need a special crimping tool to get it done.<\/p>\n Cameras and DVRs often come with BNC (that\u2019s Bayonet Neil-Concelman) analogue connectors. These do much the same job as traditional Ethernet cables, and if both devices are analogue, it makes sense to use them rather than network cabling. This will save you the trouble of bothering with lots of separate, fiddly converter boxes.<\/p>\n Next, we\u2019re going to set up our recording device in a suitably central location. You can think of your DVR as a kind of specialised desktop computer, to which you\u2019ll need to connect a monitor, a keyboard and mouse. Certain sorts of video recorders are able to connect to your home-network and can be accessed via smartphones and other computers. These are called NVRs and make life convenient if you need to access your front door camera remotely.<\/p>\n Once you have the cabling in place and the connectors installed, it\u2019s time to get the whole thing connected. Where connections are made outside the housing of the camera, we\u2019d suggest using electrical tape to keep everything secure. This will prevent connections from slipping loose while they\u2019re inaccessible. It\u2019s worth checking that everything\u2019s working before you start screwing cameras into position, as this will save you the hassle of unscrewing everything when you come to troubleshoot.<\/p>\n Wiring up a home security camera is something you can do yourself to save money. There\u2019s limited chance of disaster if things go wrong, and you\u2019ll have a more secure connection that can\u2019t be tapped into in the same way as your wireless home network. All it takes is a little patience and a little bit of cabling!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Front door cameras are getting smaller and more affordable every year. They help to secure the home, see who\u2019s calling when you aren\u2019t in, and … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":393,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3,15],"tags":[],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/www.vividdoors.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/door-camera-1.png",800,450,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.vividdoors.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/door-camera-1-150x150.png",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.vividdoors.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/door-camera-1-300x169.png",300,169,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/www.vividdoors.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/door-camera-1-768x432.png",768,432,true],"large":["https:\/\/www.vividdoors.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/door-camera-1.png",800,450,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.vividdoors.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/door-camera-1.png",800,450,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.vividdoors.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/door-camera-1.png",800,450,false],"vilva-schema":["https:\/\/www.vividdoors.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/door-camera-1-107x60.png",107,60,true],"vilva-slider-one":["https:\/\/www.vividdoors.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/door-camera-1.png",800,450,false],"vilva-featured-four":["https:\/\/www.vividdoors.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/door-camera-1.png",800,450,false],"vilva-blog":["https:\/\/www.vividdoors.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/door-camera-1-420x280.png",420,280,true],"vilva-blog-one":["https:\/\/www.vividdoors.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/door-camera-1.png",800,450,false],"vilva-sidebar":["https:\/\/www.vividdoors.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/door-camera-1.png",800,450,false]},"post_excerpt_stackable":" Front door cameras are getting smaller and more affordable every year. 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Pre-purchase planning Before investing in your camera, it\u2019s worth assessing your options and seeing which makes the best match for your needs.…<\/p>\n","category_list":"Information Centre<\/a>, Help Round The Home<\/a>","author_info":{"name":"Vivid Doors","url":"https:\/\/www.vividdoors.co.uk\/blog\/author\/vivadmin"},"comments_num":"0 comments","featured_image_urls_v2":{"full":["https:\/\/www.vividdoors.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/door-camera-1.png",800,450,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.vividdoors.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/door-camera-1-150x150.png",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.vividdoors.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/door-camera-1-300x169.png",300,169,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/www.vividdoors.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/door-camera-1-768x432.png",768,432,true],"large":["https:\/\/www.vividdoors.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/door-camera-1.png",800,450,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.vividdoors.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/door-camera-1.png",800,450,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.vividdoors.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/door-camera-1.png",800,450,false],"vilva-schema":["https:\/\/www.vividdoors.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/door-camera-1-107x60.png",107,60,true],"vilva-slider-one":["https:\/\/www.vividdoors.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/door-camera-1.png",800,450,false],"vilva-featured-four":["https:\/\/www.vividdoors.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/door-camera-1.png",800,450,false],"vilva-blog":["https:\/\/www.vividdoors.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/door-camera-1-420x280.png",420,280,true],"vilva-blog-one":["https:\/\/www.vividdoors.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/door-camera-1.png",800,450,false],"vilva-sidebar":["https:\/\/www.vividdoors.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/door-camera-1.png",800,450,false]},"post_excerpt_stackable_v2":" Front door cameras are getting smaller and more affordable every year. They help to secure the home, see who\u2019s calling when you aren\u2019t in, and lower your insurance bill. Getting one installed doesn\u2019t require professional help (though you\u2019re free to go down that route if you\u2019d prefer to keep things quick and convenient). If you\u2019re looking to get it done yourself, then read on: in this article, we\u2019ll look at how to set up a front door camera. Pre-purchase planning Before investing in your camera, it\u2019s worth assessing your options and seeing which makes the best match for your needs.…<\/p>\n","category_list_v2":"Information Centre<\/a>, Help Round The Home<\/a>","author_info_v2":{"name":"Vivid Doors","url":"https:\/\/www.vividdoors.co.uk\/blog\/author\/vivadmin"},"comments_num_v2":"0 comments","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vividdoors.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vividdoors.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vividdoors.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vividdoors.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vividdoors.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=82"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.vividdoors.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":394,"href":"https:\/\/www.vividdoors.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82\/revisions\/394"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vividdoors.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/393"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vividdoors.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=82"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vividdoors.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=82"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vividdoors.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=82"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Drilling Holes<\/h3>\n
Threading cables<\/h3>\n
![\"camera](\"https:\/\/www.vividdoors.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/steve-johnson-hokONTrHIAQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg\")
<\/p>\nDVR<\/h3>\n
Connecting Everything<\/h3>\n
In Conclusion<\/h2>\n