Security Cameras Are Only as Good as the Cabling Behind Them
Most camera projects start with the cameras. The first questions are which brand, how many, and where they point. Those are fair questions, and they cover the part of the system everyone can see.
The part nobody sees decides more. Every camera is only as useful as the cable that carries its picture back, the rack where that cable ends, and the labels that tell the next person which wire goes where. Here is what to ask about the cabling before a camera system goes in.
The cable should fit the system you will have later
PECO installs Cat6, Cat6A and fiber optic cabling, and the choice depends on what the system needs and the bandwidth it will need in the future. That second part is the one to ask about. The answer should name what the system needs today and the room it leaves for tomorrow.
Buildings change after the install. A door gets added, a lot gets paved, a storage room starts holding something more valuable. Cable that only fits today's cameras turns each of those changes into a bigger job than it has to be.
Placement is planned by walking the site
PECO walks the site and plans camera placement around three things: what each camera needs to see, how much area it covers, and where the equipment will sit.
The last of those is the easy one to skip. Every camera runs back to recording equipment somewhere in the building, and where that equipment sits decides how long each cable run is and the path it takes. Settling it on the walk, before anything is mounted, is what keeps the cabling clean.
Every component gets a label
PECO installs and terminates all cabling, mounts the equipment, connects the devices and labels every component for easy service and expansion.
Labels sound like a small thing until someone has to trace one dead camera through a ceiling full of unmarked cable. On a labeled system, the next technician can find the right run and the right port without guessing. That is what keeps a repair short and makes an added camera a simple job. Ask how the labels will be done before the job starts, not after it ends.
Cameras, network and phone lines belong in one plan
Your cameras share walls and ceilings with your network and your phones. PECO handles that whole scope: structured network cabling, security camera systems, VoIP and phone system wiring, and the server racks the cabling runs to.
Planned together, those systems get laid out together instead of one crowding the next. The best time to do it is when you are outfitting a new facility or upgrading an existing one, because the whole scope can be planned at once. PECO builds with room to grow, so the systems can expand with your facility.
Plan the cable before you pick the cameras
PECO is a commercial and industrial electrical contractor with 40 years in the trade, and its low voltage work is clean, code compliant and built for future expansion. PECO does this work for building owners and facility teams throughout Eastern Massachusetts, including Greater Boston and the North Shore. See PECO's data and security installations.
Call PECO at (781) 938-6000 to plan the cabling for a new camera system.
