Love the App but need HELP!

[webmail4tom]

Okay, here I am - love the App - love the possibilities but have no idea what would be a simple and affordable way to do this!



The image shows the property.
The red circles represent the areas I would like to view with cams.
The green circle is where the current hardware is located.

Current hardware:
* Modem router from telephone company
* TimeCapsule connected to the above via network cable

All iMacs/iPads etc. connect via WLAN to the TimeCapsule and therefor to the Internet.
The TimeCapsule basically covers the whole 1st floor and some of the roof.

How could I expand this configuration so all the red areas could be viewed using cams, preferential wireless?

I had a security tech guy here, but besides that he wants me to invest more as Fort Knox ever did for security, he said that wireless won´t work at all and is kindergarten stuff.

Thanks in advance
Tom

[OUAnthony]

Is it a wood stick building or a metal building? How many square feet is the building? Wireless cameras generally have a pretty short range, meaning they need to be pretty close to a wireless router/access point in order to be fairly consistent. If you are really depending on it for security, I would NEVER use wireless. Besides potential connection issues, the frame rate is likely to be slower because wireless is slower. I would get a few quotes on the cost to run CAT5E or CAT6 cable to the locations that you want to monitor (check with your local building codes, as there are different types/ratings of network cable). Also realize that you will need an electric outlet at each location along with the network cable. An alternative is to use PoE (power over ethernet)...but I think that can get pricey.

You also need to consider the needs for each camera in each area. Do they need to have low-light capabilities? Do you need a motion detected infrared flood light to aid a low-light camera (if camera is more than a few feet away from what you want to see at night, you'd want some secondary lighting. Do the cameras need to be protected from the elements? Do the cameras need to be protected from tampering? And are you ok with the fact that the recorded motion events are NOT fluid video...they are still pictures taken in rapid succession. This is good enough for most uses, but probably wouldn't be that great for catching shoplifters who move quickly. And then, most importantly, you need to make sure the picture quality of a camera fits your need. Maybe you could wire and test one camera in the red area located right next to your equipment.

One last thing...it looks like you actually have 2 buildings. If that is true, there are codes that determine how you run wires (including network wires) between buildings. Electrical potential differences between buildings can actually cause a fire. I would probabaly put a wireless N router in each building (as close to each other as possible) and bridge them together...this would eliminate the need to run a wire between the buildings. Your frame rate on the 3 cameras in the other building might suffer when you use wireless as a bridge between buildings though.

[webmail4tom]

Anthony,

thanks for the detailed answer.

The whole property is about 37,000 square feet. Each of the larger bulidings is about 10,000 square feet.

You really know what you are talking about because you spottetd one of my biggest problems so easily. Yes, there are 2 bulidings and I cannot wire them together using a cable since I cannot dig into the ground and a cable over the roofs will not work as well since there is truck traffic between those two buildings.

So what I thought about is this: (please have a look at the attached pic)



The green circle is the location where my WLAN router (TimeCapsule) sits on the first floor.
I could plug in a network cable and take this through the roof outside and along the roof till I get to the roof of the blue small building. I could also get the cable through this roof into the blue building which is the heating room.

Now, what hardware would I install in the heating room to be able to plug into this new hardware another 2 cables which I would carry through the wall of the heating room outside to install 2 wired cams (Green in the pic).
Those 2 cams would basically cover all the areas in the back except the area behind the 2 smaller buildings.

Could I use a Apple Airport Extreme for the heating room?
Are there special outdoor network cables available and needed for the aprox. 100 feet over the roof?

Thanks in advance
Tom

[OUAnthony]

I know they make special outdoor-rated network cable...but it's probably pretty expensive. Plus, will it stand up to the elements (like large hailstones) with a hard surface (the roof) beneath it? I would consider using normal network cable run through a electric PVC conduit (the grey stuff). I would also run a piece of string through the PVC conduit so you can easily pull a 2nd cable through if the first one fails. I am not an electrician though, and do not know where you live...so I would highly recommend that you consult an electrician who is knowledgeable in network cable run between buildings. If buildings share a different ground system, they will have a different potential, possibly resulting in a fire risk (worst-case) or equipment failure. You might have to end the network cable at each building (that will have networking equipment/connections), ground it, and then continue the run.  Here is a link that you might want to read concerning grounding network cable between buildings:

http://www.ubnt.com/forum/showthread.php?t=26136

http://itwlinx.com/wp-content/uploads/1Gb-CAT6-LAN_new.pdf

The 2nd link above is a product that you would mount inside the entry point of each building...it grounds the incoming cable for the potential differences that we discussed. I found this product for around $75/each online. You would need 2...one for the main building, and one for the building that the cable is terminating in. I don't think this device supports shielded network cable...so if shielded cable is required per your building code, you will need to get a device that supports shielded cable. ITW has other products, and I could be wrong about this one not supporting it...so call them (or similar company) to verify. You might not need to worry about this grounding issue at all if all of these buildings (on the left side of the alley) share the same electrical panel/ground. But, then again, you are talking about running cable outside on the roof...so talk to a pro to make sure.

Another thing to think about if you choose to go through the roof with the cable...where the cable transition from inside to outside, make a small dip in the wire (on the inside side) for 2 reasons...1) to avoid a 90 degree bend (not good for network cable) and 2) if a leak develops, the water will drip off of the lowest point in the dip as opposed to following the cable back down to your equipment. I would make the transition occur on a higher point in the roof so a lake isn't forming over the transition point.

Also, you need to avoid running the cables directly over/near any fluorescent lighting (which I'm guessing your buildings are full of). The EMF they throw off can disrupt data transmission through network cable.

As far as the wireless devices to bridge your connection across the alley, I'm not familiar with Apple's networking devices. As long as it supports "bridging," you should be ok. Just make sure to get N and not G wireless. The faster the better for this purpose. You also need to consider the environment that you will be mounting the devices. Obviously moisture, chemical fumes, etc, are going to result in corrosion and shorter device life. Plus, any equipment that consumes a large amount of electricity and/or has magnets in it, is probably going to give off a big EMF...wreaking havoc on wireless network connectivity. So try to mount the 2 devices as close as possible across the alley from each other and as far away as possible from any big equipment...and with as little metal/brick/etc as possible between the 2 devices. They also make point-to-point, line of sight microwave systems to bridge 2 sights, but they are pretty pricey. With an alley only 12-20 ft wide, you should do fine with 2 routers in bridge mode. Here is a router that I've used (briefly) in bridge mode:

http://www.amazon.com/RT-N13U-Wireless-N-Advance-multi-Media-Router/dp/B0045JCL22/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

I've read about issues with the above router freezing up, but some reviews indicate it might be the firmware and not the hardware. You can actually replace the firmware with an open source system, but I'm not sure if those support bridging. This router also lets you change the signal strength. The stronger the signal, the more power consumed. The more power consumed, the more heat generated. The more heat generated, the more likely you are to have issues with the hardware locking up. Some people actually open the devices and attach a custom heatsink to replace the small default one. You also want to make sure it has plenty of ventilation so it doesn't overheat. Extreme cold can also cause problems with any device. Basically, you want to keep any devices (designed for home use) in a controlled climate with a normal indoor temperature range.

As far as your 2 cameras go, the one on the left will not be able to monitor the bay door (or that entire corner) in that red area. You'd probably want to move it to the opposite corner (closer to the bay door) of that building...or maybe even the opposite corner of the big building so you could see both bay doors. Anyway, you would want some network switches (not routers), which are cheap, located strategically in each building if there will be multiple cameras in that building. You'd want to place them where they will reduce the length of network cable required.

I'm guessing the project, if you run the cable and set everything up, could be done for around $1000. $75+ for 1000ft of network cable (bulk = much cheaper), $75/each for the grounders, $60+/each for 2 wireless routers capable of bridge mode, $15+/each for a few switches, a few dollars for the RJ45 connectors, $20 for a RJ45 crimper, $50+/each for the cameras, plus more for camera enclosures/etc. This is assuming, of course, that you already have a computer capable of monitoring the cameras 24/7 and a consistent high-speed Internet connection.

[Icamuser]

I have used microwave and fiber to connect buildings.  Cost has come down significantly since then and both solve any potential issues with grounds. Or have a survey done of your electric installation and fix any deficiencies. If you follow the feeds into your buildings you may be surprised to see they come from the same point.