Can I safely run ethernet cable overhead between house and garage?

scarletjim

My new security camera system uses POE (Power Over Ethernet), which is great for the cameras I want on the outside of my house, but not so great for the one I want on my garage, as I've no way to connect the camera to my network. The space between my house and garage is private land, occasionally a friend parks his car there, but no taller vehicles ever go near there. Can I (safely and sensibly) run ethernet cable from my house to the garage about 2.3m high, and about 2.3m long overhead?

Grenage

It might be ok, or it might get hit by lightening and destroy everything on your network. I would avoid such, personally. Do you have power? Could powerline adapters fit the bill?

scarletjim

Ive got powerline adaptors, but they don't provide power, just ethernet. I tried buying a POE injector (taking mains power and LAN from the Powerline adaptor) but for some reason it wouldn't power the camera, don't know why.

System

If you are going to do it I would suggest suspending it from a catenary wire.
It's own weight will cause it to stretch and eventually break. Using a catenary wire means that you can support it every few feet thus reducing the stretching.

Also if you properly earth the catenary wire then you have built in a modicum of lightning protection.

SplanK

scarletjim wrote: »

Ive got powerline adaptors, but they don't provide power, just ethernet. I tried buying a POE injector (taking mains power and LAN from the Powerline adaptor) but for some reason it wouldn't power the camera, don't know why.

You may have bought a POE injector for one end, but what about the other?

Are you 100% sure that the camera support POE (make and model will help here)? If not, you will need a POE splitter for the camera end which removes the power from the Ethernet cable and pushes it out via a barrel connector socket.?

System

SplanK wrote: »

You may have bought a POE injector for one end, but what about the other?

Are you 100% sure that the camera support POE (make and model will help here)? If not, you will need a POE splitter for the camera end which removes the power from the Ethernet cable and pushes it out via a barrel connector socket.?

It appears from the other post that the camera people don't appear to have implemented the POE spec properly and it will only work if the camera is directly connected to the recorder to use that POE output.

SplanK

I which case, POE splitter with the correct voltage output and barrel connectors will do!

robatwork

Yes but... you must use exterior grade CAT5 - something like
http://www.amazon.co.uk/OUTDOOR-EXTERNAL-cat5e-Network-Ethernet/dp/B009U81EFI

Also don't let the cable support itself - I would suggest burying it is a much better way to go.

You will need surge suppressors as already mentioned to protect from lightning spikes.

studio_two

Presumably then, you have power in the garage? Can't you just plug a PoE switch into the garage end of the powerline adaptor and run your camera off that?