POE distance problems?

[R_M]

Hi all, after having multiple issues with my system sorted I am left with one head ache still.
A number of my cameras won’t power up unless the NVR power is set to long distance. Of those one is on a POE injector and still won’t fire up on short run. Having been told the connectors and wire were likely suspects I decided to use different wire (CAT5E External Duct Grade Cable PE Sheath - Cut to length or 305M Box | Securiflex (SFX/C5-UTP-PE-BLK-305)) and connectors for the 3 additional cameras I fitted this weekend.
All wiring was tested using a basic end to end tester and sequenced 1-8 as they should.
Two of the cams, which are next each other, but point different ways, have independent wiring. They run route and are the same length. Both terminated by me, using brand new (different to what I’ve used before), never kinked wire off the reel, and pass thru rj45’s. I checked carefully all wires had been cut with no bridges between wires and tested as mentioned. When it came to booting up the new cams, both more or less the same (4K live guards, one D/f the other C/view) one wouldn’t boot up until I have set the power run to long. The other one fired up with no issues in the short run setting. Any ideas what I need to do to get to the bottom of this? I am a getting a bit fed up with chucking money at things and not actually fixing faults invariably. What kind of testing needs to be done in order to identify where the fault lays? And what type of person would do this testing?

 

[Phil]

POE is plug & play; we get very few problems (the nominal maximum cable length for any network leg with or without POE is 100 metres).

I guess either there IS a problem with your self-made cables OR with the way you have configured your system?

You can determine if the cables are the issue by 'chucking-in' a temporary long factory-made patch lead.

 

[rorton]

hi, you mention

A number of my cameras won’t power up unless the NVR power is set to long distance

Are you saying some cameras are working ok? Is it possible to put a camera that's not working well on the end of a cable of working cam and see if the problem follows, and put the working cam on the cable your having problems with and see if it still works, more to see if the problem follows the camera or not.

Are the working ones powered from the NVR or differently (switch, injector)? Could do with working with what you have to try and track down where the problem could be.

Phils idea of using a pre made patch cable is a good idea, and to be honest you could get a short patch cable and plug it directly into the NVR and other end to the camera and check it on a really short run - same port on the NVR your longer run is connected to, see if that works. Then you could make your own short cable with the cable and connector you have and plug that directly into the NVR and the camera, check again.

 

[R_M]

Sorry for the lack of reply. I haven’t had a chance to get on the system.
There seems to be no rhyme nor rhythm to it.
I rebooted the NVR, some of the cameras which were working perfectly on short run, wouldn’t come back online. I had to switch to long range to bring them back online.
Given I had the same issues on the old NVR the cable terminations must be the issue. The cable I ran myself and it’s all been run carefully without kinks or any damage. It’s a real piss off, as I spent a not too insignificant sum of money for a new Klein pass through crimper. I had been hoping I would solve the issues by using new Klein RJ45’s to boot. I’ve found it to be pretty shite, the termination isn’t that clean IMO, but cannot see any shorts with eyes. I did check all as they went in, and they all run in the correct sequence when E2E tested (basic 1 to 8 tester).
On the flip side of that. Why would a reboot stop a camera working on short run, and require long run after boot.

 

[rorton]

Reading up about the extended long range Poe mode, it seems to limit the data speed of the connection when active to 10Mbps so I wonder if it’s using more pins to provide the power to the camera hence less speed, and it’s connecting on pins that are terminated better than others

would be a pita I’m sure, but could you take the camera down and plug them all directly into the nvr with pre made cables and check that works ok?

you mention one cam on a Poe injector, so not connected to the Poe ports on your nvr, but still having problem with that?

 

[R_M]

Thanks for your reply. I’ve got 2 cams on an on injectors currently. One PTZ, and the other an ANPR. Both required being set to long run in order to power on. Which puzzles me, the injector should keep loading on power until no more is needed. Therefore the distance should irrelevant, but it’s not.
It’s worth noting all the other cams which fitted the weekend just gone. One powered up fine on short run. The other, right next to it, wouldn’t. I used different cable this time, duct grade cat 5e from TLC.

I’ve got 11 cams on the system now, the thought of going around and taking them all back down just fills me with dread! Lol

 

[rorton]

How come the PTZ and the ANPR are on injectors, do they need more power then the NVR can provide?

Can we confirm what equipment you have, NVR model, what is connected to the NVR for ethernet and power and what is stand alone, do you have a poe switch anywhere providing other cameras power etc? Camera models,

I remember having a problem once with a switch that didn't do the higher level of POE and one camera would work randomly like this, wondered if the NVR is not providing enough power