Running security camera wires through soffit or another place could be the hardest part of installing security systems, while there are plenty of places you can use to mount a security camera.
You can run security camera wires through walls, and bury the wires on the floor, and around your house.
So, If you look for How to Run security camera wires at home? you are in the right place, in this article, we gonna cover how to set up security camera wires through the attic in detail.
Run security camera wires through soffit has a lot of advantages according to installation experts, it keeps your surveillance systems safe, and help you avoid a problem like:
- The security cameras are near to anyone to catch and damage it, especially intruders, and thieves.
- The camera view angle doesn’t get the best angle to cover most of the area.
- In a wired security system, the cam wiring is exposed to cut by children and family members by mistake.
Installing security camera wires through the attic will keep you away from the above problems, and more like Security Camera Wire Splicing which is a big headache for the homeowner.
This and more you can avoid if you know how to run security camera wires through soffit, and in the next following words, you will learn it. But First, Let’s see the benefits
Benefits of installing security camera wires in the attic
There are a lot of advantages you can get by mounting your camera in the soffit, like
1- Protect your wires and CCTV analog cameras from kids, Burglars, and thieves.
2- Keep your house clean without any wires or power cables connection.
3- Control and save surveillance devices in a secure place.
Now
What are the tools used to run security camera wires through soffit?
Well, the tools differ from one person to another, depending on the security camera type you use, and the place you put your camera in. But the below tools are common and most used by technicians.
- Electric Drill
- Screws and Bits
- Fish rod
- Helmet with Flashlight
- Electric Plastic Tape
- Camera wires, and Power cabling
- PVC Conduits
Getting the best security cameras and installing them correctly will give you good protection for your home.
How To Run Security Camera Wires Through Soffit
To run security camera wires through soffit you should know the tools we are gonna use, and what are the steps in each system.
1- The Place of The cam
Running security camera wires and building surveillance systems based on following the correct steps, and the first step is the cam place.
As we know the place of the cam is important to monitor and watch your property. For example, most people try to mount their security cameras outside in corners to cover the front area.
On the other hand, some homeowners mount their cameras near the front door as it’s the main door for the home to allow them to check who is knocking on the door.
But, there are some limits you should think about like the route of wires to your video recorder whatever NVR or DVR.
In addition, The power outlet for power must be near the camera, and the security camera wire types used in the installation must be durable.
Once you solve these two main problems, then you could place and run your security camera wires in any place through the soffit. Out there, there are a lot of small hidden cameras you can use also.
2- Prepare the camera and Installation Tools
Now you finish the first step in how to run security camera wires through soffit. the next step is to prepare the tools for the cam.
Depending on where exactly you install your cameras is it on the roof, or do you have a central hub, and what is the material of your soffit (our soffit Vinyl) you may need some different tools than what we use.
First, Remove the Vinyl in the place where you need to mount your camera and measure the wide size to cut a piece of wood for it.
The wood piece will be fixed with screws and it will help us to mount the cam in it through the soffit.
Second, use the electric drill to make a hole in wood, one main hole for the feeding wires of the camera, and other small holes for the camera’s mounting screws depending on how many screws your camera has.
Note: To get the best holes and accurate holes for screws, some cameras provide a template sticker to use for you to make camera holes easily.
For More Information you can read our New Blog post: How to Install Security Camera on Vinyl Siding Easily in 6 Steps
3- Connect the Camera To Video Recorder
Running security camera wires to the DVR/NVR is one of the most important steps in how to run security camera wires through soffit.
After you plan for your security systems it’s time to run wires of cameras through soffit.
Depending on where are your cameras located you’ll need to make holes in the ceiling and walls, also you need to use the fish tape to make the installation easy.
First, Measure the route of your camera wires from the cam place to your central device (DVR/ NVR), and then make the wire extra long to avoid shortage in the installation.
Second, Bring the fish tape, After that, tape the start of the camera cable to the fish tape and pull on the fish tape through your attic.
This will make the process easy especially in narrow places, also it’ll be much easier if you called a friend to help you.
You will continue to use this until you finish connecting all your system cameras. Next, you should connect the camera cables to the Video recorder.
Note: If you’re forced to run wires outside of the soffit make sure you hide cam cables and your camera in the best places to hide the camera.
Third, we are gonna use fish tape again, But this time it’ll be a bit complicated as you will run the wire to the main attic of your house. Using the drilled holes you make and the fish tape makes it a little easier.
After the third step, you already have all your camera cables in one place. Now it’s time to make a hole for where you place your DVR or NVR.
Some homeowners before starting running the security camera wires through the soffit plan to take place for the video recorder near the cameras. This causes fewer problems for the system and less damage and bending for the cables.
To know more, read how to run security camera wires through attic and see the details.
4- Install the Cameras & Turn on The Security System
After running security camera wires which is the hardest part of the installation process. It’s time to connect the whole security system and test it.
First, connect the wires that came from the holes in the attic to the cameras, and use electrical tape to secure them so that it doesn’t get unplugged by accident.
After finishing this, back the wire to the attic and use the power drill to mount the camera to its base.
Second, The next thing you have to do is where you want your camera to look, and you need to adjust the viewing angle also to get better quality recorded videos.
Then connect the power cables of the camera and turn it on to test it.
Now, you connect the cameras to the Video recorder and the power cables are connected also. then you should open the Digital video recorder or network video recorder and set the setting that you need.
For more on how to run security camera wires through soffit watch the next video
Source: The Home Improvement Channel
In case you have a Brick wall, you can read how to install security camera on brick wall guide.
Run Security Camera Wires Through Soffit FAQ
Q1: Can you splice the security camera wire?
The answer is YES you can splice security camera wires.
In the case of having a wireless security camera, you can splice the power cable.
First, bring the two wires inside the power cable and connect them to the other cable.
Second, Wrap the joint with electric tape to avoid touching spliced wires.
For wired security cameras, splicing the power wires and the RG59 or Ethernet cable are two separate processes.
For the power, you can splice it using the same concept in wireless security camera power cable slicing.
For RG45 Coaxial or Ethernet cables, There are special tools to use for splicing these cables.
Q2: How to Run Power To outdoor CCTV Cameras?
After running security camera wires through soffit, it’s time to think about how to power the cameras.
well, for most CCTV cameras especially outdoors you must mount them near to Electric outlet to avoid power cable problems if you haven’t then you should buy an Extension Power Cord, and here’s the process
1- Check the camera voltage to buy the suitable Extension
2- Run the wires of the Extension cord alongside the camera wires
3- Make sure you hide the power cable into the soffit or walls
4- Plug the camera power cable into the Extension power cord and turn on your cameras
Note: The steps above work only with completely wired security cameras, not wireless or wire-free cameras like Blink, Reolink, and other camera brands. In the case of the PoE Network camera system, you can do the same steps.
Final Thoughts about How To Run Security Camera Wires Through Soffit
The method explained here is considering the popular way to run security camera wires through a soffit. However, some homeowners use different things to run wires in the soffit.
For example, Some people use an aluminum metal bar to mount a camera in, simply measure the width of your little attic and cut a piece of aluminum for it. After that use screws from both sides to set the bar and mount your camera in.
If you have a car installing a security camera in the soffit will protect it, and you can install security camera in the car or around the garage of your car to keep an eye on your property.
