Video Baluns, CCTV Balun, UTP Balun
CCTV video baluns, also known as UTP baluns and CAT5 baluns, allow CAT-5 cable and other twisted pair wire to be used in CCTV camera and HD security camera installations. Video baluns allow installers to use more cost-effective structured cabling techniques to wire security cameras instead of using traditional
RG59 Siamese coax cable. By using a CCTV balun, UTP wire such as cat-5 can be run over long distances easier than coax cable and for less money. Active balun transceivers enable UTP wires for cameras to be run distances up to 5,000 feet. If you are new to the idea of using baluns for video, check out our
video balun installation videos. CCTV Camera Pros believes that we supply the best UTP video baluns on the market.
An important feature of video baluns is lightning protection. The grade III lightning protection built into our baluns safeguards equipment against power surges caused by lightning strikes, ensuring optimal performance and reliability in high-definition video transmissions.
This page contains baluns for analog CCTV cameras and
HD BNC security cameras (AHD, HD-TVI, HD-CVI). You can visit this page if you only want to view HD security camera baluns.
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Using UTP Baluns
RG59 Coax cable is more typically used for CCTV cabling, but in some cases, it makes more sense to use Cat5 cable instead of RG59. One such case is when transmitting the surveillance video signal over long distances. A UTP balun, aka video balun, converts a 75-ohm video signal to 100-ohm impedance for Cat5 cable. On the other end, the receiving balun then converts the signal back to 75 ohms. In order to use baluns for video transmission, the application needs 2 baluns (one on each end of the Cat5 cable run).
Using baluns can save a lot of time for an installation. For example, if you are in an office building and need to install a security camera, you can see if there are unused Cat3 or CAT-5 telephone lines. This can possibly eliminate the need to run coax cable from one floor of the building to another. Another advantage of transmitting video over Cat5 cable is that you have multiple pairs of wires. Typically you have 4 pairs of 22 gauge wire in a cat-5e cable, so you can use one cable for 4 cameras. The compact design of passive video baluns allows for the installation of multiple baluns behind a DVR, enhancing video transmission quality and performance.
FAQ
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What is a balun?
A video balun is a wire connector device that allows UTP cable (such as CAT5) to transmit the video signal from CCTV cameras instead of using coaxial cable such as RG59.
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Can power also be transmitted using CAT5 baluns?
Some video baluns have power terminals in addition to video. These are sometimes referred to as video and power baluns. Please note that video baluns DO NOT increase the distance that you can run power to a security camera. You are still constrained by the power loss that is realized based on the size of the power cable you are using and the amount of power your camera requires. We have a voltage drop calculator available here to help you plan your installation.
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Do baluns require power to work?
Passive baluns do not require power. Active baluns do require power. The active baluns that CCTV Camera Pros sells include the required power supply with them.
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Can more than one BNC balun be used on a single CAT5 cable?
Yes. Because video baluns only use one of the twisted pairs from a CAT5 cable, you can run video for up to four security cameras using a single CAT-5 cable.
This image shows two VB-2VS passive CCTV baluns connected to two of the twisted pairs from a CAT5 cable. Notice that there are still two free pairs where two additional baluns could be connected.
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Can video baluns be used to connect an IP camera to the BNC input on a CCTV DVR?
No. You can not use video baluns to connect a network IP cameras to the BNC video input on a CCTV DVRs. Video baluns simply enable coax-type security cameras to use CAT5 cable instead of coaxial cable. IP cameras communicate over an IP network using CAT5.
Passive Video Balun Installation
Watch this video to see how to wire passive BNC video baluns with power using CAT-5 cable. This particular model also runs power to the camera. The installation process for non-power transmitting baluns is the same process (without the power portion of the install).
PV5FM CAT-5 baluns are used in the video.
Active Video Balun Installation
Watch this video to see how active video baluns are installed. Active video baluns require a power source.
Have Questions?
Have additional questions about how to use video baluns for CCTV? Please request an online chat or
email us here.
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