Security Camera Cable and Wiring FAQ

Registered Vendor City of Seattle
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Serving Seattle and the great northwest since 1996

Security Camera Cable and Wiring FAQ

There are two basic approaches to hooking up security cameras and digital video recorders (DVRs). You can use Plug and Play cable or RG59 Siamese cable.

Using Plug and Play Cable

The advantage of plug and play cable is that it is very easy to use. The connectors for power, video and audio are all pre-attached. All you need to decide is what length of cable you need. The downside to plug and play cable is that it is not heavily shielded so you can get interference on the line if run over long distances. Its recommended that you do not go over 150 feet with plug and play cable and even shorter distances if florescent lighting is used at the installation site.

The video and audio connections on the plug and play cables are RCA male (this is typical). All of the DVRs and cameras on our site have BNC male connections. Therefore, when using plug and play cables with our cameras and DVRs you will also need to use our RCA to BNC connectors. If you purchase cameras or DVRs and plug and play cable from us we will do our best to make sure you have the required connectors in your order.
Note: If using the plug and play cable to connect directly to a TV you probably wont need any connectors as most TVs provide a simple RCA (female) input so the cable can plug directly into it.

Using RG59 Siamese Cable

RG59 Siamese cable is a heavily shielded cable which contains both the video (COAX) cable and the power cable (18 gauge 2 conductor) in one jacket. The advantages to using this cable is that its more durable, and you can run it long distances without interference. Also, you can cut each camera run for the exact length that you need. The disadvantages are that it doesn't contain an audio cable (so you have to run that separate if you need it) and its a little more involved to use.

We have 500 ft. rolls and 1000 ft. rolls of RG59 Siamese available.