cctv cable routing

[Snowyy]

Hi
Just bought some cctv cameras that I should receive next week. I'm just trying to figure out the best way of setting everything up. My plan was to put the DVR in the loft and have a hdmi cable going from that to the tv in the bedroom. I was originally thinking of just using cable clips to secure the cable to the outside of the building and then get them into the loft somehow however I was wondering if I could conceal the cable via the fascia's.
The fascia's look to be just above the ceiling but from the outside it looks like the beginning of the roof. I've been into the loft but can't get anywhere near the base of the roof. Is it a case of drilling a hole into the fascia and hoping I don't hit any cables or pipes in the loft and then pushing the cable up and hoping it comes up somewhere I can get hold of it?

Any help would be greatly appreciated

possible CCTV location

• Snowyy
• 27 Jun 2014
• 1

possible CCTV location

• Snowyy
• 27 Jun 2014
• 1

possible CCTV location

• Snowyy
• 27 Jun 2014
• 1

the fascia is higher than the ceiling

possible CCTV location

• Snowyy
• 27 Jun 2014
• 1

the fascia is higher than the ceiling

possible CCTV location

• Snowyy
• 27 Jun 2014
• 1

How to route the cable to the roof

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[EightyTwo]

There are various tricks...

Drill a hole in the soffit and, from the outside, push a couple of metres of cable up through the hole. Take a long stick (bamboo cane, fishing rod, length of trunking or conduit, etc.) and tape a hook onto it - make the hook from some stiff wire like a coat hanger. Go into the loft and try "fishing" for the cable. When you hook the wire, twist the stick to reduce the chance of the cable dropping off the hook as you pull. You may want to have an assistant outside pushing/guiding the cable up through the hole as you pull on the inside (or vica versa).

If you can see the hole from the loft, you could tape a loop onto the end of a stick ond drop it over the hole like a snare. Then, from outside, push the cable up through the hole and the loop. Twist and pull the stick as above.

Drill a large (8-20mm) hole in the soffit. Poke a long length of stiff wire or a thin (fibreglass) rod through the soffit and into the loft, leaving 1'/30cm hanging out. From inside, tape the cable onto the end of the rod (overlap by 4"-6"/10-15cm) making sure that the tape covers the end of the cable and the rod (this will reduce the chance of it snagging). Go back outside and pull the end of the rod to pull the cable through.

As above but tape the cable to the rod first and use it like a giant needle to pull the cable in from outside.

Of course, you may be better off mounting the camera lower down and coming straight through the wall and skirting board (or into the floor)...

 

[Snowyy]

if i can feed the cable into the loft that would be best as I can then clip it to the joists and there will be an easy route to the dvr. My two main concerns with going through the soffit is 1) I would drill into a cable or pipe lurking in the loft and 2) that I won't be able to find the cable in the loft. I think it would look smarted on the soffit and easier to mount (wood screws/sef tappers without needing raw plugs).

Thank you for your input

 

[EightyTwo]

You are very unlikely to hit a cable or pipe in the eves, above the soffit. In the unlikely event that there is something there, if you drill carefully and stop as soon as you get through, you won't damage anything.

You may not want to mount the cameras on the soffit - unless you want to look at the roofs of cars and the tops of people's heads/hoods!

 

[Sally2000]

It gets very hot in a loft and you may need additional cooling for the DVR - the built-in fans are not very efficient.
I left the DVR's top cover off, and mounted a large computer fan over the top to keep it cool.

 

[simonpolly]

Its very warm and dusty in a loft space,if you are unlucky enough to be broken into the toerags are already in your house so the cctv has not been a deterrent that you would wish. Most intruders will cover their faces anyway so you might as well put the dvr somewhere convient for you.

 

[Europlex]

...................................so you might as well put the dvr somewhere convient for you.

....... and get it pinched along with everything else, leave it up there.

 

[Sally2000]

I agree. The video may or may not be useful evidence, but why give the burglar any help at all?

 

[Snowyy]

thanks for info, I went into the loft the other day when it was hot out side and it was quite cool up there, only thought about putting it up in the loft as it seems to be the easiest way of getting cables from outside to the inside, it is dusty up there though
I think I read about someone putting dvr into a lock box which had a built in fan, this would eliminate the heat issue and would reduce amount of dust etc getting to the box.
I understand that they might not be able to use the footage in evidence but I would rather hide the dvr and know what went off and potential get a conviction against the person who did it then to put the dvr in an easily located place and come home and find the house trashed and dvr missing.

Just concerned about getting the cables through the soffit and into the loft, it's one of those jobs that on paper doesn't look to hard to the compotent DIY'er but realistical I could get into the sh*t and not be able to pull cables, drill through cable/pipe

 

[Sally2000]

You won't find any services in there. It will be empty.
I did this for two cameras at the front and two more at the rear.
What I did each time was to push in several metres of poly rope from outside so that it was loosely coiled above the soffit, and then hooked it from inside with a long hook made from a clothes hanger on a stick. Then used the rope to pull through the cable.
I aimed the view of the two cameras to cross over diagonally rather than both looking straight down.

 

[simonpolly]

The loft is a very common place to put cctv dvrs and safes ,we know that and so does the criminal was just pointing this out

 

[EightyTwo]

I agree. The video may or may not be useful evidence, but why give the burglar any help at all?

I disagree - what's the point in installing a system that won't provide decent images. You might just as well install dummy cameras!

But I do agree with aiming the cameras diagonally.

 

[danburns]

One thing we've done on ours is to disable all the audible alarms - it's hidden quite well so unlikely to be found.

Unless of course the toerags cut the cable and it starts to make a noise to help find it!