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[crispy_wafer]

5 minutes ago, richo106 said:

I need PoE for my CCTV cameras so going to go for a PoE switch

 

Honestly, for this, my recommendation would be separating the CCTV from the LAN by using an NVR, which most will have built in POE.  The NVR will create it's own subnet for the cameras.  Dahua or Hikvision are decent manufacturers, you can do yourself but most of the good stuff is sold to installers only - which is a bit of a safety net to stop DIYers who don't necessarily understand the in's, out's and gotcha's.  I'd honestly engage a local pro in this regard, you can run the cables and they'll advise, purchase and install for you.  It would be money well spent if you are seriously thinking about CCTV.

[IanR]

1 hour ago, richo106 said:

It seems quite expensive, is this worth the extra money? What are the benefits?

 

Can i use Ubiquiti AP's with any PoE switch?

 

Ubiquity hardware is Enterprise level and therefore a little more expensive than consumer hardware but generally worth the money. Mine has worked seamlessly for 6 years needing only 1 or 2 reboots.

 

But, maybe not that switch. It's a managed switch with loads of functionality that you are unlikely to use. Ubiquity APs will work fine attached to an unmanaged PoE switch, but, not all PoE are equal.

 

I was just about to describe the 3 PoE types, but grabbing a suitable image highlights a fourth that I wasn't aware of:

 

 

I believe the Unifi APs would work off a standard PoE connection, but I've not looked at the newer WiFi6 ones. Even if they did, I'd still recommend at least PoE+, as some CCTV cameras require that power level. When looking at the spec of a switch just check that all ports can be run at the power rating at the same time. Cheaper switches may not allow this.

 

It's not clear on the marketing, but the Ubiquity UniFi range requires a Gateway console in order to set up the hardware, integrate them and give you all the functionality. You can install the software on a PC and use it that way, but the Gateway needs to be running if you want to use the smartphone apps, so it's better if it's on an always-on device. Some of the Ubiquity hardware includes the Gateway Console, but not the normal APs unfortunately.

 

It may be worth considering a Ubiquity Dream Router (UDR), which will act as one Access Point, includes the Gateway Console and will supply x2 PoE outputs to drive 1 or 2 additional APs. It will need a little more planning though, as the best setup would be to turn your Sky Router into a bridge (assuming that can be done), and then route the WAN (broadband) connection through the UDR WiFi. That way all your WiFi will be under UniFi management .

 

Re. CCTV. Simplest would be to have an NVR with integrated PoE Switch to control all the Cameras from. Makes that side of the install completely plug and play.

Edited to add:
If you go for a PoE+ Switch, something like this:

https://www.netxl.com/poe-network-switches/netgear-16-port-network-switch-gs116pp-100eus/

 

I've not used this one, but I've found Netgear switches to just run and run. This is fanless also, which I struggled to find when installing my own network.

Edited July 26, 2023 by IanR

[IanR]

Oops. Double-post

Edited July 26, 2023 by IanR

[richo106]

44 minutes ago, crispy_wafer said:

 

Honestly, for this, my recommendation would be separating the CCTV from the LAN by using an NVR, which most will have built in POE.  The NVR will create it's own subnet for the cameras.  Dahua or Hikvision are decent manufacturers, you can do yourself but most of the good stuff is sold to installers only - which is a bit of a safety net to stop DIYers who don't necessarily understand the in's, out's and gotcha's.  I'd honestly engage a local pro in this regard, you can run the cables and they'll advise, purchase and install for you.  It would be money well spent if you are seriously thinking about CCTV.

Good point, its been that long since I bought my cameras! It comes with a 8 channel Poe NVR that i have in a box somewhere. The whole system is Hikvision and has be been supplier/specced by cctvkits.co.uk

 

 

[joth]

3 hours ago, richo106 said:

I have been looking into Ubiquiti and have been recommended these:

 

https://www.4gon.co.uk/ubiquiti-unifi-uap-ac-pro-indoor-outdoor-access-point-uapacpro-p-6638.html

 

If i put one on the ground floor and one on the first floor in a central location...would this be sufficient in peoples opinions?

 

I have tried to find details on range/coverage etc and it says 122m...that seems a lot (to me anyway)

 

 

Personally I found the unifi design tool fairly useless, it seems to want one WAP per room, I wonder why 🤔

 

My standard approach is 2x on ground floor in opposite corners and 1x on the top floor high up centrally. This way viewing it as a 3D object you get less overlap (more total coverage) in the spherical balls  of signal out of each WAP.

Put the ground floor pair to maximise coverage (minimise distance) to places people will spend most time - so in dining /living room and snug, or kitchen and lounge. Secondarily position them to give best use of outdoor coverage, front door, driveway and back garden. Position then high up both to give better range on the floor they're on, and reduce distance to people lying in bed above. And the disc shaped unifi WAPs should alway be horizontal. So ceiling mount is great, maybe slightly hidden above high kitchen units or fitted furniture.

 

If you find this is insufficient make sure you have plenty of wall ports and any of these can be swapped to a wall mount wap to fill in dead spots or reduce congestion. Putting one in an office for example.

 

HTH 

[MikeSharp01]

7 hours ago, TonyT said:

Don’t use coax. Use sat cable.  Coax is piss poor

Actually the sat cable is just a slightly higher spec, other than the shotgun stuff, than standard TV aerial cable which, unless you have very long runs, will be fine anyway. What ever Cable you use make sure it is low loss and has the correct impedance (75 Ohm). 

[TonyT]

2 hours ago, MikeSharp01 said:

Actually the sat cable is just a slightly higher spec, other than the shotgun stuff, than standard TV aerial cable which, unless you have very long runs, will be fine anyway. What ever Cable you use make sure it is low loss and has the correct impedance (75 Ohm). 

Exactly what I said coax is piss poor, and use sat cable😀

Edited July 26, 2023 by TonyT

[dpmiller]

Why don't you say "tv antenna cable" is lesser quality @TonyT?

[PNAmble]

6 hours ago, IanR said:

Re. CCTV. Simplest would be to have an NVR with integrated PoE Switch to control all the Cameras from. Makes that side of the install completely plug and play

I find the UniFi protect integrates seamlessly.  I have the cloud key gen2 which acts as the controller and NVR.  All integrated running in a small rack. PoE and wireless cameras as needed.   

[MikeSharp01]

19 minutes ago, TonyT said:

Exactly what I said coax is piss poor, and use sat cable😀

I think what I meant to say is don't use the shotgun satellite coax as this is not as good a bog standard TV Coax so only the mid range spec 1.25mm (2.5db loss per 10m) is going to be significantly better than bog standard coax. After that you would probably be better off paying for and installing fibre optic links, with associated converters, to move the signals around the place - almost zero loss, very pricey and broadcast quality. Oh but hang on if you have FTTP then you can get 8 x 8K streams down a 1Gb connection - should be enough for anyone, assuming you have the wall space for 8 x 8K TVs in your house and you don't need any coaxial cable at all!