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I am installing my own security cameras. My house is pretty stretched out. So I may need about 5-6 cameras in different spots. I am still researching, identify tools I need, different security cameras, etc.

The question is, what are the best practices, and tools I need, for running wires from the outside to the inside?

I would assume that all wires should gather to one common spot. Do you have better wire management suggestions?

What kind of bushing should I get that can accomodate wires from 6 cameras? I would assume it would be at least an inch or two. Something like this?

hole
(source: mavromatic.com)

My walls are stucco, any specific drill bits I need to be aware of?

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    Can you remove the connections (heads) from the wires and rewire them? Are you going underground, wall, or attic? Are you using conduit?
    – Raystafarian
    Commented Sep 14, 2015 at 11:14
  • If you can get into your attic via wood soffits/vents, that's probably less intrusive than drilling through stucco. If you felt like it, you could glue the wire as it goes through the wood with silicone, but attics are pretty permeable, so I wouldn't put a high priority on that.
    – Aloysius Defenestrate
    Commented Sep 14, 2015 at 14:30
  • My house has no attics or underground. So I'd have to drill through the walls.
    – atedja
    Commented Sep 14, 2015 at 20:24
  • Do you need conduit for outdoor security cameras?
    – atedja
    Commented Sep 14, 2015 at 20:56

2 Answers 2

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If you don't use conduit outside, make sure you leave drip loops - where the wire runs down lower than the hole and is screwed in there, then back up to the hole. You should see this on cable tv and telephone cables as well. It prevents water from running along the surface of the cables right into the hole.

Make sure you use outdoor rated cables.

Make sure you measure twice and drill once. You want to go into a hollow space in the wall, not drill all the way through a stud.

Don't make the hole any bigger than it needs to be, since that will be harder to fill and keep waterproof. Fill the hole with silicone caulking (again make sure it is made to be used outdoors). Make sure the cables are all anchored securely before filling, so they won't get pulled out of the wall and pull the silicone out with them.

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  • The silicone caulking, I am guessing, is the final step in the process that once all the cameras are set, and no more additional wires. It will also have to be redone if a new camera is added. Am I correct?
    – atedja
    Commented Sep 14, 2015 at 20:30
  • @alnite yep, best to do it after everything is installed and tested. It can be scraped out and new caulking applied if you have to add stuff later. Kind of a pain, but very necessary to keep water and bugs out.
    – Grant
    Commented Sep 14, 2015 at 20:56
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I went through an 8 camera install last spring for my home. Based on your picture, I'm assuming you're doing power over ethernet(PoE). My setup uses the older BNC coax/power cable. This is based on my experience and not necessarily best practices.

For the outside - where the camera attaches to the building, I didn't do anything special. Just a hole large enough to fit the connector and pilot holes for the camera mount. My cameras came with a double-stick foam tape that gives a good-enough-for-me seal and the wire is in the center of the camera mount. I also mounted them under the soffit, so I'm not concerned much about water entering. I have cement board siding and have no experience with stucco, but I think a silicone caulk would be fine on the rough stucco.

For the inside - where the wires get to your DVR, I cut a hole in the drywall near where I wanted my DVR located. I used this recessed wall plate: enter image description here

mounted to this low voltage wall mount: enter image description here

I drilled a 1.75 inch hole in the header in my attic to feed the wires down. I spaced the wires out so that the was about 3 inches from one BNC connector to the next (imagine a 'step' of wire ends), and each wire was taped to it's longer sibilng. This made fishing it down the wall much easier, since I didn't lose any in the wall, and it gave me something more substantial to feel for in the wall space.

Among the tools you'll want to consider is a fish tape similar to what you will find here. This can help you get wires down walls and across some hard-to-reach spaces in your attic (if applicable).

Footnote: While looking for the images above, I saw the online retailer offers this wall plate, and - I like it better. To each his/her own. enter image description here

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  • Thank you for the list of suggested items. The appeal of NVR is less wiring, but there is still wiring needed, so I might go with DVR as it's cheaper, especially since I need this many cameras.
    – atedja
    Commented Sep 14, 2015 at 20:32
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    Certainly - and I hope it's helpful. I initially looked into a wireless setup. But since the cameras still needed AC power, I had to run wires anyway. Hard to call them wireless, isn't it.
    – InbetweenWeekends
    Commented Sep 14, 2015 at 20:55
  • @InbetweenWeekends +1000, it is ridiculous how these cameras are touted as wireless when power still needs to be wired.
    – MDMoore313
    Commented May 17, 2016 at 18:08

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