Buchanan Ranch · for the electrician · issued 2026-09-23

Camera Wiring Plan

Ten security cameras and three video doorbells, all powered over the network cable (PoE). No AC power is needed at any camera except the culvert. Pull one data cable to each device, terminate it at the switch named for that run, and leave it labelled. The owner's team plugs in and configures the cameras — the electrician's job ends at a tested, labelled cable and a mounted camera.

13devices (10 cameras, 3 doorbells)
12cable runs to pull (culvert is wireless)
1AC outlet needed (culvert only)
0power supplies, transformers, or chimes to wire

Required on every cable: label, terminate, test. A run is not finished, and not paid as finished, until all three are done:

  1. Label both ends with the run number and name (e.g. C03 · Gate east), within 6 in of each end, on a wrap-around label that won't fall off. Avery cable labels and a label maker are on site.
  2. Terminate both ends to spec: shielded RJ45 or shielded keystone, T568B, no untwisting past ½ in, shield bonded at the switch end only. No loose, un-terminated ends left behind.
  3. Test every run end to end with the cable tester (on site): all 8 conductors pass the wiremap, plus the shield; note the length. For a camera run, finish by plugging in the camera and confirming it powers up on PoE.
  4. Record it: text Bill a photo of each tester result with the run number, or fill in the run schedule. A run with no recorded pass gets re-done.

Cable and termination — same for every run

Cable

  • Shielded Cat6A, outdoor / UV-rated jacket (CMX or direct-burial) for any exposed run; plenum or riser inside. The owner has shielded Cat6A patch cords and shielded keystones for the rack ends.
  • Max run 295 ft (90 m) switch to camera. None of these should come close.
  • Keep 12 in from AC where parallel; cross at 90°. Never share a conduit with mains.
  • No staples through the jacket; use J-hooks, straps or conduit. Bend radius ≥ 1 in.

Termination

  • Camera end: field-terminated shielded RJ45 plug (T568B), inside the camera's junction box or a weatherproof box, with a drip loop below the entry point. Leave 12 in of service loop coiled in the box.
  • Switch end: shielded keystone jack on the patch panel or a wall plate next to the switch. T568B. Bond the shield at the switch end only.
  • Label both ends with the run number and name from the table below, e.g. C03 · Gate east.
  • Test every run with a cable certifier or at minimum a wiremap + length test; note the length on the label. Required: see label, terminate, test above.

Where the runs terminate

Each run ends at one of these network switches. They already exist (or are being installed by the owner this week) and they supply the camera's power. The electrician does not need to touch the switch — just land the cable on a jack beside it.

SwitchWhere it isRuns landing hereSpare ports
Switch GateGate equipment enclosure owner fixing first — switch offline to the controller since ~13 SeptC03, C04 (the two gate cameras)3 free — exactly enough
USW GarageGarage 3 confirm on the walkC05, C06 (Garage 3 driveway + garden)13 free
Garage 1 switch (USW Pro Max 16 PoE)Garage 1 — owner installs; uplinked to the ADU rack over the Garage 1 Cat6 run(s) (owner decision 2026-09-28)C07, C08 (Garage 1 driveway + pool gate)14 of 16 PoE ports, 180 W budget
Drain box switch (USW-Lite-8-PoE)Weatherproof enclosure at the culvert — owner installs; uplinks wirelessly over the UDB bridge (owner decision 2026-09-28, was a switch in the Primary Suite closet)C01 (dog run, via an outdoor fence run) and C09 (culvert)2 of 4 PoE ports, 52 W budget
ADU rackADU closet — two USW-24-PoE switchesC02 (backyard deck), C10, C11, C12 (all three doorbells)16+ free

Run schedule

#LocationDeviceMount / aimCable ends atNotes
C01Back gate, dog runG6 BulletWall or post, 9–10 ft, looking along the run toward the gateDrain box switch (via an outdoor fence run from the culvert)Adjustable bullet mount supplied; outdoor/direct-burial shielded Cat6A, UV-rated, in conduit or clipped to the fence, drip loops, shield bonded at the switch end only
C02Back yard, near the exterior TV, facing the deckG6 180 (wide, two lenses)Wall, 8–10 ft, centred on the deck; the 180 covers a half-circle so mount it flat to the wall, not on a cornerADU rackKeep it out of the TV's glare path at night
C03Gate — inboundG6 BulletPost or pillar, 9–12 ft, aimed at approaching vehicles / platesSwitch GateExisting DoorBird intercom stays; don't disturb its 2-wire run
C04Gate — outbound / acrossG6 BulletOpposite post, 9–12 ft, aimed across the gate lineSwitch GateUses the last free ports on that switch
C05Garage 3 — drivewayG6 180Eave or wall, 9–10 ft, flat to the wall facing the drivewayUSW Garage
C06Garage 3 — gardenG6 BulletWall or eave, 9–10 ft, toward the gardenUSW GarageAdjustable bullet mount supplied
C07Garage 1 corner — drivewayG6 180Corner-adjacent wall, 9–10 ft, flat to the wall covering the drive and front approachGarage 1 switch
C08Garage 1 corner — toward the pool gateG6 TurretEave or wall, 8–10 ft, aimed at the pool gateGarage 1 switchTurret is for eave/soffit mounting; use the wall bracket if on a wall
C09CulvertG6 Bullet — wirelessPost, 9–10 ft, looking along the culvert / drainNo data run. UDB wireless bridge + a USW-Lite-8-PoE switch, both in the weatherproof box, plugged into ACSee the culvert note below — the box now also switches C01
C10ADU front doorG6 Pro Entry doorbellBeside the door at 48 in to centre, on the latch sideADU rackReplaces the Nest doorbell; PoE only, no transformer
C11Main house front doorG6 Pro Entry doorbell48 in to centre, latch sideADU rackExisting Nest doorbell is Wi-Fi: assume no usable wire is there — new run
C12Kitchen doorG6 Pro Entry doorbell48 in to centre, latch sideADU rackSame — new run
C13PoolG6 180 — already installed and working——No work

The culvert / drain box (C09, and now C01). There is AC power at the culvert but no way to run data back to a rack. The box now holds two devices, not one (owner decision 2026-09-28): a small UniFi wireless bridge (UDB — the owner already has it), which provides the wireless uplink, and a USW-Lite-8-PoE switch, which powers and switches C09 and C01 (fed by the new outdoor fence run to the dog run). Both are indoor-rated units (the UDB is rated 14–104 °F, not weather-sealed), so both go in a weatherproof, vented enclosure on the post, sized to actually fit both units plus the switch's power brick — the enclosure previously sized just for the UDB (~8×8×4 in) is very likely too small now; re-check before ordering. One GFCI outlet in an in-use cover powers both. That's the only electrical work at this site: outlet + a bigger box. Camera-to-switch is a short outdoor Cat6 patch through a cable gland, supplied by the owner. Bandwidth/reliability note: both C01 and C09 now share the single wireless UDB uplink back to the property Wi-Fi mesh — a link whose signal was last read at −74 dBm off Garage 3 (marginal); a WiFiman signal walk before mounting matters more with two streams on it than with one.

Install standards

To confirm on the site walk with Bill

  1. Which switch is physically in Garage 3 (the plan assumes USW Garage is there).
  2. Whether the Garage 1 → ADU closet Cat6 exists and tests good (it feeds the new Garage 1 switch). If not, one extra run: Garage 1 → ADU rack.
  3. Route the outdoor fence run from the culvert/drain box to the dog run (C01) — owner decision 2026-09-28, replacing the earlier Primary Suite closet route; backyard deck (C02) still goes to the ADU closet.
  4. Route for the front and kitchen doorbell runs to the ADU closet (the closet's wall panel has three ports reserved for them).
  5. Exact post/wall for the culvert outlet, enclosure and camera.