{"id":200,"date":"2019-01-18T16:04:13","date_gmt":"2019-01-18T22:04:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/home.iseeancestors.com\/blog\/?p=200"},"modified":"2019-01-19T10:07:30","modified_gmt":"2019-01-19T16:07:30","slug":"review-lorex-4k-ip-camera-system-installation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/home.iseeancestors.com\/blog\/2019\/01\/18\/review-lorex-4k-ip-camera-system-installation\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Lorex 4K IP Camera System Installation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"4KHDIP86\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

This is my review for installing a Lorex 4K IP Camera System. Specifically I have model 4KHDIP86, which is described as \u201c4K Ultra HD IP 8 Channel NVR System with 6 Outdoor 4K 8MP IP Cameras, 130FT Night Vision, 2TB Hard Drive.\u201d The cameras with this system are model LNB8111. The Network Video Recorder (NVR) is model NR908X, or specifically NR9082 with the 8-channel configuration. (See Amazon<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

For details on the technology and the features of this system, please refer to the product documentation. Here I provide recommendations on installing this particular system. In a subsequent blog post, I will review its features. Hopefully my experiences will help if you are considering this system, or in general, any Internet Protocol (IP) camera system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\nchose this technology because Internet Protocol (IP) cameras use\nPower Over Ethernet (PoE). That means there is only a single\nEthernet cable that connects to the camera and it provides both power\nand data transfer. IP cameras are more \u201cconnected,\u201d meaning you\ncan access them easier over a local or remote network connection. \nAnd, they seem to offer many more features.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Due\nto the 4K bandwidth (each camera is 8 Megapixels), the connection is\na wired connection. A wireless interface cannot currently handle\nsuch bandwidth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Placement<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Decide carefully where you want to place the NVR. The fan is noisy and runs continually. It is variable speed, and it will run faster (and louder) as the NVR gets hotter. The instructions recommend not placing it in an enclosed area. I recommend against locating it in a bedroom or home office. The constant whir is distracting. A closet would be ideal, but you must have a power outlet and a connection to your router, and of course an optional monitor for the NVR, and Ethernet cables that run to the cameras.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\nwanted the option to view my security cameras on my TV in the family\nroom. It therefore had to be close to the TV in order to connect the\nHDMI cable. If you locate the NVR some distance from your TV, I\u2019m\nnot sure how long an HDMI cable can be, both in terms of cost and\nsignal strength. Luckily my TV credenza has a shelf enclosed by a\nglass door, and a vent hole. That has cut the fan noise to something\ntolerable, and it doesn\u2019t seem to make the NVR run hotter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rather\nthan connecting to a TV, you might consider just keeping a tablet\ncomputer in the family room. It can be simpler to pick up the tablet\nto view your security cameras rather than switch the source of your\nTV over to the NVR. But I like to view all the cameras on a big\nscreen TV.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although\nmy TV has a picture-in-picture (PIP) feature, it only works with the\nantenna or cable, not the HDMI ports. So if you\u2019re hoping to use\nPIP, check that your TV supports other inputs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\nwill want to keep your NVR connected to the Internet at all times. \nThis allows you to view security cameras from your PC and tablet from\nanywhere in your home. You can also take advantage of the Lorex\nCloud or Lorex Secure apps to view your cameras from outside your\nlocal network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My\nInternet router is in another room. I had to run a separate Ethernet\ncable between my router and the NVR in the family room. Plan to run\nthat cable through your walls and through your attic or crawlspace,\nin addition to running the camera cables. Include wall jacks, boxes\nand covers in your plan, if needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If after a while you change your mind and want to move your NVR to a different location, you don\u2019t need to re-route all your camera Ethernet cables. Purchase a Power Over Ethernet (PoE) switch and use it in place of the NVR. Plug all the camera Ethernet cables into the switch and connect the switch to your router. After you move the NVR to a different location, also connect it to your router. It will find and use your cameras on the local area network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\ndrawback here is you will use another Ethernet port on your router. \nMost routers have only a few. You will also need an Ethernet\nconnection wherever you relocate your NVR. You may need to run\nanother Ethernet cable drop for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Running the Camera Cables<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

In my case, all my household electrical wiring is run through the attic. It was easy enough to run the Ethernet camera cables through the attic too. Unroll and unfurl each cable in your house before taking them up to the attic. I unrolled each cable one at a time and went back and forth a few times twisting the cable to get as much of the curl out as possible. It helps if the cable ends can freely twirl as you go along. I then wrapped each cable on a spool I had already made to store my electrical extension cords.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Unwinding<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Be sure to number each cable now, so you know what port to plug into and where to route the cable once you\u2019re in the attic. Don\u2019t try to run two cables at once in the attic or they\u2019ll get hopelessly intertwined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately\nmy TV is against an exterior wall. Drilling a hole downward through\nthe wall\u2019s top plate will be almost impossible. The angle of the\nroof where it intersects with the top plate will likely be too\nnarrow. You won\u2019t be able to get close enough to it from inside\nthe attic, let alone have room to operate a drill, even when using a\nright-angle chuck attachment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\nI found the exact spot in question from inside the attic. Electrical\nwires for the outlet behind my TV go down through the top plate on\nthe left. To the right is the old coax cable for cable TV service. \nThe two outlets are separated by a wall stud. That means the rafters\nmeet the top plate between the wall studs. This is about as close as\nI can get to it, except I could probably stretch my arm to reach the\ntop plate. It would be hard to see and to fit or maneuver a drill in\nthat tight area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Top<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Plan A: Drilling Upward<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

My\nfirst plan was to drill upward through the top plate from inside the\nwall. There are numerous problems with this method and I strongly\nrecommend against<\/em> doing this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\nfirst cut a hole the size of an outlet box in the wall behind the TV.\n The wall stud that separates the electrical box and the cable outlet\nbox are on the right. The nearest wall stud to the left is 16 inches\naway, which I marked with masking tape. I made a cutout for the new\njunction box using a box cutter, so the left side of the box is\nagainst the wall stud. I knew that if I drilled straight up along\nthe stud, the hole would come out the top plate exactly between the\nrafters. In other words I wouldn\u2019t be drilling upward through the\ntop plate and then directly into the rafter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Planning<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

I used a flexible drill bit system commonly used by electricians. (See for example Southwire 54\u201d Flexible Installation Kit, model FQCKIT at Amazon<\/a>.) In the following picture, they are drilling downward, whereas I was drilling upward. However, I think such kits are intended for drilling holes sideways, or downward a short distance from the access hole. I wanted to avoid cutting an access hole in the drywall near the top of the wall. Although I could patch it over again and repaint the wall, it is difficult to make it look like it was never there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Flexible<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

I\nhad to use an additional 54\u201d extension. Be careful. If your wall\nis taller than 8 feet you may need additional extensions. The outlet\nbox hole is up off the floor, but you still need to attach the\nextension rod to your drill and have enough rod to make the bend\nupward. I had several problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First<\/strong>\nthe insulation in the wall made it difficult to get the drill bit up\nto the top plate. I covered the bit with a piece of paper in the\nshape of a cone. That allowed me to slip past the insulation and the\npaper was promptly chewed to pieces when I started to drill into the\ntop plate. The caution here is, don\u2019t tape the paper to the drill\nbit, or the shavings from the drill bit won\u2019t be expelled as they\nshould.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Second<\/strong>,\nif you reverse the drill and back the drill bit out too far, you will\nundoubtedly start another hole the next time you go forward. It is\nalmost impossible to continue drilling the same hole. Unfortunately\nthe drill bit kit I used came in three sections. The connection to\nthe drill chuck was just outside the outlet box hole. It twisted and\nbroke the extension shaft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If\nyou use this method, ensure you have an ample length of the extension\nrod sticking out of the wall such that the joint or connection\nbetween extension rods is not within the sharp bend upward. The\njoint on my extension was in the curve and the torque was simply too\nmuch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Third<\/strong>,\nthe wall\u2019s top plate will likely be a double top plate, meaning two\n1.5 inch boards together for a total thickness of 3 inches. It is\nunlikely you will be able to drill through that much material without\nthe drill bit bogging down. If you reverse it too far before going\nforward again, you risk starting another hole altogether.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fourth<\/strong>,\neven if you successfully drill up through the top plate, you will\nprobably need more than one hole. I used a 3\/4\u201d bit. For some\nreason I didn\u2019t consider the thickness of all six Ethernet cables\ntogether. I thought I could tape each cable together with one\nconnector slightly behind the next, to make a relatively narrow\ngrouping. But even so, trying to fish six cables through a 3\/4\u201d\nhole would be problematic. If you are drilling through the top plate\nof an interior<\/em> wall, you will likely be able to drill a few\nholes downward from the attic, without a problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plan B: Under the Soffit<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Luckily\nI had another plan I knew would work. I could remove the plywood\nsoffit from the roof overhang outside the wall in question. The top\nplate and several inches of the wall outside are easily accessible\nfrom under the soffit. Removing the soffit will be difficult. It is\nnailed and caulked. Luckily I had replaced this particular panel\nyears ago and used screws rather than nails. When I removed the\noriginal panel, I had to pry the panel down to pull out the nails. \nSince I was replacing it, I cut additional holes in it to get better\naccess using a pry bar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once\noff, I simply cut the foam sheathing from the outside and ran the\nEthernet cables around the outside of the top plate, not through it. \n(See blue arrow in following diagram.) I then patched the insulation\nand covered the wires with more insulation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Under<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

By the way, after removing the soffit, I found my drill bit from when I had tried to drill upward through the top plate from below. The bit bogged down and the extension rod broke, leaving the bit and most of the extension rod inside the wall. It would have been lost forever had I not been able to access it through the outside soffit. Lesson learned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This\nphoto shows the foam sheathing cut away and the inside of the wall\nwith the top plate at top. The drill bit only made it through the\nfirst thickness of top plate. I had to back it out using a wrench. \nThis method was doomed from the start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Wall<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Wall Plates for Camera Cables<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

There\nare options for managing six or more Ethernet cables coming out of\nthe wall. One is an outlet box cover that has multiple RJ45 jacks. \nYou simply plug each camera cable into a jack from the back of the\nplate. You then need a separate Ethernet patch cable for each camera\nto plug into the wall and run to the NVR. The jacks and extra cables\nare expensive, and you might not have enough room if you want to\nexpand the number of cameras later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Wall<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

I chose a cable access wall plate. (See for example Legrand WP1014-WH-V1 at Amazon<\/a>.) It has a rectangular opening with short bristles like a brush. All the Ethernet cables simply slip through the single opening and then plug directly into the NVR. I was impressed with the bristles maintaining their shape. It makes the opening neater. There are a couple other options. One has a star pattern of slits in flexible plastic. The other is an opening with a cone that directs the cables. I didn\u2019t think they would look as good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Camera<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

If your cables come out of an exterior wall, I recommend using a single-gang electrical box. (See Amazon<\/a>.) Normally you would use a low-voltage \u201cbox\u201d that is nothing but an open frame, which gives you something to attach a wall plate. (See Amazon<\/a>.) However it\u2019s possible for critters like mice to get inside walls and possibly crawl out the cable access wall plate slot. A closed electrical box would prevent that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Gang<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Mounting the Cameras<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

I\nchose to mount the cameras to the underside of the soffit rather than\nagainst a vertical wall. My soffit is plywood. If you have vinyl,\nyou\u2019ll probably need more support behind the soffit panel in order\nto have something to screw into. Perhaps you\u2019ll have a \u201clookout\u201d\nnear where you want to mount a camera. These are usually 2x4s\nperpendicular to the house that run from the house to the end of the\nrafter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Fish<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

If you are uncertain where to mount a camera, open up a nearby soffit air vent cover. Run a fish tape up into the attic, tape on the Ethernet cable, then pull the fish tape back out. Plug in the camera and hold it by hand in various locations. Use the Lorex Cloud application on a tablet computer while you\u2019re on the ladder. Less than a minute after you connect the camera, you\u2019ll see exactly what it sees and you can find the perfect spot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A fish tape is a good investment for this project. I\u2019ve used this Greenlee tape for many projects over the years. (See Amazon<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"In-line<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Alternatively, you can connect two 100-foot Ethernet cables together using an in-line coupler. (See Amazon<\/a>.) Connect one cable end to your NVR and the other to your camera. Then just walk the camera outside, or through an open window, around your house and up the ladder. 200 feet of cable should be plenty to determine the best camera position before you actually route it through your attic and wall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ll\nwant to position it to avoid having downspouts, spotlights, or too\nmuch of the soffit in the field of view. The camera base allows you\nto orient the camera in all directions (roll, pitch, yaw) for a level\nview of any terrain. You will see a slight fish-eye effect. A\nstraight street may appear slightly bowed, or high in the middle and\ncurved at each end. The camera base does have a limit. If you\nchoose a downward angle of view, you cannot position the camera to\nview higher than horizontal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Maximum<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Side by Side<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

To\ncover a long expanse of the house, I mounted two cameras side-by-side\nin the middle of the expanse, rather than one camera at each corner\nof the house. One camera points one direction and the other in the\nother direction. The cameras have an 88-degree field of view, which\ntogether is slightly less than 180-degrees. But, I can capture each\ncorner of the house and there is sufficient overlap in the field of\nview directly outward, perpendicular to the house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Side<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

This\nphoto shows two separate camera views side-by-side. The left and\nright sides show both corners of the house. The red lines in the\nmiddle show the area overlapped by both cameras. The cameras are\noriented slightly differently so the overlap is not uniform. The\nviews are intentionally blurred for privacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\ncameras are mounted next to each other with a 2-inch gap between the\nbases. I chose a spot centered between two windows. That way I can\nsee all the window sills along the house. I mounted the camera 2\ninches from the vertical outside wall (frieze board), which is out of\nthe weather as much as possible. Don\u2019t mount them closer than 2\ninches or you won\u2019t be able to use a screwdriver to adjust the\nmounting bracket to properly position your camera. I used a stubby\nscrewdriver for that, but you can also use a right-angle screw\ndriver. Just consider how a screwdriver will fit when deciding where\nto mount the camera.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\nused a 1-inch spade bit to drill the hole to accept the Ethernet\ncable and the cable connector cover. The template supplied with the\ncamera implies you should drill a larger hole, but 1-inch works fine.\n You\u2019ll also want to pre-drill holes for the four mounting screws,\nthen run all the screws in and back out before trying to screw in the\ncamera base. It makes it much easier to install them when working\noverhead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Send\nyour fish tape upward through the hole and up into the attic. Then\ngo up in the attic and tape the cable to the fish tape. Back\noutside, pull the fish tape out, which guides the cable out through\nthe hole.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the Corners<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

If\nmounting a camera at an outside corner of a soffit, especially if you\nhave a hip roof, the rafters come down at such an angle from both\ndirections, that it is almost impossible to get a fish tape up from a\ncamera mounting hole into the attic. (See the dark blue line in the\ndiagram below). It\u2019s not worth trying to squeeze into that corner\nfrom inside the attic either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead\ninsert the fish tape up into the attic from a nearby soffit air vent\nhole. Attach the cable from inside the attic, then go back outside\nand pull the cable out the vent hole.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now\ninsert the fish tape up into the camera mounting hole and feed it\nover to the soffit air vent hole. Attach the cable again and pull it\nover to and out the camera mounting hole. (See the light blue line.)\n Much easier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Hip<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Backer Rod<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\"Backer<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The camera base has a hole to accept the thickness of the cable in case you flush-mount the camera. Since my cable runs directly behind the base, that would leave an empty hole for bugs to enter. (We have mud dauber wasps here that fill every nook and cranny with mud for their nests.) If you mount the base close to a vertical wall, you won\u2019t be able to get a caulk gun to fit afterwards. I filled the hole with a 1-inch length of backer rod, before I installed the camera base. (See Amazon<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Final Adjustments<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

To\nmake your final camera adjustments, use the Lorex Cloud application\non a tablet computer while you are next to the camera. It shows\nexactly what the camera sees and you can fine-tune its orientation\nand tighten the set screw.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Advice and recommendations for installing a surveillance security camera system, specifically a Lorex 4K IP system.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":65,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17,16],"tags":[28,29,26,27],"class_list":["post-200","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-review","category-technology","tag-camera","tag-lorex","tag-security","tag-surveillance"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/home.iseeancestors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/200","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/home.iseeancestors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/home.iseeancestors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/home.iseeancestors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/65"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/home.iseeancestors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=200"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/home.iseeancestors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/200\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":233,"href":"https:\/\/home.iseeancestors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/200\/revisions\/233"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/home.iseeancestors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=200"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/home.iseeancestors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=200"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/home.iseeancestors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=200"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}