New Baluns for HD Cameras for CAT5 and CAT6 Wire
When the new HD over coaxial cable came to market recently, it was very exciting news. Now you could upgrade to HD without changing your coaxial cables. Coaxial wires are expensive to replace when changing from analog cameras to HD IP cameras. But what if you had CAT5 or CAT6 wiring and are using baluns to send the video signal? That was a problem. These HD security cameras were not able to be used over existing CAT5 or CAT6 wiring. So what you say as these cameras were made for sending High Definition video over cable wires which was previously said to be impossible. Plus, there are always IP cameras for that part. But IP cameras are expensive and the new HD technology is very cost effective. A new breakthrough in baluns technology allows network wire to work well using new Baluns.
These new baluns products work on TVI, CVI and AHD cameras. Sorry but the SDI baluns have not been proven yet. The baluns run about $25 a pair adding a little bit to the cost of your total camera installation but saving you plenty over using HD IP cameras instead.
Beware of the poor quality baluns. You probably never heard of the saying, “you get what you paid for” but you did now. We have tested several baluns and have discovered that not all are created equal. A lower quality baluns may not show the perfect image that is intended with the HD cameras. You may see lines, noise or other visual defects that take away from the intended HD quality video. A good quality baluns will not show any discernible difference in video quality.
At a price point that is probably a quarter to a half of the low quality cameras you installed 5 years ago, installing HD cameras is a bargain compared to IP cameras. A 2.1 megapixel vandal dome IR camera can be purchased for less than $100. It’s crazy to think that a camera that is 5 times the image quality will cost less than half the price of the lower quality camera. But things change rapidly in the world of CCTV technology. We are looking forward to whatever is around the corner because its bound to be better and cheaper.