Using CAT5 Cabling For Vanguard Camera Power?

[robster]

I'm finally getting around to installing a Vanguard camera in my house (hey, it's only been a year).  Before the drywall went up I ran a CAT5 cable and a pull-wire to the area where I want to mount the camera.  The power cord isn't long enough to reach (total distance is about 20 cable-feet).  Can I use the CAT5 cable to run the power (I'm thinking of using one pair for power and a different pair for ground)?  That would be the easiest thing for me, as I wouldn't have to worry about using the pull wire (sometimes they snag).   

I appreciate any thoughts on this.

Rob

[Charles Sullivan]

I'm finally getting around to installing a Vanguard camera in my house (hey, it's only been a year).  Before the drywall went up I ran a CAT5 cable and a pull-wire to the area where I want to mount the camera.  The power cord isn't long enough to reach (total distance is about 20 cable-feet).  Can I use the CAT5 cable to run the power (I'm thinking of using one pair for power and a different pair for ground)?  That would be the easiest thing for me, as I wouldn't have to worry about using the pull wire (sometimes they snag).   

I appreciate any thoughts on this.

Rob

The wires in CAT5 are 24 AWG, and copper wire of that gauge has a resistance of about  0.03 Ohms/foot. You're proposing using two wires each for the supply and return, so the "idealized" resistance for your 20-foot run would be (0.03 / 2) x 20 x 2 = 0.6 Ohms.  Multiply that by the camera's current rating (or DC output current rating of the camera's power supply) and you'll have some idea what the voltage drop due to the CAT5 wires would be.  If it's only a small fraction of the camera's operating voltage the scheme will probably work.

[robster]

Thanks for the info, Charles.  As it turns out, I not only pulled CAT5, I pulled a pair of speaker wires, 14 gauge.  It turns out that's a bigger gauge than the power cord that was about ten feet long, so I cut the cord close to the power supply and at the plug, spliced it onto the speaker wire, and it works perfectly.  Thanks again for the quick replay!

Rob