Security Camera Cable & Distance Chart
Reach by cabling scheme, with the tiers honest: the IP/PoE row is the IEEE/TIA standard; everything else is manufacturer-typical, and analog-HD distances are the most vendor-inflated numbers in the trade — so the chart carries a conservative planning column beside the claims.
Video reach by scheme
| Scheme | Cable | Plan to | Vendor claim |
|---|---|---|---|
| IP camera, PoE | Cat5e/Cat6 | 100 m (328 ft) | — |
| IP camera + PoE extender | Cat5e/Cat6 | +100 m per hop | — |
| Dahua ePoE (vendor) | Cat5e | 300 m @ 100 Mbps | 800 m @ 10 Mbps |
| HD-TVI / HD-CVI 1080p | RG59 | 300 m | up to 500 m |
| AHD 1080p | RG59 | 300 m | ~350 m |
| 4K (8MP) analog HD | RG59 | ~300 m, vendor-dependent | 500 m (one vendor) |
| Legacy analog (CVBS) | RG59 | 750 ft (228 m) | ~3,000 ft with inline amp |
| CVBS + passive balun | Cat5e | 1,200 ft | — |
| CVBS + active balun (both ends) | Cat5e | up to 5,000 ft | — |
| HD-over-coax + passive balun | Cat5e | ~250 m (820 ft) | — |
| HD-over-coax + active balun | Cat5e | up to ~600 m (wide variance) | — |
Camera power reach (rule of thumb, ~1 A camera, 10% drop)
| Supply | 18 AWG | 16 AWG |
|---|---|---|
| 12 VDC | ~240 ft | ~380 ft |
| 24 VAC | ~700 ft | ~1,100 ft |
Choosing the scheme
New work is IP/PoE, full stop — one cable, regulated power, 100 m of standard-backed reach (see the distance rules and PoE wattage chart). The analog-HD rows earn their keep on retrofits: HD-over-coax rides existing RG59/RG6 (Siamese cable: RG59 (20 AWG center) + 18/2 power pair in one jacket), and baluns ride abandoned Cat5e — the trade's cheapest camera upgrade when the plan figures cover the runs. Size any 12/24 V power legs on the DC voltage drop chart.
Common questions
How far can you run an IP security camera?
100 m (328 ft) on Cat5e/Cat6 — the ethernet channel limit, carrying data and PoE power together. Past that: a PoE extender or switch adds 100 m per hop, fiber goes kilometers, and vendor extended modes (Dahua ePoE) reach 800 m at reduced bandwidth. The 100 m figure is the only one on this page that is a standard rather than a vendor number.
How far can HD-TVI or HD-CVI run over coax?
Plan on 300 m at 1080p over RG59 — vendors claim up to 500 m (and marketing sometimes 800 m), but those are lab figures with ideal cable and no video degradation tolerance. 4K analog runs meaningfully shorter. HD-over-coax distances are the most vendor-inflated numbers in the security trade; design conservative and be pleasantly surprised.
Why does my camera reboot or lose video at night?
Voltage drop. IR illuminators kick the current draw up after dark, the drop on a long 12 VDC run grows with it, and most cameras get flaky below ~10.5 V. Fixes in order: heavier gauge, a supply closer to the camera, 24 VAC (roughly 3× the reach at the same gauge), or PoE — which regulates at the camera and makes the problem largely disappear.