Video Balun Transceivers: The Latest in Balun Technology

Video baluns, particularly active video baluns, come in two forms: receivers and transmitters. Active video baluns can easily transmit signal for long distances using Cat5e cables. Whereas passive video baluns are transceivers, active baluns are either a receiver or a transmitter. 

From the names themselves, transmitters send video signals from the source, one example of which is a transmitter going to the end of a CCTV camera. With active video baluns that function as transmitters, you will find that they all have a gain control toggle to compensate for distances (Low, Medium, or High). Receivers, on the other hand, accept the video signal such as when they are located at the DVR side of the cable. Active receiver video baluns have brightness adjustment pots, dip switches for sharpness, and built-in ground isolation.

The latest technology in video baluns are transceivers, which offer a hybrid solution to running cable. When Cat5e cables run through the video baluns, the transceiver strengthens the video signal as it runs through the RG59 cable down to the cable for the security cameras. Transceivers function whether the signal is incoming or outgoing so you wouldn’t have to worry about the quality of signal that passes through your security camera or DVR. With video balun transceivers, you are allowed to have more complex security camera installations since these transceivers can run cable up to 5000 feet.

Video baluns, whether active or passive, are very cost-efficient in extending the distance of your security cameras. These are the perfect solutions to large corporations who need to monitor several floors for security purposes, making sure that employees are doing their jobs and visitors are supervised as soon as they are on the premises. 

PIMFG.com offers a wide selection of video baluns for your needs. Each product comes with an installation guide to guarantee a safe and easy task.

The Many Video Baluns Available in the Market Today

Any video balun talk would automatically translate to security cameras, CCTV systems, and Cat5e cables. While it is true that video baluns are often associated with these, video baluns can also be used with phones and phone cables. The standard video baluns sold today are active and passive video baluns. 

By now, you already know what active and passive video baluns are and how they differentiate from each other. As a review, passive baluns do not really change the signal they receive as they merely transfer the signal from coaxial to Cat5 connectivity or vice versa. Active video baluns come into place for longer distances as signal tends to become more distorted for long range applications. To prevent this from happening, active baluns are used to intensify the signal, transmitting a stronger signal to the receiving balun. If applied inversely, a weak signal received by an active balun will automatically converted into a stronger one before it is sent to the video surveillance appliance.

Power-transferring video baluns are also available in the market nowadays. These video baluns can support power up to 18V-24V DC from the wall. From the power to the camera, there are instances when the signal degrades. What happens is that the 18V signal will be converted into a higher current of 12V DC by a power regulator before it is fed to the camera. There also video baluns that can transmit AC power to the camera. 

Purchased video baluns often come with a wiring guide so the consumer can safely connect the baluns to the wires where they have to be attached to. This is because wires first have to be stripped before being connected to the video balun. While there are fancy baluns that do not require wires to be stripped first since they offer easy connection directly from a cable, the more economical ones would require that wires be stripped first before connection.

PIMFG.com offers tutorials on wire stripping and video balun installation which you should probably watch first before doing it on your own. This guarantees a safe and easy task to accomplish.

Troubleshooting Video Baluns: How to Verify Connections (Part II)

Previously, you learned about the first few steps in troubleshooting video baluns. Today, we conclude our two part series on how to repair video baluns if you start experiencing problems with them. Before testing the video baluns themselves, it is important to verify and test the interconnections first. There are several ways to do this.

First, you have to make sure that you are only using a single pair. A single pair of video balun consists of one positive wire and one negative wire only. Use this pair to connect the video balun over the Cat5e. If you use multiple pairs, you may experience ghost images or distorted pictures. Additionally, multiple pairs may cause noise and interference vulnerability. The effectiveness of multiple pairs also decreases with distance which is why you should use only a single pair to test the interconnections first.

Double check the polarity and maximum distance for the configuration that you are using. If the polarities are incorrect, you may experience distorted signal. Exceeding the maximum distance, on the other hand, you may not get the best out of your video balun either. Use a different configuration with longer distance if you think that you are nearing the maximum distance.

To give you an idea, the maximum distance for a passive-passive balun is 1200ft; 3000ft for passive-active video balun; and 9000ft for active-active balun.

Aside from double-checking the polarity and maximum distance of the video balun, don’t forget to check all the RG59 connections. RG59 connection problems can also bring about video distortion and intermittent video, just to name a few.

If you are using active video baluns, make sure that they are attached to these specific locations otherwise they won’t function at all:

The active transmitter should be located near the camera and not the DVR.

The active receiver should be located near the DVR and the camera.

Avoid confusing the locations of these two ends.

Finally, active baluns require 12V of power supply. This can be achieved by using an individual transformer that is local to the video balun.

With these helpful tips, you should be able to solve the common problems associated with video baluns. Safety is always a must so secure the area first to avoid accidents that could happen to you and the people around you.

Determining What Video Baluns to Based on Distance

Find out what is the best combination for active and passive video baluns to use based on the distance required for your CCTV system.

Troubleshooting Video Baluns (Part I)

Video baluns come in two types: passive and active video baluns. There are times when they don’t function properly so it’s important to know how to solve common video balun problems. Here’s how to troubleshoot active and passive video baluns.

1.       The first step to troubleshooting video baluns is to double check the cable configuration. This means that you are not using a Shielded Twisted Pair (STP) wire. Video baluns work best with Cat5e cables or UTP or Unshielded Twisted Pair wires. 

2.       Checking the cable configuration also means that they should be far away from AC power, fluorescent lighting, high EMI equipment, and high current equipment. Noises may be generated from these systems, causing distortion to the images.

3.       Noise can also come from splice connections, which is done when splitting UTP wires. To prevent this, use RJ45 connectors or make sure that there is at least an inch of untwisted wire when you solder or twist the pairs together.

4.       Verifying the camera connection should first be done before testing the video baluns themselves. The video output should work correctly which can be done with the use of an individual transformer then powering the camera locally as a means to verify that the power section of the cable is good.

5.       Another way to verify cable connection by power supply is to place the transformer on the DVR side of the cable, which should only be done if the cable power section is confirmed to function properly.

6.       A video test kit can also be purchased to test the video output of the camera and make sure that the camera is indeed working as it should be. 

These are just the first things to accomplish to verify video balun functionality. Wait for the second part as we finish our two-part series on troubleshooting video baluns.