CCTV and Access Control Cabling
Cameras and access control are only as reliable as the cable behind them. A camera that drops off the network, or a door that releases when it should hold, is usually a cabling or power problem rather than a software one. We install the structured cabling behind CCTV and access control systems — planned as part of the building network, not run separately and forgotten.
What's included
- IP camera cabling with Power over Ethernet to each device
- Legacy analog camera and coax cabling where systems still use it
- Cabling for door controllers, card readers and exit devices
- Electric strike and maglock power and wiring
- Request-to-exit and door contact wiring
- Cable pathways separated from power and protected where needed
- Testing and documentation so faults are traceable later
One plant, one rack, one record
The temptation in security work is to run it separately — its own cables, its own corners, its own documentation, if any. Bringing camera and access control cabling into the structured system means it lands in the same rack with the same labelling, so the fault you get on a Tuesday is a measurement rather than a search.
Power over Ethernet changes the planning
An IP camera draws its power down the same cable that carries its video, so the cable and the link now matter for power as well as data. Distance limits and power budgets have to be planned per device, and the link has to be certified — a marginal cable that worked for a desk station will not reliably carry a heated exterior camera through a Montreal February.
Access control is a different discipline
Door hardware combines locking power, reader data, request-to-exit logic and often fire-rated requirements. The cabling has to be installed knowing how the door is supposed to behave in a fire or a power failure, and we plan that with you rather than after the hardware is on the door.
Analogue, IP or wireless
Cameras come in three cabling shapes, and the right answer depends on what is already in the walls:
| Approach | Cable to each camera | Power | Where it makes sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| Analogue over coax | Coax, or a balun over data cable | Separate pair or local supply | Reusing coax that is already installed |
| IP over structured cabling | One data cable per camera | PoE from the switch | New installations and anything with more than a few cameras |
| Wireless | None to the camera | Local or battery | Spots that cannot be reached, or listed buildings |
Whichever you pick, the network the cameras sit on should be treated as its own system. ANSI/TIA-5017 is the standard that covers telecommunications infrastructure for physical security, which is the piece most DIY camera installs get wrong: the cameras end up sharing a switch with the office, and nobody has planned the power budget or the recording path.
Two numbers are worth planning before anyone buys hardware. Count the per-camera power draw against the switch PoE budget, because a switch that is fine at eight cameras is not fine at sixteen. And check the recording path, since camera traffic is constant rather than bursty.
Coax is not a dead technology in Canada. The federal Canadian Importers Database, maintained by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, still tracks major Canadian importers of coaxial cable under HS 8544.20, which matches what shows up on site: an existing coax run is often worth keeping and re-using with the right hardware rather than opening every wall.
Where we work
We install and certify this work across Montreal, Laval, Longueuil, the Québec City area and the surrounding regions — see our service areas.
Related services
Often installed alongside this work:
CCTV and Access Control Cabling questions
We install the structured cabling behind the system, including PoE links to each device, and coordinate with whoever supplies and configures the camera or access control platform.
Yes — controllers, readers, exit devices, lock power and door contacts, planned around how the door must behave in a power failure or a fire alarm.
They can use coax rather than network cable. Where you are replacing a system, running network cable now makes the next upgrade far cheaper.
The cable is part of the answer: an uncertified or marginal link is where exterior cameras fail first in cold weather. We test the links rather than assuming.
Yes. Cameras, access points and workstations can share a structured plant as long as the links are certified and the power budget is planned.
ANSI/TIA-5017, the Telecommunications Physical Network Security Standard. It covers the network infrastructure that cameras and access control sit on.
Yes, one data cable per camera, with power supplied over it by the switch. That means planning the PoE budget before the camera count grows.
Often, yes, with the right converters. For a new installation IP over structured cabling is the usual choice because it shares the same panel, labelling and testing as the data network.
Often yes. Coaxial cable remains an actively imported product in Canada, as the federal Canadian Importers Database shows under HS 8544.20, so an existing coax run can be a legitimate option rather than a stopgap when it tests clean.
Get a free site survey
Tell us what needs to be cabled and we will come out, look at the space and put together a written quote. Call (438) 817-4587 or send the details through the quote form.