cat5e cable 50m
Cat5e 50m for PoE CCTV: Limits, Voltage Drop 2026
A 50m Cat5e run sits well inside the standard's rated distance and will typically carry Gigabit data and PoE without issue for a single fixed camera — the…
11 min read
CCTV Line
Blog
Guides, comparisons and expert answers from the CCTV Line team.
ethernet cable cat 6a
Cat6a Ethernet Cable for CCTV: 2026 UK Guide
Cat6a is the 500MHz-rated upgrade to Cat6's 250MHz, built to carry full 10GBASE-T across the entire 100m channel.
8 min read
can cctv read number plates
How Far Can CCTV Read Number Plates? Distance & Camera Types
Mostly, no — a standard CCTV camera gives you a crisp, watchable picture of a car but still renders the plate as a grey smear.
9 min read
hikvision nvr anpr
Hikvision NVR ANPR: Which Models Work
Not every Hikvision NVR knows what to do with a plate read once it lands on the network — check the model's AcuSense or ANPR-specific compatibility listing…
8 min read
rj45 connectors
Best RJ45 Connectors for CCTV PoE 2026
Get the connector wrong on a CCTV run and the fault won't show up as a dead camera — it'll show up months later as random dropouts your DVR logs blame on…
7 min read
steel wire armored cable
Steel Wire Armoured Cable for CCTV: 2026 UK Guide
Steel wire armoured cable earns its place when a run is buried, crosses a driveway, or carries mains power to an outdoor PTZ or pole-mounted enclosure.
9 min read
Trade & Wholesale
CCTV Suppliers UK: 2026 Vetting Framework
A good CCTV supplier gets a faulty DVR replaced or credited inside days, keeps firmware current for the model range you're fitting, and answers a pre-sales…
10 min read
Recorders & Storage
CCTV Audio Recording Laws UK 2026: Legal or Illegal?
Yes, you can legally record audio on UK CCTV — but the bar is higher than for video alone, and most systems that ship with a built-in microphone are switched…
9 min read
Law & Compliance
CCTV Installation UK 2026: Costs & Legal Standards
Three installers can walk round the same building and come back with three wildly different quotes, and the camera hardware is rarely the reason why — cable…
9 min read
Cabling & Connectors
Best Ethernet Cable for CCTV: Cat5e vs Cat6 Guide
For CCTV runs, Cat5e is the practical minimum, Cat6 is the sensible default, and Cat6a earns its cost only on long PoE+ runs or near EMI sources; always spec…
8 min read
Trade & Wholesale
CCTV Wholesale UK: Pricing Mechanics 2026
There is no single "trade price" for CCTV in the UK — what you actually pay is a stack: the catalogue unit price, minus your trade account discount, minus…
8 min read
Installation
CCTV Distributor UK: What Installers Need 2026
The right CCTV distributor is judged on how it behaves after the invoice, not before it.
8 min read