I want to mount an IP camera in a room. The power outlet and Ethernet ports are near the floor and I want to mount the camera near the ceiling. I was thinking of cutting through the wall at the top and bottom and adding a recessed low voltage cable plate. I read that it is against code to run high voltage power wires through the wall, but the power wire I'm planning to run is an AC adapter on one end, lowering the actual wire voltage to a handful of volts. Is that allowed?
Wiring – Does it violate NEC to run an AC adapter’s low-voltage output cable through a wall
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Related Solutions
You've got a lot of different questions, so I'll try to answer the ones I can:
Coax sucks because of the necessary bend. You're better off going with a backless box like the one you linked to, because it makes running cables so much easier. (if you have a second person, have them push the cables up from below (or a straightened coat hanger or other wire to act as a needle, if the bundle of cables is too floppy), and then snag it from the hole with a wire bent into a hook) ... which you can't do as easily if you mount a box with little punchouts. Also, you then don't have to worry about crowding the box, etc.
It's easier to run lots of cables at once. What what you're planning already, I'd likely run an extra cat5e/cat6 cable, and then get an HDMI-over-twisted-pair (aka HDMI-over-cat5) extender if you wanted to go that route, or re-terminate it for RJ11 if you wanted to change it over to phone.
I don't know of any other way to get cables/pipes through the sill other than drilling, and it's allowed for plumbing, electrical, etc, so long as you then spray foam the holes afterwards (at least, it's required in my area, might not be in yours).
You only need to line up well enough to get it in the same bay, so you have a ~14.5" target. I cut the hole for the box first, then check to verify the location of the studs (I don't use hardware that requires me to attach to a stud, so I just have to make sure to miss it when cutting my hole), then measure off of some reference point that I'll be able to find down below. (electrical runs, walls, etc.) If nothing else, you can use plumbing or electrical for identifying where the walls are from below.
To avoid humidity issues, use spray foam to seal around the cables. (see #3). It may even be required by code in your area.
If your wall is closed up then you don't have to worry about it. It looks like class 2 wire is rated to go into walls. Only use wire that is rated to be in the walls for uses like what you have. The only things to worry about with class 2 or class 3 wiring is:
- Class 2/3 should never be used in the same electrical box (without a low voltage divider or in the same conduit with your house wiring.
- Class 2/3 should be kept at least 10" away from house wiring. Try to run in a separate bay.
- Remember when crossing house wiring with class 2/3 it should be at 90 degrees.
If your wall is open then if you can spare the money for ENT or smurf tube (bendable, corrugated, PVC that is usually blue) then that will give your wiring more protection. It is sold in 10ft lengths or 100ft coils. You can run low-voltage class 2/3 or regular house wiring, but not at the same time. It will also give the transmission that is carried on the class 2/3 less interference when around house wiring.
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Best Answer
There's a better solution to this problem
Most low-voltage wall adapter outputs for low-powered ITE such as an IP camera qualify as Class II power circuits under the NEC, which means that Article 725 applies to the situation you propose. However, the wire used for wall adapter output cables is not legal to stuff into the wall in the way you are proposing, as it's not a listed UL/NEC type CL2 or CL3 cable as required by NEC 725.135(A) and (M) (instead, it's some AWM type, at least on the adapter I had laying around handy).
So, you have two options at this point:
Run a CL2 cable through the wall
The perhaps-simplest way to do this would be to run a listed CL2 or CM cable through the wall -- two-conductor thermostat or in-wall speaker wire works, although you'll need to get jacketed cable instead of the normal unjacketed-pair stuff in order to comply fully with 725.139(E). At each end point, you'd terminate it to a dual binding post or dual banana jack wallplate (you can get modular wallplates that can be set up this way -- look at the Leviton QuickPort line for one of many example). You'd then chop the AC adapter's output cable in two, fit banana plugs to the chopped/stripped ends, and plug them in in the appropriate places, minding polarity of course.
Just make sure that the low voltage plate is on a separate bracket or box from the 120VAC, or that a listed divider separates the 120VAC gang from the low voltage gang.
Do it the old fashioned way
The "old fashioned way" is to use a proper Chapter 3 wiring method such as NM (Romex) cable (note, NOT flexible cord, or else it's as many lashes from an extension cord as it takes to acknowledge that NEC 400.8 is true, wise, and holy!) to run 120V power from a nearby circuit to a new receptacle located near the camera's home, which then can have the AC adapter run to it.
You'll of course want to turn off and figure out the circuit you plan to use for this, and use proper splicing and cable securement techniques. Also, the power cable can't share a junction box with the Ethernet cable unless you shove a listed divider between two separate gangs, one for the Ethernet side and the other for the 120VAC side.