Installing The CCTV Security System
Step 1 – Trip the circuit breaker in the fuse box that supplies power to the porch light. Remove the screws surrounding the light fixture with a Phillips head screwdriver. Pull the porch light off the wall.
Step 2 – Drill a hole through the wall to the left and above the porch light. Make the hole on the wall higher than a person can easily reach with a ladder.
Step 3 – Push one end of a coaxial cable through the hole in the wall. Push the other end of the cable through the hole in the back of the CCTV security camera’s cover case.
Step 4 – Remove the screws on the side of the case with the Phillips head screwdriver. Separate the top from the bottom. Place the CCTV security camera into the bottom. Screw the bottom-mounted screw into the tripod socket at the bottom of the camera. Push the wires attached to the camera through the hole in the back of the case’s bottom.
Step 5 – Screw the end of the coaxial cable in the case into the coax output (“Video Out”) on the back of the CCTV security camera. Place the top case on the bottom case and reattach the screws.
Step 6 – Mount the case, with the camera inside of it, to the wall over the hole with the glass-covered front of the case facing forward — use wood screws and the Phillips head screwdriver.
Step 7 – Strip 1/2-inch of insulation from the ends of the two wires attached to the camera with wire strippers. Remove the screw-nut connectors wrapped around the twisted pairs of wires attached to the back of the porch light. Wind the exposed end of the black wire from the camera around the twisted black wires. Wind the exposed end of the white wire around the twisted white wires. Reattach the screw-nut connectors onto each pair of twisted wires.
Step 8 – Mount the porch light back onto the wall with the wood screws removed earlier and the Phillips head screwdriver.
Step 9 – Run the coaxial cable down the wall inside the house. Staple the cable to the wall with U-clamp staples and a staple gun. Run the cable along the baseboard of the wall until you come to the TV set that you will use to watch the video from the camera. Staple the cable to the baseboard with U-clamp staples and the staple gun.
Step 10 – Place the security receiver next to the TV. Plug the receiver’s power cord into a wall outlet. Screw the end of the coaxial cable into the coax input (also labeled “Ant” in some instances) on the receiver.
Step 11 – Insert an end of a video cable into the video output (also labeled “Composite Out” in some instances) on the receiver. Insert the other end into a video input on the side or back panel of the TV.
Step 12 – Turn the TV on with its remote. Press “Menu,” “System” then “Video” — the exact names may vary due to the way different TV manufacturers list their menu options.
Step 13 – Select the "Video Input” that the video cable is connected to. Press the “Menu” button repeatedly until you return to the main menu then exit all of the menu settings. Restore the power at the fuse box. The video from the CCTV security camera can now be seen on the TV.
Maintaining The CCTV Security System
Step 1 – Blow off the CCTV camera’s lens periodically with a burst of compressed air. Apply lens solution to the edge of a lens cleaning tissue. Wipe the lens with the edge of the tissue, using slow circular motions, starting from the center of the lens and ending when you reach the other edge. Wipe the lens in the same manner, only this time with a dry edge of the tissue.
Step 2 – Apply distilled alcohol to the tip of a cotton swab. Rub the moistened tip of the swab around the connection on the back of the CCTV camera where the coaxial cable is screwed into the coax connection to remove loose dirt and grime. Brush off the camera with a photo lens brush.
Step 3 – Place the jaws of a pair of pliers around the end of the coaxial cable where it meets the connection on the receiver. Twist the pliers clockwise to tighten the coaxial cable to improve the connection. Stop twisting the pliers once resistance is felt.
Step 4 – Plug an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) into the wall outlet. Remove the receiver’s plug from the wall outlet and plug it into an AC outlet on the UPS. The UPS will now supply the receiver with operating power during an outage or if the electric grid should go down.
Step 5 – Remove the video cable from the receiver and from the TV. Apply distilled alcohol to the end of a cotton swab. Rub the moistened end of the swab on the metal ring and metal nub that are at each end of the video cable to improve its connection. Place the ends of the video cable back into the receiver and TV.