Elevator CCTV cable: which flat cable for which camera (complete guide)
The cable for a camera or intercom in a lift (elevator) depends on the camera. Flat cables for IP cameras, HD cameras and intercoms, how far they run, and how to install them.
A camera in a lift cabin moves with the cabin, so its cable must move too. That makes elevator CCTV cabling different from every other camera on the site: the part of the cable inside the lift well is a travelling cable, and it flexes on every trip for years. This guide sets out which flat elevator cable suits which camera, in the order a buyer decides.
The short answer
| Camera or device | Cable | Channeltech part | Power to the camera | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IP camera on an NVR | CAT6 flat, 4 pair | [[/cables/cat6-flat-4-pair | Channeltech CAT6 Flat 4 Pair, CC-8251G-90]] | PoE on the data pairs |
| IP camera, tall or non-stop lift | CAT6 flat 4 pair with GI rope | [[/cables/cat6-flat-4-pair-gi-rope | Channeltech CAT6 Flat 4 Pair + GI Rope, CC-8261G-90]] | PoE on the data pairs |
| HD / AHD / HD-CVI / analog camera on a DVR | 2+2 flat | [[/cables/2-plus-2-flat-hd-camera | Channeltech 2+2 Flat, CC-9511K-90]] | 12 V DC on the power cores |
| Lift intercom or emergency phone | CAT6 flat, 2 pair | [[/cables/cat6-flat-2-pair-intercom | Channeltech CAT6 Flat 2 Pair, CC-4251G-90]] | None (voice only) |
Why the cable must be flat and stranded
Solid-core cable is made to be installed once. In a lift well the same few centimetres bend every time the cabin moves, and solid copper work-hardens and can crack at that point. A flat elevator cable uses stranded copper, which shares each bend across many fine strands, a soft FRLS PVC jacket, and a flat profile that bends across its thin axis only and hangs in one plane. The longer comparison, with the numbers, is in CAT6 flat vs round CAT6 in a lift well.
IP cameras: CAT6 flat
An IP camera needs four pairs: data on the pairs and power over Ethernet on the same cable. The Channeltech CAT6 Flat 4 Pair is a 12 × 5 mm flat cable with four pairs of 24 AWG stranded copper (7/0.195 mm), each pair in its own flexible sheath, inside a grey FRLS PVC jacket. Channeltech recommends runs of up to 60 m for an IP camera on PoE. For tall, high-speed or continuously running lifts, the GI-rope edition adds two galvanised steel ropes in the flat profile, so the cable hangs from steel and not from its own copper.
HD and analog cameras: 2+2 flat
HD-TVI, AHD, HD-CVI and analog cameras send video on a coax-type core and take 12 V from a separate supply. The Channeltech 2+2 Flat puts two tinned-copper video cores and two copper power cores in one black FRLS flat jacket, so video and power travel together. Channeltech was the first in India to make a flat 2+2 lift cable for HD cameras. Read more in the Channeltech 2+2 Flat guide.
Intercom and emergency phone
Keep the lift intercom on its own cable, so a camera fault can never silence the emergency phone. The Channeltech CAT6 Flat 2 Pair carries two twisted pairs in a soft-grade FRLS PVC flat jacket for exactly this.
The fixed run and the moving loop
The cable has two parts. The fixed run goes from the NVR or DVR and the machine room to a junction box, and ordinary round cable is right for it. The moving loop goes from the junction box to the cabin and must be a flat elevator cable. Join the two inside the box, never inside the loop. Fixing the cable at mid-height needs a loop of about half the travel plus 3 m; the calculation and the coil count are in How much cable for a lift camera, or use the floors-to-coils calculator.
What to check on the datasheet
- Stranded copper, not solid, in the moving part (Channeltech CC-8251G-90: 24 AWG, 7/0.195 mm).
- An FRLS jacket tested to IEC 60332-1.
- A stated bend radius for flexing (Channeltech: ≤ 4 × cable diameter).
- A continuous length with no joint in the loop: Channeltech supplies a 180 m coil (90 + 90 m) that is cut once per lift.
- For IP cameras, a recommended PoE run (Channeltech: up to 60 m).
Installing it
Use cushioned clamps, plugs rated for stranded conductors, no cable ties pulled tight, and keep the camera cable clear of the lift's own power travelling cable. The sequence is in the installation guide, and a printable acceptance test is under Downloads.
Getting it
Channeltech flat elevator cables are sold through Channeltech and WIAN dealers. Send the number of lifts, the floors served, the camera type and your city on the Where to buy page and we will point you to the nearest dealer and supply the datasheet and tender documents.
