Fibre, wireless or copper for elevator cameras — an honest comparison
All three are used. Here is where each one makes sense, including the cases where CAT6 flat is not the answer.
For a lift camera you have three ways to get the video out of a moving car: copper (CAT6 flat or 2+2 flat), a fibre travelling cable, or a wireless bridge. Each has a place.
Copper: CAT6 flat or 2+2 flat
The default. One cable carries data and power (IP) or video and 12 V (HD), it terminates with ordinary connectors, and any CCTV installer can work with it. Limits: a recommended run of 60 m for PoE, and the cable must be a proper flat travelling cable, not round.
Fibre travelling cable
Used in very tall buildings (typically well above 60 m of loop) and where many cameras or high bandwidth must travel with the car. It needs a media converter and separate power in the car, and fibre travelling cables and their terminations are specialist work for the lift company. Right for towers; over-specified for almost everything else.
Wireless bridge
A pair of directional radios, one on the car top and one at the shaft top. No cable — but the car still needs power for the camera and radio, and steel in the shaft, the counterweight and the doors make the link inconsistent in some shafts and fine in others. Reasonable where the shaft cannot be re-cabled; a gamble as a first choice.
The comparison
| CAT6 flat (copper) | Fibre travelling cable | Wireless bridge | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Data | Up to 1 Gbps, 60 m recommended run on PoE | Multi-gigabit, long loops | Depends on shaft; variable |
| Power to the car | PoE on the same cable | Separate | Separate |
| Terminations | RJ45, standard | Splice / SC-LC, specialist | Radio config |
| Who installs | CCTV installer + lift company | Lift company / fibre specialist | CCTV installer |
| Best for | Almost every building up to ~20 floors; taller with GI rope | Towers, multi-camera cars | Shafts that cannot be re-cabled |
