"Some baluns also include the ability to run power down separate conductors of the Cat5e to the camera. "

And some are designed to operate with 'phantom power' on the signal lines.

Phantom power when used in the context of baluns to carry an analog signal over CAT5e, typically refers to the power used to supply power to an active balun (as opposed to passive) at the other end of the cable.

Baluns that include the ability to actually power the device at the other end will use 1-3 of the remaining twisted pairs depending on the power requirements of the device and length of run.

The baluns usually come with a chart to show voltage drop over over a run based on device voltage and current requirements, how many pairs to use, and what voltage supply to use at the head end.

The above phantom power/dedicated conductors approach is somewhat similar to PoE (power over Ethernet) modes A & B respectively. IP based cameras that use PoE are available but have cable length run limitations and usually come with a transformer as well.

For OP's application, I would say the ability to use CAT5e for power would most likely work for a camera without IR illumination, but would probably require a power xfmr down below for a camera with IR illumination.

yosemite,
Don't pay any attention to that guy and don't even feel like you need to defend your response. He sits and waits until someone else responds to a question and then he cuts and pastes a sentence or two from somebody elses response who took the time to give an honest reply. This is usually to discredit what a person says to make himself look like some kind of expert. Look all over the site,very seldom he offers a first response. Most of his responses are disputing what someone else says. Most people ignore him but every once in a while, he catches someone off guard.

windslam,

Thank you for taking the time to post that thoughtful reply. It does seem at times, some people prefer to critique, rather than just post an informative and helpful response... even though they're not always right.

While my background is broadcast/video engineering, and consumer electronics engineering, I won't even touch the LCD vs Plasma posts anymore!

hey yosemitebill,
Great credentials!! You can bet I'll be watching for your responses to anything in this forum!!! It's fantastic to have people with your expertise willing to help!!!

Yosemitebill,
Dang Yosemite, the search function on this site either sucks or my way of searching sucks. Anyhow, I've been trying to see what your take is on LCD vs Plasma tv's. I promised my family I would buy a 50 or 55 inch tv for the family room wall. I was looking at the LED/LCD from what I had been reading here and listening to peoples opinions. Is there any way I could get you to change your stance on not getting involved in the debate. An opinion from a real professional would really help me out!!!

I'm sure the thing would get turned on and stay on for a lot of the day on weekends. During the week, it would probably only get turned on in the evenings for a few hours. I'm looking for the best type to hold up under those conditions. None of us are too picky about having the feeling of "being there" we just want a good picture on a tv that would last awhile. One of us will be watching cartoons, 2 teens will be watching a variety of stuff, rock concerts I'm sure will be in that mix. The rest of us are into History, Nat Geo, Documentaries, Sci-Fi, Shootem/cussem-up movies, and infrequently, some varying types of high profile sports.

pleeeease????

I'd love to get some input on that same topic but shouldn't we wait until we are sure bwood74, the original poster, has gotten an answer to his satisfaction?

OMG BWOOD74, I am so sorry!!!! I got caught up with having a professional like yosemetibill snagged by the pants leg here.