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What PoE actually is
PoE stands for Power over Ethernet. One network cable to each camera carries both its power and its video, back to a recorder — an NVR — in the house. No outlet at the camera, no WiFi to drop out, no batteries.
A single cable run can go about 100 metres, which covers most houses and yards. Past that, or out to another building, you add a switch at the far end or a wireless bridge to get the network there first.
Why it beats wireless for most properties
Wireless cameras are only as good as the WiFi where they hang, and the outside corners of a house are usually where WiFi is weakest. A wired camera does not have that problem.
The recorder keeps everything locally. When the internet goes down — which on a rural line is not hypothetical — recording carries on and you can review it later. There is no monthly fee to keep footage.
And it scales. Add a camera, plug it into a spare port. Most kits come with more channels than cameras for exactly that reason.
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Reolink 4K 8-channel PoE NVR kit
4K cameras and an 8-channel recorder with a hard drive included, so four spare ports to grow into. Phone app with no subscription.
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Lorex 4K wired NVR system
A long-standing name in Canadian retail. Local recording to the NVR, remote viewing on your phone, no monthly fee.
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Amcrest 4K PoE NVR kit
Works with standard ONVIF cameras from other brands, which matters if you want to mix and match later.
The parts that decide whether it lasts
Cable. Anything that runs outside needs outdoor-rated cable; anything that goes underground needs direct-burial rated cable. Indoor cable outdoors cracks in UV and cold, and the failure looks like a camera fault months later.
The drive. Surveillance drives are built to write constantly, all day, every day. A desktop drive in an NVR is the most common cause of a system that "stopped recording" without anyone noticing.
Spare PoE ports. If the kit does not have enough, or a camera is out at the shop, a small PoE switch extends it.
- See it on Amazon.ca
Outdoor direct-burial Cat6 cable
For any run that is outside or underground. Get burial-rated if it goes in the ground, not just "outdoor".
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WD Purple surveillance hard drive
Built for round-the-clock recording. The upgrade to make if your kit shipped with a small drive or you want longer retention.
- See it on Amazon.ca
TP-Link 5-port PoE switch
Four PoE ports to power more cameras, or to put at the far end of a run to reach cameras past the 100 m cable limit.
When wired is not practical
A building with no network out to it, a spot with no way to get a cable to, or a rental where drilling is not an option. For those, a wireless or solar camera is the right tool — see our guide to wireless and solar cameras.
For an outbuilding, the better answer is often to get the network out there first with a wireless bridge, then run short PoE cables from there. The cameras then behave like any other wired camera on the system.
Rather not do it yourself? See our security camera installation service.
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