The following chart is designed to help calculate DC voltage drop per 100 feet of paired wire as a function of wire gauge and camera power consumption.
By matching load current (camera power consumption) across the top of the chart with wire gauge (AWG) down the left side of the chart, one can determine voltage drop per 100 feet of paired wire run.
NOTE: A paired wire run represents the feed and return line to the load. Therefore, a 500 foot wire pair is equivalent to 1000 feet of total wire.
EXAMPLE:
If the power consumption of a camera is 1 AMP, and using 18 AWG wire, the voltage drop for a 350 foot run of paired wire can be calculated as below.
Using the chart, we match the row for 18 AWG and the column for 1 AMP and determine that voltage drop per 100 feet is 1.27 Volts. By dividing the paired wire length by 100, we get the factor by which we need to multiply voltage drop per 100 feet to determine total voltage drop. Therefore, 350 feet divided by 100 equals 3.5. Multiply 3.5 by 1.27 volts drop per 100 feet to get your total voltage drop. Thus the total voltage drop is 3.5 times 1.27, or 4.45 voltage drop for 350 feet.
350/100 x 1.27 = 4.45V
Initial Publish Date: April 7th, 2025
Transcribed by: Tyler Rowe, Customer Service