How to if a specific wire gauge can support a camera. 

Measure the cable Resistance:

1. Disconnect both ends of the cable.

2. Connect one end of the cable to a Power Jack with Pig Tail connector, and short both ends together.

3. On the other end, measure the resistance between power and ground.

4. Record resistance as R_Wire

Calculate the equivalent load:

1. Look up maximum power or current consumption in camera specification.

For Example, HTINTB8G lists a maximum power consumption at 800mA, which is 0.8A

2. Convert current consumption in form of resistance. Use equation R_Camera = Voltage/Current => 12 (V) / I_Camera (A)

For Example, The HTINTB8 has R_Camera = 12 (V) / 0.8 (A) = 15Ω

Calculate the Voltage Drop:

• The voltage reading at the load (camera) is calculated as a ratio of the load resistance to the total resistance.
  V_Camera = 12V x R_Camera / R_Total => 12V x R_Camera / (R_Camera + R_Wire)
• If the calculated V_Camera is below the minimum recommended Voltage of 10.8V (10% deviation of 12V), then the power cable has too much resistance and might not be able to fully support the Speco Camera.
• For Example, a cable has a measured R_Wire of 5Ω, using the equation above the calculations for V_Camera of HTINTB8G goes: V_Camera = 12V x 15Ω / (15Ω + 5Ω) => 12V x 15Ω/20Ω = 9V
• The 9V calculated at the camera end would not meet the recommended minimum voltage of 10.8V; the cable running power to the camera has too much resistance.

Initial Publish Date: April 7th, 2025

Transcribed by: Tyler Rowe, Customer Service