Cables

Analogue HD cameras use coaxial cable, commonly RG59, and shotgun cable such as the Mercury 808.105UK combines RG59 coax with 2-core power in one sheath. IP cameras use Cat5e or Cat6 network cable, which can also carry PoE power to the camera.

LSZH means low smoke zero halogen: the sheath gives off little smoke and no halogen gas if it burns, which matters in escape routes and enclosed public spaces. SFX Cat5e and Cat6 LSZH reels and Securi-Flex BS 5308 cable in this range use LSZH sheaths.

Cat5e and Cat6 are both network cables with four twisted pairs. Cat6 is built to a higher bandwidth, such as the 250 MHz stated on the SFX Cat6 armoured cable, and suits faster networks, while Cat5e remains common for CCTV and general data runs.

BS 5308 is the British standard for instrumentation cable, used for control, telemetry and monitoring signals, often in industrial sites. Securi-Flex BS 5308 Part 1 Type 1 cables in this range come in 1, 2 and 5 pair versions with LSZH sheaths on 100m reels.

Use a cable with an outdoor sheath. PE-jacketed cables such as the Mercury 808.010UK Cat5e outdoor cable resist weather, and armoured SWA versions such as the SFX Cat5e and Cat6 armoured cables add mechanical protection for buried or exposed runs.

CCA stands for copper clad aluminium, an aluminium conductor with a copper coating, used in economy cables such as some Mercury Figure 8 speaker cable and RG59 coax. Solid copper or OFC conductors, such as on the Mercury 808.101UK, suit longer or more demanding runs.

Shotgun cable combines RG59 coax for video with a 2-core power cable in one sheath, so a single run feeds an analogue CCTV camera. Shotgun cables here include the Mercury 808.105UK. Rhino Guard RG59 shotgun cable has 2×0.5 mm power on a 100 m reel, and Securiflex RG59 + 2 power cable comes on 250 m.

Multi-core alarm cable connects detectors, keypads and sirens to the alarm panel. Belden burglar and shielded alarm cables in this range come on 100m, 305m and 500m reels. Examples are the 4306UE.00305 burglar alarm cable and the 4502FLW.00500 shielded alarm cable, which screens the signal from electrical interference.