CCTV Camera Power Supply: Adapter or Power Box?

If your cameras run on 12V DC, add up the current each one draws, add roughly 20% spare, and pick a supply that can deliver that total. One camera or two can use a plug-in adapter. Several cameras are easier to run from a multi-port unit or a power supply box that feeds each camera from its own output. The sum is below, so you can swap in your own figures.

Add up the amps

Find each camera's current on its datasheet or on the label. If only watts are given, divide by 12 to get amps. Add the cameras together, then add about 20% on top. That margin is a rule of thumb, not a standard: a supply running flat out all day runs hotter and ages faster. The table assumes every camera draws 0.5A at 12V. Yours may draw more, especially models with infrared lighting, so check.

The right supply has a total output at or above the last column, at 12V DC. A supply rated 1.5A cannot run four of these cameras, but a 5A unit can.

Single adapter, multi-port unit or power box

A single adapter has one lead and suits one camera. We list the MOSO 12V 1.5A power unit (up to 18W) and a 12V 1.5A adapter with a 2.1mm DC plug. For a bigger single output there is a 12V 5A supply (up to 60W). Read the listing for the connector size and polarity first.

A multi-port unit does the splitting for you. The QVIS 5 port 12V DC 5A power supply has five outputs, a 5A total and PTC protection against over-current and short circuits. That covers the four-camera example above with room to spare.

A power supply box is the neat answer for larger systems. It sits in a metal case near the recorder and each camera gets its own fused channel, so one faulty camera does not take down the rest. We list 18 channel boxes at 15A, 20A and 30A, and a 250W 12V 20A box with 16 channels. An 8 camera system fits any of them with channels left over, and 16 cameras fit the 16 or 18 channel boxes. The total output in amps is what matters: the 9.6A in the table is within the 15A box. The 16 channel box also has a charging circuit for a 12V sealed lead-acid battery.

Connectors

Most 12V cameras take a 2.1mm DC barrel plug, but check your camera and the supply, and match the polarity. Where a lead is too short or has bare wires, DC pigtails help. We list male and female pigtails in red and black with a 5.5x2.1mm barrel, for example the 30cm male pigtail. Browse all of them under connectors.

Cable runs and voltage drop

Low-voltage DC loses some voltage along the cable, and the loss grows with the length of the run, with the current the camera draws, and with thinner cable. If a camera sits at the end of a long thin run it can reboot at night when the infrared comes on, because that is when it draws most. Use a thicker conductor for long runs, keep the supply close to the cameras where you can, and check the cable maker's current rating and the camera datasheet's allowed voltage range. Our wire and cable range covers the cable side.

PoE cameras

A camera that runs on power over Ethernet takes its power from the network cable and does not need a separate 12V supply.

Our power range

The power supplies and multi-port units above are mostly in power accessories; the 12V 5A supply is in others and the DC pigtails are in wire and cable. Check each listing for its output current and channel count before you order.