Category 5 twisted pair cable (Cat5) now supports video, low voltage power and RS422 provided vendor-specific cabling guidelines are followed. This has opened up the possibility of powering and controlling analog security video cameras remotely via standard twisted pair cable. The support for copper twisted pair for the above signals has led to the problem of how to manage these multiple signal pairs within the context of a structured cabling system.
For example, each camera requires at least one twisted pair for video. If the camera is powered from a central console, then one or two extra pairs is required. If the camera supports PTZ control, then a fourth pair is needed. Since not all cameras require all three signals, it is necessary to combine and extract the desired signals depending on the type of camera connection.