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Balun distribution agreement

Syntech and Folksafe have announced the debut of Folksafe CCTV passive baluns into the South African market, on an exclusive distribution agreement.

Folksafe passive baluns are designed for CCTV professionals, integrators and installers. The Folksafe passive baluns are ideal for installation into any analogue CCTV environment using CAT5 E/6 UTP (unshielded twisted pair) cabling, as the baluns enable a more streamlined and faster installation process.

Traditionally RJ59 coax/powax cable has been used for CCTV installations. With the Folksafe passive baluns integrated into the CCTV installation, the installation process itself is less time-consuming and ultimately is a neater install. There is added value in installing the Folksafe passive balun in conjunction with the CAT 5 cable – the installer is able to forward plan for the cable setup to enable an IP conversion at a later stage.

Geoff Malkin, CCTV manager at Syntech, states, “the Folksafe Passive balun provided by Syntech will revolutionise the standard of Passive baluns in the CCTV industry, and will give the end-user a better quality video image. This will be exceptionally valuable in the banking, retail, petroleum and other high risk industries requiring constant high quality CCTV surveillance.”

’Folksafe designs, develops and manufactures HD video and digital video transmission devices that are far superior to the generic devices currently available in the EMEA market. The Folksafe Passive balun ensures longer distance availability, better picture quality and ensures protection against lightning and electricity surges,” says Craig Nowitz, MD of Syntech.

What is a balun?

A balun is a small plastic device which enables the video signal of a CCTV camera to be transmitted long distances over low-cost CAT 5 unshielded twisted pair (UTP) cable. This is the fast, easy, and low-cost way to connect a CCTV camera to a monitor or DVR (digital video recorder). The balun enables the transmission of a monochrome video signal up to 600 metres, or of a colour video signal up to 400 metres.

An active balun is a balun that has its own power supply built in. This means that the installer can install a camera with longer cable runs as the active balun provides additional power over the distance. The installer does not need to install power supplies at the camera, as the active balun has the capability to provide power at greater distances. However, the active balun is price-sensitive and is generally only required in larger installations (16+ cameras).

The passive balun can be used on any type of CCTV installation, regardless of the installation size. The additional benefit to the budget- conscious installer is the relatively low cost of the passive balun. The passive balun can, however, be used in conjunction with active baluns where required.

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