Adding a Microphone to a PTZ Camera

Outdoor PTZ Cameras do not come with a built-in microphone for weather proofing reasons. In order to record audio along with your security camera's video you have to use an add-on security camera mic of some sort. CCTV Camera World has microphones for both indoor and outdoor applications. Having an external microphone provides more flexibility when recording audio as you can run the microphone to a different spot from where the camera is installed. Setting up the wired connections between an external microphone and one of our PTZ cameras is simple as explained in this guide.

Equipment Needed to Connect External Mic to PTZ Cameras

Here is a list of items you'll need to connect an external microphone to any one of our PTZ cameras that have a 2 line bare wire audio input:

• Outdoor Microphone - SKU: 71891
• 12V DC 500mA Power Supply - SKU: 12V5MA
• Video Balun - SKU: VB2PHD
• BNC Female to RCA Male Connector - SKU: BNCRCA02

Next, we'll explain how to connect the items mentioned above to an IP PTZ camera.

Wiring Setup for PTZ Camera with Two-Lead Audio Input

Audio-capable Pan Tilt Zoom IP Cameras will have either an RCA audio input jack or a two-lead wire audio-in. Below, we show how to set up a PTZ camera with a two-lead wire audio input. We use a video balun to convert the two lead bare wire connection on the PTZ to a BNC connection so we can connect a mic. For cameras with an RCA audio input jack, a balun will not be necessary and is discussed in the next section.

1. Connect the RCA female jack on the microphone to a video balun using a BNC Female to RCA Male connector.
2. On the other end of the video balun, connect the two-lead audio-in wire from the PTZ camera. In our case, the white wire is positive (+) and black wire is negative (-) when plugged in to the video balun.
3. The microphone has a pigtail with two ends - a RCA Female jack, and a female power jack. Connect the female power jack to a 12V DC power supply and connect the power supply to a 110V AC power outlet.
4. To configure the camera to detect the external microphone, follow instructions in the section Enabling audio input on an IP camera.

Wiring Setup for IP Camera with RCA Audio Input

If your IP security camera has RCA audio input rather than a two-lead wire, then the wiring setup is slightly different. Below is a wiring diagram when using an IP camera with RCA audio input.

1. Connect the RCA female jack on the microphone to the RCA female jack on the IP camera using a RCA Male to RCA Male connector.
2. If you need more distance in between the camera and microphone, you can use an RCA cable with RCA Male plugs on each end to bridge the RCA input on the IP camera with the RCA output on the microphone.
3. Connect the power jack on the mic to a 12V DC power supply and connect the power supply to a 110V AC power outlet.

Once you have the wiring portion accomplished, follow the section below on how to configure your IP camera to recognize the external mic.

Enabling audio input on an IP camera

Some of the IP cameras we sell here at CCTV Camera World allow for an external audio source to be added. Please refer to the camera description and/or specs to determine whether your camera has an audio-in jack. For those cameras with a RCA audio input or a two-lead wire audio interface, you have to configure the camera to detect the microphone connected to the audio-input connector. The video below shows how to enable audio input, and configure the audio input levels, and other settings. It also has a video/audio sample of our indoor security camera mic being used with our 4K dome camera with audio input.

How to Add an External Mic and Power to an IP Camera

How to Enable Audio on an IP Camera Connected to an External Microphone (with Audio Sample)

4K IP Dome Camera with built-in Audio, IPC4K11ED, Indoor Audio Video Sample

The video below demonstrates the performance of the microphones that come integrated in our IP cameras with microphones. If you watch the video mentioned above and below, you can compare the performance of an IP camera with an external microphone to our 4K dome camera with built-in mic, and determine which camera type works best for you.