1. Go for high quality cable and know all you can about matching the cable to the environment (indoor or outdoor). A solid core, bare-copper conductor is the most appropriate for video purposes, unless flexing is a threat. In portions where the cable will definitely bend, use cable intended for such movement. This cable, if it will be subject to tension, need to be a stranded wire core. A cable with pure copper stranding is highly recommended. Avoid copper-plated steel stranding because, in the case of the frequency range in CCTV, it does not broadcast as efficiently.

2. Use cable with solid polyethylene dielectric when handling projects subject to moisture. While foam polyethylene bears superior electrical features and performance over solid polyethylene, it is more prone to moisture's negative effects.

3. In the average CCTV set-up with cable lengths of less than 750 feet (228 m), RG59/U cable can deliver satisfactory performance.

4. For short cable runs, you can rely on a RG59/U with a 22-gauge center conductor. Still longer runs will call for a 20-gauge variety with DC resistance. Either way, make use of cables with polyurethane or polyethylene as the dielectric material.

5. For installations requiring cable runs from 800 (244 m) onwards other cables are available, such as the RG6/U and RG11/U. With the growing use of diverse tech applications, variations of RG59/U, RG6/U and RG11/U are frequently released to the market by manufacturers.

6. With alterations in fire and safety regulations, cable wire users are increasingly taking to Teflon and other fire-retardant materials as their outer-jacket and dielectric materials. The rather low-key fact is that, in case of a fire, these materials do not emit the noxious fumes that are associated with PVC-type cables, which led to their being considered as safer.

7. Underground applications call for direct burial cables which are manufactured particularly for that purpose. Its outer material bears, among others, moisture-resisting chemicals that will preserve the cable. Thus it can even be placed directly into a trench.

8. Despite allowances for built-in losses, the longer and smaller the cable is, the more severe the losses become; and the higher the signal frequency, the more pronounced the losses. CCTV security systems are targets of these common problems. An example of how to overcome this problem is that, if the distance between your cameras and monitors are greater than 750 feet, ensure that some provision guarantees the video signal's transmission strength.

9. Proper termination of coaxial cables is essential to a, for instance, video security system's reliable performance. Proper termination requirements depends on equipment specifications. The effect of the failure to terminate signals properly is usually a high contrast, slightly grainy image. Ghosting and other signal imperfections also may show up.