Cctv Security Surveillance - Information to Help You Choose the Right Products
By James McCann
cctv-security-systems
Below we go into more details about the two main parts of a CCTV security system, the Digital Video Recorder (DVR) and the Camera’s.
Digital Video Recorder Basics…
The Digital Video Recorder is the “brain” of a CCTV system; it takes the images from the cameras and stores them on to a hard disk drive. You can then look at the images recorded on the hard drive, and review what the cameras have been viewing by connecting a monitor (or other form of display unit) to the DVR.
Common forms of back-up include:
- Connecting to Video recorder
- USB to PC link
- USB Pen Stick
- CD Rewriter (built in or external)
- DVD Rewriter (built in or external)
- Networked
Digital Video Recorders are available as Standalone units or PC based units. Although many PC based Digital Video Recorders offer lots of added features and familiar use, standalone Digital Video Recorders are purpose built for the job and are considered more reliable and therefore less likely to fail.
CCTV Camera Basics…
First where is the camera going? Indoors or outdoors? If outdoors use the weatherproof guide to choose what kind of an IP rating your camera requires.
Weather Proof Rating…
Weather proof is measured using an IP Rating, if a camera doesn’t state an IP rating you can consider it is for internal use only.
Once you know this, go to the area where you want to install the camera and look at what you want the camera to see. How far is the scene you want to capture from the camera? How big is it? Think about this and make sure you know what lens size you need to be able to see the scene you want at the distance it is away. There are many CCTV Lens Calculators on the internet to help you.
Consider, will you need to be able to see in dark conditions? If its needs to see in low light conditions, how dark does it get? Go back at night time and see how dark it actually is, then use the Lux guide to see what kind of “minimum illumination” your camera requires.
Lux Guide:
0.00005 lux = Starlight
0.0001 lux = Moonless overcast night sky
0.001 lux = Moonless clear night sky
0.01 lux = Quarter Moon
0.25 lux = Full Moon on a clear night
1 lux = Moonlight at high altitude at tropical latitudes
3 lux = Dark limit of civil twilight under a clear sky
32000 lux = Sunlight on an average day (min.)
100000 lux = Sunlight on an average day (max.)
As far as the technology used in a CCTV system goes, it suffices to say that some of these systems can be very sophisticated. Another amazing thing about the cameras on a CCTV security system is that they can focus on a single object from a crowded environment and follow that one object. They provide high definition images from which faces can be recognized. The time needed for a system to identify one face out of several thousands is less than a second. The system is mostly used in airports where terrorists may enter a country.
Ok, now hopefully you have a better idea about what a CCTV camera is and what kind best suits your situation. With all the above knowledge, I hope it helps you choose a suitable CCTV system for your needs.
You may wanna check other guides about Mini Camera and Home Alarm
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