Closed Circuit Television Cameras

We use Closed Circuit Television Cameras (CCTV) for surveillance, security, property protection, monitoring employee performance and to monitor areas that may be deemed unsafe for human habitation. 

The output of these CCTV cameras is feed into a security digital video recorder (DVR). This DVR can store the video for viewing later, feed the video into a security center or connect to the Internet for viewing from anywhere in the world on your computer or smart phone. This gives great flexibility to view your CCTV network now, in real time, from your office or workplace or have a time stamped recording of the video for use later. The Security DVR can be a stand-alone unit with ample recording space or the DVR can very small and integrated with the camera and the recording done on a memory card.

In choosing a CCTV system the home owner or business owner may have different needs and preferences. The business owner may want to spend the time, effort and money to install a wired system incorporating not only video, but also power cables. Home owners may not want route wires through walls and they may want to take the CCTV system with them to a new home. The home owner would then select a wireless system that is easier to install or relocate.

When selecting cameras for a CCTV system we have many choices, and most of them have specific uses for specific conditions.

Indoor Cameras are the most common CCTV camera and are used in offices, homes, schools and retail establishments. An indoor camera can be either wired or wireless and color or black and white.

If security is required around the clock or 24 hours a day we can use Infrared Day/Night Cameras. These cameras can record in daylight, but also in almost complete darkness. To ensure a good image these cameras utilize infrared LEDs that illuminate the area or subject, but are not seen by the human eye, so the intruder will not know they are being recorded.

The Dome Camera has a small camera placed in the dome shaped housing. The camera can be aimed toward a specific area or adjusted for a wide field of view. The dome camera is usually placed on a ceiling, but can be placed on a wall or even the floor as desired. This camera is good for view a large area with lots of people and the camera is very discreet. 

The Bullet Cameras are good for focusing on a specific area; and are not very large, so they do not attract a lot of attention. The camera itself is placed in a cylindrical housing making them appear to look like a large bullet. You have many choices with the bullet camera as they can be day/night, indoor/outdoor and vandal proof, as required.

An Outdoor camera is a camera that can be placed outdoors in the elements. If needed these cameras can be equipped with internal heaters and are good for viewing parking lots, doors and outdoor equipment.

The Pan Tilt and Zoom Cameras (PTZ) can be remotely controlled to pan (left or right), tilt (up and down) or zoom in to an object or revert back to wide-angle for a larger field of view. These cameras can be controlled on site by a remote control box or over the Internet using your computer. All the control goes through your security DVR, so there is a time stamped recording being stored.

The next camera is the Nanny Cam or Hidden Spy Camera. This is a small CCTV camera inside a common object such as a clock, radio, mirror or sign that someone would expect to find in a room. Also the object that the camera is located inside of is fully functional, to help with disguising the camera. A hidden camera can be wired, wireless or self-contained with its own DVR internally inside of the object. The least expensive is the wired camera and it can be wired through a security DVR to your computer or to your router and the Internet. The wireless version can also be connected to your computer or the internet. A self-contained or hidden camera with internal DVR can easily be moved from location to location and it records on a memory card for later viewing. Hidden spy cameras can usually be set by the DVR for motion detection to save recording space. When buying your camera you can choose between a color or black and white camera and day or night lens.

Finally we have an IP Camera. This camera has its own IP address and can be connected directly to the internet or your computer. If the camera is connected to the internet directly without a computer or DVR, you can access the video from anywhere in the world, but you will not be making a time stamped recording. These cameras can greatly reduce the cost of monitoring a specific area without using a DVR, if you are willing to accept any limitation.

When preparing to buy a CCTV system or cameras, ask the person selling the equipment about use, compatibility and options available. A good CCTV system for home or office is not that expensive and you can use the existence of a video surveillance system to lower you insurance costs. In court there is no better evidence that a timed stamped video recording of a criminal.

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