What is CCTV?
CCTV is a closed-circuit television, a type of video surveillance that uses cameras and a television monitor to watch your property. These cameras will record the activity around your property and send the signal to your monitor or monitors so that you can always know what is happening around your property.
Many people use CCTV to monitor what is going on around them and many business owners use it to protect their property and merchandise. You can also use it to secure your home to make sure that there is no illicit activity going on around your home. This camera system will protect your home and family and help to keep you safe.
There are many things that you need to know about securing your home or business with CCTV and this article will outline a few of those things. You can also do your own research and find out more about this property-saving system.
10 Things to Consider Before Installing CCTV Camera
- Some Systems Have Built-in SD Card Slots
Some CCTV cameras have SD card slots built right into them so that you can save all the recordings from your camera. This means that you would not have to have a separate recording device to record everything.
Your SD card can also store much more information on it than most recording devices. You can get SD cards in a variety of memory all the way up to 128 GB.
- Know Your Pan and Tilt
Pan and tilt are terms that you should know when you are purchasing your CCTV devices. Pan is the maximum angle that you can rotate horizontally and tilt is the maximum angle that it can move vertically. You want a camera that has a maximum pan of around 355 degrees and a tilt of around 90 degrees.
This will allow getting the maximum viewing of the area that you want to watch. You also want a camera that you can control, as well as one that can pan and tilt on its own.
- Image Quality
Most CCTV cameras can have a resolution of up to 1080p, but you do not always want one with the maximum resolution because it takes more space to store.
If you only have the storage within your camera, you will not be able to store much if you use the highest resolution. This would only allow you to record about an hour’s worth of video at a time.
This would cause your camera to erase what it had after it was full so that it could record again. This could cause you to lose important footage that you might need later.
To learn more about image quality in your CCTV system look at this website. It is best to go with a lower resolution and have a backup recording device, as well.
- Motion and Audio Sensors
You want to make sure that your cameras have motion and audio sensors so that they record when activity is occurring.
Once these cameras sense a motion or a noise, they can send a message to your smart device and allow you to monitor the action immediately. This will allow you to call the authorities when they are needed and may be able to catch the culprit in action.
- Easy Installation and Setup
How easy is the CCTV system to install and set up? Can you do it alone, or will you need a professional to come and do it for you?
You want a system that has easy installation and setup so that you do not have to pay a professional. Most CCTV systems have easy-to-follow directions on installation and setup allowing you to do it on your own if you have a basic knowledge.
- Video Chat with Family
You will want a system that allows you to video chat with family members. This will allow chatting with family members who are home alone and may need assistance at times.
This could be your children or your elderly family members that you may need to leave home alone for short times. This gives you a sense of comfort and safety for your loved ones.
- Waterproof
You will want to make sure that your system is waterproof so that it will not get ruined in wet weather.
You do not want a system that will cut out or not work in the rain, that will just allow the bad guys to know that they can break into your home or business in bad weather. You want a system that is waterproof so that you will be protected at all times.
- Included Accessories
You will want to know what accessories are included in the box and which accessories you may still need to purchase to make your system work.
Make sure things such as your power adapter and mounting brackets are included so you do not have to purchase more equipment. These items should be included, but sometimes are not in the cheaper systems.
- Infra-red LEDs
You will also want to know how many infra-red LEDs are on the sides of your lenses. The more infra-red LEDs the better the quality of the footage at night. These infra-red LEDs will help to light up the night making for clearer pictures from overnight. You can learn more about infra-red LEDs here: https://hackaday.com/2020/02/28/using-ir-leds-to-hide-in-plain-sight/. This site will help you to learn all you need to know.
- Maximum Range of the Camera
You will need to know the maximum range of your cameras to know how many cameras you will need. You should have a range of at least twenty-five meters so that the items at the furthest reach of the camera can still be seen clearly. If you have a longer or wider area that you need to be covered, consider adding more cameras in the distance.
Conclusion
These are just a few of the items that you need to consider when you are purchasing a new CCTV system. You can do further research to see what other things you might need to look out for, but this is a start for you.