Global Security Tracking

CCTV Systems

Closed Circuit Television Systems are closed networks which are internal to your business or home. Connected to the CCTV network will be your video equipment, which can be analog or digital cameras of the wired or wireless type, DVRs, NVRs, multiplexers, motion sensors, video terminals, or other surveillance components.

With introduction of IP (internet protocol) cameras, DVR (digital video recorder) and NVR (network video recorders) servers, which can connect to the internet for outside (world wide) access, the term CCTV can be somewhat confusing and is often used to describe the older analog systems that were put in place several years back, which included analog cameras matched with VCR analog recording devices.

Today, CCTV systems can be comprised of IP cameras matched with NVR servers, or analog cameras matched with DVR servers. Each solutions offers different pros and cons and the choice depends on your business or home requirements.

Analog Networks

Video capture technology inside the analog and IP cameras are somewhat similar, in that they use semiconductor chips of CMOS or CCD variants to collect visible light as images. The method of output, the signal coming out of the camera, is what determines if a CCTV system is analog or digital.

Analog cameras output the video signal in NTSC or PAL formats, which is a television standard. This signal is carried on a cable (of different types), back to a central location connecting to a multiplexer or DVR server. Because of this requirement, analog solutions are difficult and could be costly to relocate.

IP Networks

Based on true digital technology, IP cameras have changed how the CCTV infrastructure is presented today. Instead of a closed system using the NTSC / PAL video standards to communicate between camera and DVR, IP cameras make use of the Internet Protocol (IP) standard to transmit compressed and encode digital data between CCTV components, mainly a NVR server. The digital output from an IP camera does not require the CAT5 / Ethernet cable to be specifically routed back to the NVR server, like in an analog solution. This permits the IP cameras and NVR's to be located anywhere on the network, whether a LAN or WAN (local area network/wide area network). Relocating the IP camera or NVR is much simpler and less costly.

If an IP camera can communicate over the internet, and permitted to do so, the idea of a closed network is not truly accurate. Using the right software application, IP cameras/NVR's can be accessed from any remote device which has access to the internet, including cell phones which has the capability of receiving video images sent from CCTV networks.

Going Wireless

Wireless technology has been on the increase in the past several years, opening the world to a new era of communication. Wireless technology is everywhere, from Cell phones, laptops, PDA, blackberry, GPS units, to home devices like TV/stereo speakers, PC keyboard and mouse, cable signals from TV to TV, and more.

Wireless technology application in surveillance is useful when you need to apply cameras in locations that are difficult to reach with conventional networking solutions, or require a portable covert solution. Wireless signal quality often does not match wired technology, for there will always be the possibility of interference.

Purchasing Tips

Cheap packages/kits can be picked up at some retailers, though you may not find the quality you need in these low-end kits, especially with outdoor security cameras. A professional installer often does alarm systems as well, and can analyze proper indoor security camera placement to get your money’s worth from a system.

Don’t forget the DVR or NVR. There are a number of off-the-shelf solutions that offer video surveillance, but they don’t include a method for recording the video from your surveillance camera. Look for one with options for back-ups, and spend money wisely here, since all the cameras in the world watching a crime at your business does no good if it doesn’t properly record the event.

When it’s time to buy the DVR/NVR recording system, spend wisely. Don’t go for an all-inclusive feature-set unless you know you’re going to use it. Keep it simple, and spend that money instead on more storage space so you can archive surveillance camera video longer or save more images per second.