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Looking for more information about security alarm, card access or CCTV System? Wondering how you can improve your security system coverage or confused about some of the terms used? Check out our site for more information.

Security Tips

There is no such thing as a 100% burglar-proof home. What there is, however, are homes that are more difficult to break into than others. Remember that in assessing their targets, burglars use the double criteria of speedy entry and not attracting attention.

The longer it takes to enter and the more noise he makes - greatly increase his chance of being seen and caught. Hence homes that are not easily and quickly broken into are most often bypassed. Our challenge is to make it harder for the burglar to gain entry.

We have compiled 10 ideas for you to make your home more secure. Please feel free to also browse our range of Home Security Systems, Security Cameras and Entry Door Door Lock systems. Should you require more information, you can contact us either by calling us or sending us a email.

#1 Layer Your Home Security System

It is easy for a criminal to bypass a single line of defense. Multiple layers not only slow him, but serve as a means to alert you or your neighbors that someone is trying to break in. A good example of a layered defense is having strong padlocks on gates and grilles on windows.

#2 Look out for blind spot

Pretend you are a burglar and survey your property for weakness where a burglar may be able to gain access. Stand outside your windows and see if you can spot any valuables. If you can, so can burglars.

#3 Look at the area around the locks

A lock is not enough. You must consider the area 18 to 24 inches around the lock itself. That is the area you must protect. A burglar doesn't care how much damage he causes. T The best locks in the world will do no good if he smashes the door in. Similarly windows can be broken and locks undone.

Hence it is good to add other layers such as grilles and alarm system to complement your security.

#4 Select good locks

Many home door locks can be quickly bypassed with a knife or screwdriver slid in the gap between door and frame. After that the criminal can easily work the tongue of most cheap locks out of the door frame. Similarly a thin kitchen knife slid between sash windows can "tap" a normal window lock open.

Hence for all outside exit doors, buy locks that have locking tongues. Test this by holding the door open and locking the knob. Then attempt to depress the tongue into the door with your finger. Better locks will have a secondary tongue that doesn't move. The best locks will have entire tongues that don't move.

#5 Plant thorny shrubs in strategic location

Thorny landscaping not only adds beauty to your home, but makes even getting close to such windows an unappealing prospect

#6 Safety Coat your sliding doors and windows

Safety coat is an adhesive plastic sheeting that makes breaking out windows and sliding doors difficult.

#7 Drape rooms where there is expensive equipment

Thin, sheer drapes, although attractive, also allow burglars to look inside. Where there are expensive equipment, it is good to get into the habit of closing heavy drapes lessening the chance of your home being targeted.

#8 Get a dog

A barking dog, whether inside the house or in the yard is proven as the best deterrent to burglars.

#9 Join a Neighborhood Watch

Even just the signs often send would-be burglars elsewhere. An alert and involved community is the criminal’s nemesis. It is often reason enough for him to try business elsewhere.

#10 Get an alarm system

Now that you've made it slow and difficult for him to get inside, an alarm is far more effective since it gives the cavalry a chance to arrive in time. In addition, burglar, carbon monoxide and fire alarms do wonders to keep your home owner's insurance down

Looking for a Burglar Alarm System

Looking for a Burglar Alarm System but don't know where to start? Already had a quotation from a vendor but don't know if that is right? Lost in the technical jargon and really want to understand more before committing yourself?

Then you have come to the right place. This is where you will find the answers to your questions.

Using Alarm

1. What is arming and disarming?

To arm the system is to tell the system to be on an alert. For arming, there are two types of arming that addresses the operational condition:

Arming Away: Arming Away is you telling the system that no one is in and it should be on an alert. Under this mode of operation, all sensors (whether interior or exterior) are armed and on alert. So if there is a breach of any of the sensors, an alarm will be triggered and the siren will sound.

Arming Home: Arming Home address the situation where you are at home and you want to be protected against intruders yet be free to move about in your house. Under such a mode, the system will only arm the exterior sensors (normally doors and windows) but ignore your motion sensors (normally programmed as interior) so that you can move about without triggering an alarm.

Disarming is you telling the system that it can "relax" and do not need to sound the siren if any of the zones are violated.

Arming and disarming is performed at the keypad and to arm or disarm, you will need your User Code. Different panels may have different command or buttons to press for the two types of arming, though all panels will disarm simply when you enter the correct user code.

2. What is a user code and how can I change the coded?

A user code is needed for arming and disarming. This is the code that the system will use to recognize that you are the authorised person to arm or disarm. How many user code can a system have will depend on the brand though most will support at least 4 user code. You can assign different code for different people or in some companies for different departments. Changing the code normally require you to have the Master Code and the steps to take ar normally outlined in your User guide.

3. What is Chime and how do I turn it on or off?

Chime is a feature of the system where the keypad will sound a chime (ding dong) when certain doors are opened. This is to alert you that a door has been opened. This is quite popular for many homes where the chime can tell you that your child is back or someone has just opened the door to go out. Quite a useful feature particularly for family with young children.

To turn it on or off, there is normally a toggle button on the keypad. For the specifics, please refer to your user guide.

4. How to silence the alarm?

The siren will be sounded once an alarm is triggered. To silence the alarm, you will need to disarm by entering your user code. Note that under the Police requirement, your siren will be automatically cut off after a pre-determined time period. This is to prevent your alarm from becoming a nuisance to your neighbours. The Singapore Code of Practice set it at no more than 10 minutes. Which is why it is always a good idea to have the alarm monitored by a Central Monitoring company or be self monitored via your hand phones.

5. Can I bypass my sensor?

Yes. To bypass your sensor is to tell your system to ignore any signal sent by that detector. This may be necessary where the sensor is faulty and always caused false triggering. How to bypass depends on your model and it is best to refer to your user guide. But note that bypassing a zone is not permanent. When you disarm the system, the system will also restore your bypass and at the next arming, it will treat that detector as fully operational. This is a safety feature to ensure that your system is always working at all time.

6. What to do in a false alarm?

Don't Panic. If you are in the house when the alarm is triggered, you can go to the keypad, enter your User Code and disarm the system If your system is monitored, expect the central monitoring company to contact you. Be ready with your challenge password for authentication.

7. How to prevent false alarm?

False alarm are normally caused by human error which may be result from not fully understand how it work or forgetting that you have armed the system. Be sure that everyone in the house is familiar and know how to properly arm or disarm the system.

Burglar Alarm FAQ

Here are the answers to some of the more commonly asked questions when thinking about a Burglar Alarm System.

1. Is a home security system really necessary?

Studies have shown that homes with an alarm system are three times less likely to be broken into. Having a security alarm system not only is a good deterrent but its loud siren can frighten off the would be intruders.

2. How does an alarm system fend off would-be burglars?

Criminals want an easy way in and they do not want to get caught. Hence having a security alarm system is a great deterrent.

3. Can a home security system save me money?

Yes. Having a home security system not only enhances your resale value, it can help reduce your insurance premiums under most policies.

4. What are the components of a home security system?

A home security system comprises a control panel, keypads, door and windows contacts, motion PIR sensors, fire detectors such as a smoke detectors and other optional detectors such as glass break detectors, panic switches and a siren.

5. How many detectors do I need?

How many detectors you will need depends on your layout and the desired areas of concern. As a minimum, you will need to install door contacts are main entry exit doors and PIR motion sensors to monitor general passage ways or vulnerable areas.

6. Where should I place the detectors?

Door contacts are used for front door,back door or any sliding door that lead to the outside. Window are optional as it may be possible to cover the area with motion sensors.

7. Do I need to connect a telephone line?

Although a home security system can be installed without a telephone line connected to it, it is not recommended. With a telephone line, the system can be programmed to dial out either to a central alarm monitoring station or to your hand phone, to notify you of any intrusion.

8. Do I need another telephone line?

No. You do not need a dedicated telephone line. We can use your existing telephone line. The home security alarm system will only seize the line and dial out in the event of an alarm hence there is no need for a dedicated telephone line.

9. My telephone line is also my broadband line. Can I use it?

Yes. If your telephone line is also your broadband line, it means that the telephone line carries two type of signals - the normal voice circuit as well as the digital signal of the broadband. To ensure proper operation, you will need to use a micro filter. Connect the home security system to the phone side of the filter.

10. Can the alarm get through if my line is engaged?

Yes. It is important that the security alarm panel is connected to your incoming telephone line. When an alarm occurs, the security panel will seize the line, cut off any telephone connected after it, and sent out the signal before releasing the line again.

11. Can the security system work if there is a power failure?

Yes. All home security system comes with a back up battery that should keep the system running for several hours. It is a good practice to change the battery at least once very two years to ensure that it can properly support the system in the event of power failure.

12. Are pets a problem for an alarm system?

No. Our home security system support pet immunity PIR, which allow animals that weigh less than 40 pound to wonder around the house without triggering the alarm.

13. Do I need Central Alarm Monitoring?

A home security system will sound a siren when triggered, frightening the would-be intruder and attracting the attention of your neighbours. However you may not always be able to count on your neighbours. With Central Alarm Monitoring, our professionals are on duty 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, always ready, always vigilant and will respond to your alarm immediately and activate the relevant authorities.

14. What happens in an alarm?

On receiving any alarm notification at the Central Alarm Station, our professionals will immediately contact your designated key holders to inform them of the alarm and to verify that it is not a false alarm. They will activate the police, fire department or the medical emergency services depending on the type of alarm activated.

15. Can I monitor on my own?

Yes. If you choose not to be monitored by our Central Alarm Monitoring company, we can programmed your home security alarm panel to automatically dial your hand phone number.

16. Which is better - wired or wireless?

A wired system is always preferred, particularly for large premises The only challenge with a wired system is the difficulty of installation particularly for homes that have completed its renovation. With wired system, we need to run wires to each detector and where it may not be possible to conceal the wires, a wireless system would be better.

Alarm Technical Notes

1. What is a burglar alarm system?

A burglar alarm system is a proven deterrent against the double threat of burglary and fire. While there are many brands of security system, they can be generally categorized into two types. These are:

Bells only: These systems rely on sirens to both deter the burglar as well as to alert the neighbours to the intrusion. With many newer panel, the system may come with a built-in auto dialer that enable it to send a message to your hand phone via your telephone lines.
Monitored Systems: These systems have all the features of a bell only system with the addition of being monitored by a central station via your telephone line. When an alarm is triggered, the system will send a signal to a central monitoring station where officers on duty can notify the key holders and police of the alarm. While it is not mandatory for most places to be monitored, it is fast becoming popular in view of the many benefits that comes with a monitored system.

2. How do burglar alarm systems work?

The most basic burglar alarm is a simple electric circuit built into an entry way. In any circuit, whether it is used to turn on a fan or a light, for electricity to flow, you need a switch to close the circuit; and to turn it off, you need to open the circuit. For an alarm system, whether the the circuit is open or close depends for example on the door contact installed at the front door.

When the door is closed, the electric circuit is closed and electricity will flow through. When the door is opened, the electric circuit is opened and the electricity will cut off, triggering an alarm.

To control the opening and closing of this alarm circuit, you have a wide choice of devices that can be installed at the vulnerable parts of your premises, And by opening or closing the circuit, theses devices signal to the burglar alarm system whether a door, window or a protected zone is violated.

3. What are the different types of detectors?

We carry a wide range of detectors that can help protect your home. You can check it out by clicking here.

Doors and Windows Contacts comprises two parts. The part that is mounted on the door or window frame is the one with a reed switch and the other part normally mounted on the door or the window is a magnet. When the door or window is closed, the magnet will magnetized the reed switch, causing it to close the circuit. When the doors or windows are opened, the reed switch will bounced back to its open position

Motion Detectors are used to detect the burglar moving through the house. Most motion detectors uses the PIR (Passive Infra Red) technology to detect motion. For homes with pets, you can select Pet Immune PIR where it will ignore movement of pets under its specified weight. To reduce false alarm, particular in harsh environment, motion detectors that utilise the dual technology of PIR and Ultrasound can be employed. In such cases, an alarm will only triggered if both technology senses motion at the same time.

There are other detectors such as panic buttons and glass break detectors though not as commonly used compared to the door and window contacts, and the motion detectors.

4. What is arming and disarming?

To arm the system is to tell the system to be on an alert. For arming, there are two types of arming that addresses the operational condition:

Disarming is you telling the system that it can "relax" and do not need to sound the siren if any of the zones are violated.

5. What is a user code and how can I change the code?

6. What is Chime and how do I turn it on or off?

To turn it on or off, there is normally a toggle button on the keypad. For the specifics, please refer to your user guide.

7.How do PIR motion sensors work?

A PIR detector is a motion detector that senses the heat emitted by a living body. PIR stands for Passive Infra Red. The sensor is passive because, instead of emitting a beam of light, it "collects" the heat energy emitted by every living thing and continuously compare it with the pattern collected earlier. Through its algorithm, where there is a large differential in the pattern, it will triggered an alarm.

8. How to silence the alarm?

9.Can I bypass my sensor?

10. What to do in a false alarm?

11. How to prevent false alarm?

Burglar Alarm Glossary

Active IR - Active Infra-red detectors, as opposed to Passive Infra-red ( PIR ), comprise an IR transmitter and receiver and are usually used to provide long curtain coverage e.g. the perimeter of a compound.

Alarm Cable - These are the wires which are installed during construction throughout your home for the alarm system. Wires should be visible on your windows and doors and anywhere else where alarm devices will be located.

Alarm Monitoring - When your alarm is triggered by an intrusion or fire at your property, the signal will transmit to a team of certified operators who will dispatch and make notification of the incident.

Alarm System - An alarm system consists of any mechanism that triggers an audio or visual alert to warn of a problem, such as a fire or a burglar entering.

ARC: Alarm Receiving Centre . A Secure location where signals are monitored 24 hours a day.

Auto Dialer - A device connected to the alarm control panel which dials up to 3 pre-programmed telephone numbers and delivers pre-recorded voice (with some systems text as well) messages.

Back up Battery - The alarm system contains a 12v back up battery which keeps it active in the event of an electrical outage for about 2 days. When the power comes back on the battery will recharge itself automatically.

Breaking-Glass Detector – An intruder alarm detector comprising a microphone and signal processor to identify the unique sound frequencies of breaking glass

Burglar Alarm - A burglar alarm is a system used to scare off burglars if they breach the protected area with a loud bell or siren. When monitored by a certified central station the property has the added protection of the local authorities being notified at the time of the incident.

Business Security System - A business security system protects your business, employees, property and your competitive advantage. In addition to a burglar alarm an integrated business security system can include access control, video surveillance and recording, monitoring of environmental conditions and more.

Carbon Monoxide - Carbon monoxide gas or CO is a by-product of burning fossil fuels. It is a colourless, odourless, and highly toxic gas. A 0.1% concentration of carbon monoxide can be deadly.

Carbon Monoxide Detector - A device that monitors the presence and levels of carbon monoxide gas in a given area. If carbon monoxide is detected an alarm is sounded to notify occupants to vacate the area.

Carbon Monoxide Monitoring - If the Carbon Monoxide Monitor is tripped a signal will be sent to the central station and the proper authorities will be notified to respond.

Central Monitoring Center - This is the dispatch center where distress signals are received. It is operational 24 hours a day. Once the central monitoring center receives a distress signal, they will immediately call the home in order to make sure that it was not a false alarm. Then, if there is an emergency, they will notify the proper authorities right away.

Chime or Bell Mode - A programmable internal system that lets you know if someone has entered a zone while the system is disarmed. These are used in the disarmed mode for a variety of reasons. One of the best uses for the chime or bell mode is to let you know that someone has opened a door. It's a good way to keep track of teens or to know if a toddler has entered a portion of the house that is not safe, such as a backyard with a swimming pool. However, you should never use your chime or bell mode as your only way to safeguard your children from dangers such as swimming pools. If you have small children and a swimming pool then there are many steps that you should take in order to try to keep them safe

Control Panel - This box contains the 'brain' of the alarm system and is usually located beside your electrical fuse board. You will never have to go near this panel as it should only be accessed by the alarm installer.

Door and Window Contacts - When a door or window is opened, a contact sensor is triggered, and a signal is sent to dispatch if the system is alarmed.

Dual Tech Detector - A detector with two different types of detection within the same housing. The most common type uses PIR and Microwave technology such that both technologies have to be triggered to produce an alarm condition. This greatly reduces the occurrence of false alarms.

Dummy Sounder : An external sounder that provides a visual deterrent, but doesn't make any noise.

Duress Code : A number chosen by the user that, if used to unset the alarm will act as normal but will also send a personal attack (code 2) signal to the ARC / CMS

Entry Zone - A zone on the Control Panel to which detectors on the route in and out of the premises are connected. Detectors on this route do not generate an alarm until a user programmed time has elapsed. See also Inhibited/intermediate

External Bell - This is the bell that rings outside your home when the alarm is triggered. It is usually placed high up near the eves at the front of the house. Modern external bells come with a flashing strobe light and self contained back up battery. They also should have a permanent visible light on to tell the world that you have an active alarm system

EOL - End Of Line Resistor connected at the sensors to supervise the line from tamper

Heat Detectors - Heat detectors can determine excessive heat in your house or building. This can be a stand alone fire detection system or can work in conjunction with other security systems. Excessive heat can be a precursor to combustion

Home Security - Home security is crucial in order to protect your family, house, property and possessions.

Home Security System - A home security system is a complete system that secures a home from various threats and catastrophic events.

Internal Bell - This is a simple alarm bell which rings loudly upon alarm activation. It can be programmed to ring for a set length of time which is normally 10 minutes.

Key holder - a nominated person, who is deemed able to operate the security system, has keys as required and lives within 20 minutes travelling time.

Keypad - This device normally goes inside the front door. It is where you set the alarm and disarm it using your personal code. It will have a display which informs you of any events related to the system which may have occurred.

Keypad Panic Buttons - These are used in order to send out a silent alarm alerting the authorities that you are in need of assistance.

Light Activation - Some home security systems can turn on lights when an intruder is detected. On some systems, lights can also be turned on with a remote control.

Low Temperature Sensors - Alerts a monitoring center when the temperature inside your home drops below a specified level. This can come in handy if you live in an area where the outside temperature frequently dips down below freezing.

Magnetic Contacts - These consist of 2 parts, the magnet and the contact. The magnet is placed on the part of the window or door that opens. The contact is placed on the frame and connected into the alarm cable circuit. When the window or door opens and the magnet move away, it opens the circuit and sends a signal to the alarm control panel.

Master Code - The operators code for the system that has additional privileges such as being able to delete other user codes.

Medical Emergency Pendant - A MEP is a handy device that can be used in order to summon help if you become incapacitated. You wear these on your wrist or around your neck. If you fall, and you can't get up, you can use your medical emergency pendant in order to summon help.

Monitoring - When a home security system is connected by a phone link to a 3rd party

Neighbourhood Watch - It is a partnership between Police and public aimed at preventing crime in a residential area by informal surveillance, reporting suspicious incidents and developing social cohesion.

Opportunist criminal - A term to describe the criminal estimated to account for 80% of recorded crime. Two types of opportunist criminal are often identified. The first is not particularly intent on committing a crime, but when the circumstances present themselves will do so. The second actively seeks out opportunities. Both can be contrasted with ‘professional’ criminals who pursue a known target resolving to overcome whatever obstacles may be placed in their path. There is no clear distinction between these ‘types’ which simply serve as convenient shorthand when describing criminal activity. It is believed that the opportunist can be more easily deflected from his or her purpose.

Panic Alarm - A device which when pressed causes a full alarm condition regardless of whether or not the alarm system is set/unset. This may be enabled to cause a silent alarm if the system is monitored, then having the same effect as Duress code.

Panic Button - This is a device which, when pressed, activates the alarm. The alarm keypad contains a panic button feature on it as standard. Additional panic buttons can be installed if required.

Partition - Segmented section of a security system.

Patio door locks - Secure the sliding section to its frame. Various makes and types on the market suit all types of doors.

Perimeter protection (intruder alarms) - A term for any form of detection device that operates at the time of or before the entry of an intruder into a protected area i.e. a sensor located on the window frame of a home.

Pet Immune Detector - This type of detector is similar to a standard PIR but has a reduced sensitivity. Typically not detecting animals weighing up to 80 lbs

Photo Electric Beam – They are extended range infrared detectors designed to provide reliable perimeter security both indoors and outdoors. They normally feature two beams and require the breaking of the two beams within a preset interval to activate an alarm.

PIR Passive Infra-Red Sensor – Commonly known as movement or motion detector, they are designed to detect rapid thermal or heat changes such as an intruder entering a room. Passive infra red detectors receive but do not transmit energy.

Power Supply Unit - All Control Panels have a PSU usually rated at 1.0 Amp. This is normally sufficient to supply around 15 powered detectors and two sounders. If extra power is required a separate PSU can be added.

Shock Sensors - Also known as vibration sensors or inertia sensors, these devices contain a tremble switch. When a window or door is tampered with by an intruder the switch trembles and breaks the circuit, sending a signal to the control panel. The device can monitor the extent of the vibration and thus be programmed to ignore false vibrations caused by the wind for example, and only activate the alarm when genuine attacks occur.

Smoke Detectors - Gives early detection of a fire by an audible warning. They typically will detect smoke, other products or combustion. When used in conjunction with a home security monitoring company, emergency services can automatically be alerted that you have a possible fire. If your smoke detector uses a battery, you should have a certain day of the year that you religiously use to change the batteries.

Zone - A typical Control Panel will usually have 8 zones and in the majority of cases these are individually programmable as different zone types.

Zone Types - The different zone types determines how the control panel will react in the event of violation.

Looking for a CCTV System

Planning to install a CCTV System but not sure how to start? Or perhaps you already have a quotation from a vendo but don't understand the technical jargon and really want to understand more before committing yourself?

Then you have come to the right place. This is where you will find the answers to your questions.

CCTV Basics

CCTV stands for Closed Circuit Television and they can be found mainly in large public areas like banks, shopping malls, train stations, sport stadiums and in almost every large store.

With its growing popularity and lower cost, today, more and more shops, offices and even homes are installing CCTV systems as a common means of protection and remote monitoring via the internet.

CCTV System serves as a good deterrent to crime as criminals do not like to have their activities recorded. Studies have shown that CCTV have been effective in reducing loss due to theft and pilfering by staff in retail shops. Hence it is not surprising to see more and more retail shops installing CCTV System.

There is now a growing trend of homes installing CCTV System. The reasons ranges from watching over the maids and young children to checking on elderly parents. Most DVR system support remote internet viewing, giving greater convenience to working parents.

Basic components of CCTV systems

The basic CCTV System comprises 3 components :

Recorders (DVR and VCR)
Cameras
Monitors

These are only the fundamental component though for larger areas, you may have to add cameras, monitors and other special devices for remote monitoring.

Recorders - DVR and VCR

There are two basic types of recording devices for CCTV. They are the Time Lapse Video Recorder (VCR) and the Digital Video Recorder (DVR).

Time Lapse Video Recorder used to be the standard recording device. Using video tapes, the Time Lapse Recorder can extend the recording hours of a normal video tape to store up to 960 hours. Time Lapse Recorder is fast being replaced by Digital Video Recorder.

Digital Video Recorder uses hard disks to store the images and is far superior than the Time Lapse Recorder.

Unlike video tapes which can get moldy and images quality suffers with the age of the tapes, the hard disk digital storage system is completely unaffected. As the information is digitally stored, it is much easier to retrieve and to re-produce.

A DVR enables you to choose the exact time of recording you want to see without having to rewind hours of tape. It allows you to save special events you have recorded and edit them easily.

Controlling the DVR is simple and it offers you a variety of recording speeds. Monitoring software could always be updated and you can always add more memory space. Theoretically DVRs can record for weeks on end, depending of course on memory. Most DVR can be linked to computers, making it easier to save and copy critical video evidence to CD-Rom for retention.

Embedded or PC Based DVR

There are two types of DVR in the market: Embedded DVR and PC Based DVR. They are similar in its operation and functions. Their key differences however are as follows.

The operating system for embedded DVR is embedded and typically uses the Linux platform. The PC Based DVR is actually a computer that is fitted with the Video Capture Card. The operating system is Microsoft Windows.

Both types of DVR have its strength and its weakness. Ultimately you will have to make that decision depending on your requirements, application and budget.

For people who may not want the hassle of using mouse and keyboard, or may not be as computer savvy, or prefer to have a system installed and forget about it, the Embedded DVR is probably more suitable as it is far easier to use and relatively maintenance free.

The one key advantage of PC Based DVR lies in its flexibility and ease of expansion. However it does require a certain level of maintenance such as disk de fragmentation and the occasional virus check particularly when it is linked to a network.

Choosing Your Cameras

There is a wide range of cameras designed for various environment and application. In choosing a camera, you must consider the location and how it is to be mounted; the resolution you require; the distance and area to be covered and the lighting condition of the area under surveillance.

Dome Security Camera is ideal for indoor where there is a false ceiling

Infra Red Security Camera typically come with encapsulated housing making it ideal for both indoor and outdoor use. It may come with 12, 18, 24 or more LEDs which is lit at night to enable the camera to view the area.

Body CCD Cameras are normally fitted with a varifocal lens. The advantage is that the lens can be changed and can vary from 2.8 mm to 50 mm.

Pan/Tilt/Zoom Security Camera are motorized cameras which can be controlled to pan from left to right (180 - 360 degrees), tilt up and down (90 degrees) and zoom in and out (depending on the lens used. More commonly found are the Speed Dome Cameras which can be used either indoor or outdoor.

Hidden cameras are miniature cameras that are concealed in everyday products such as clocks, photographs, smoke detectors, motion sensors and even teddy bears.

Wireless versus Wired Cameras

While wireless cameras are easy to install and does not require running cables from the camera to the DVR, it is not advisable because it is subjected to interference and the image may be too snowy to make out the details you need.

The image recorded by the camera is not encrypted and anyone, including potential burglars can view what is going on in your house with a similar receiver

If you intend to use a wireless camera, from the point of security, use the camera to monitor the public area rather than within the house

Remote Internet Monitoring

With the low cost, high speed broadband, it is quite easy to view your CCTV Security Camera System from anywhere in the world using the internet. All that is required is for a DVR that support TCP/IP network and it can be linked to a router with access to the internet.

Dynamic or Static IP

When you subscribe to the internet, you can either be on a dynamic IP plan or a Static IP plan. Most people subscribe to a dynamic IP plan as it is more popular and cheaper. For a Static Plan, you normally have to pay a higher price as your Internet Service Provider will dedicate a IP address solely for you. With a dynamic plan, there is no dedicated IP address which means your IP address allocated to you by the ISP can change. How often it changes depends on the traffic and the method of address assignment.

With a dynamic plan, since your address keeps changing, it would be near impossible to connect to your DVR via the internet. Imagine trying to keep in touch with someone whose hand phone is constantly changing. Hence, to maintain connection to your DVR, we need a third party that keep tracks of the changes and will inform us of the new IP address whenever it changes.

This is where third party DDNS Service Provider like www.dyndns.org comes in. We can program your router to automatically contact www.dyndns.org and update its address directory. That way, we always know the latest address.

The neat thing with www.dyndns.org is that you can assign a name to that address. Which means that instead of remembering numbers, we can set an easy to remember name such as http://my_home_dvr.dyndns.org to connect to our DVR.

You can also browse our range of Home Security Systems, Security Cameras and Entry Door Door Lock systems. Should you require more information, you can contact us either by calling us or sending us a email.

Alternatively, you can find out more about about CCTV System by clicking on our CCTV Systems FAQ.

CCTV FAQ

1. Black/White or Colour?

Colour cameras used to be very expensive however with the advances in technology, colour cameras is now the de facto standards. B/W cameras yields better resolution particular in the dark and would be better for applications with low lights condition.

2. What basic equipment is needed?

Cameras, Digital Video Recorder (DVR), RG59U coaxial cables, BNC connectors, 12Vdc Power adaptors

3. What kind of cameras do I need?

Depending on your application, there is a wide range of cameras that you can consider. Dome cameras are ideal for indoor use and normally mounted on the ceiling. Infra Red, normally for outdoor, though may be used for indoor particularly when you want to be able to view and record even in pitch dark. Hence it is commonly used for warehouse and store rooms. Box body cameras with lens can be used both for outdoor and indoor. Commonly used to view car park and perimeter, the day/night version allows visibility under low light condition. Indoor use tend to be over cashier counters as the lens can be adjusted to zoom in the cashier register.

4. Should I use Hidden Cameras?

Only under exceptional conditions. One of the advantage of having a CCTV System is that it is a good crime deterrent. With a hidden camera, there can be no deterrent and even if you catch the culprit red handed complete with the video evidence, there is the issue of privacy infringement and the loss of morale, particularly among other employees.

5. Are wireless cameras good?

Wireless cameras should be considered only as a last resort where it is not possible to run a video cable to the Digital Video Recorder. Wireless transmission is often affected by external environmental factors including the weather that it can prove unreliable and frustrating.

6. When should I use Infra-Red Cameras?

For indoor application where there is no or very low light but you want to be able to view or record. Thus it is often used for warehouses, store rooms, server rooms where the lights are turned off. For outdoor, at car porches, veranda, corridor, passage ways and balconies.

7. What is the ideal angle for a lens to cover?

As cameras are normally installed at corners,the ideal angle should be 90 degrees. Most cameras come with a 3.6 mm lens which gives you close to 90 degrees coverage. Of course if you need wider coverage, you can select 2.5 mm lens which should give you 100 degrees viewing angle.

8. What about vari-focal lens?

Varifocal lens are normally used with box body cameras. This lens have a range of focal len which you can manually adjust to zoom in or zoom out. Typical lens are 28 to 8, 2.8 to 12, 2.8 to 50 mm.

9. When do I use Pan/Tilt/Zoom cameras?

Pan/Tilt/Zoom cameras are much more expensive and hence not commonly used for office or home application. Typically used for perimeter surveillance, it is part of the arsenal used by security guards to help protect the facilities.

10. Do I need to use CCTV Monitor? Can I just use my TV?

CCTV monitors are specifically designed for 24 hours round the clock operations and thus are more rugged and typically used with 24 hour surveillance application. For normal home and office usage where you do not have people monitoring the screen 24 hours a day, a normal TV will do.

11. Can I just link a camera to my TV?

You can link a camera directly to the video input of your TV directly if you want to only monitor without recording.

12. How do I record the videos?

To record, you will need to connect your cameras to either video recorder or a Digital Video Recorder.

13. What is a Digital Video Recorder (DVR)?

A digital video recorder records the videos on a hard disk. This is the de facto method, fast replacing the old video recorders that uses the video tapes.

14. Which is better? An embedded DVR or a PC-based DVR?

Both embedded DVR and PC-Based DVR has its unique advantages. The key to selection depends on you. If you are looking at installing a system that you can once setup forget about it, the embedded DVR is the way to go as it is easy to operate and like your DVD player, once set up, you can forget about it. THe PC-Based DVR while more powerful and hence more expensive, require you to be more computer literate and to perform routine maintenance such as disk de fragmentation.

15. How do I view on my computer?

To view the DVR on your computer or laptop, you will need to connect the DVR to your router. Once in, you can view using your internet browser by typing http://192.168.1.10. This is the default IP address we set for the DVR. Your IP address for the DVR may be different.

16. Can I view over the internet?

Yes. Once you link the DVR to your internet router/modem, you can access your DVR remotely over the internet.

17. What do I need if I want to view over the internet?

You will need to subscribe to an unlimited broadband plan from a local internet provider like Singnet or Starhub. With a suitable router/modem (we recommend a Linksys router) and a free ddns account from http://www.dyndns.org, you are all set to view remotely.

18. Would the cabling be messy?

Cables are inevitable but mess is not. Where possible, we hide the cables above ceiling or search out routes that minimise the exposure.

19. How much would it cost?

For 4 cameras, a DVR and installation, the cost can vary from $1600 - $1980. Check out our Promotions.

20. Would it be an infringement of privacy?

Generally no unless you are installing in toilets or bedrooms.

CCTV Tech Notes

1. What is a CCTV System?

CCTV stands for Closed Circuit Television. The System does not broadcast any TV signals but transmit the signal on a closed circuit via the coaxial cables linking the cameras to the Digital Video Recorder.

2. What is CCD Chip?

A CCD (Charged Coupled Device) consists of several hundred thousand individual picture elements on a tiny 1/2", 1/3" and 1/4" chip. Each picture element (pixel) responds to light falling on it by storing a tiny charge of electricity. The charges are carried to the camera's video processing circuitry where the signal is processed and transmitted to the DVR as a video signal. CMOS is the other technology used for capturing images. Compared to CCD, video captured using the CMOS chips tends to be inferior in image sharpness and quality.

3. What does resolution means?

The resolution of CCTV system, usually measured by TV Lines (TVL), is a measure of the quality of the image and hence the camera. A camera with a resolution of 380 TVL is not as good as a camera with a resolution of 530 TVL. Typical resolution is 420 TVL.

4. What does Lux indicate?

Lux is the measure of light intensity. A camera with a Lux specification of 1 Lux means that the camera can still capture the image in an environment where the light intensity is 1 Lux. To give you a feel of how much light are we talking about, the following are some examples of natural light expressed in LUX.

Full daylight 10,000 Lux
Very dark day 100 Lux
Twilight 10 Lux
Deep twilight 1 Lux
Full moon 0.1 Lux

5. How is focal length and viewing angle related?

Focal length is defined as the distance between the center of the lens to the focal point. The smaller the focal length, the wider the viewing angle. Hence a 6 mm and a 5 mm lens would give a viewing angle of 56.8 and 66.0 degrees respectively. For a 1/3" CCD, the following formula is a simple way to determine the focal length of a lens needled.

Focal Length = (Distance to subject / Width of subject) * 4.5 mm

6. What is Video Motion Recording?

Video Motion Recording is a feature of the Digital Video Recorder, designed to start recording only when motion is detected. hence increasing the total recording time of the hard disk. The DVR compares the image with a previous image and following its algorithm, if there is a substantial change in the image, it will generate an alert and starts the recording for a pre-defined time period, typically 10 seconds.

7. What is data compression?

Video images are memory hungry and take up much hard disk space. To conserve the hard disk, special algorithm are created to compress and reduce the storage size requirement. Common compression method is the MPEG 4 compression.

8. What is DDNs and why do we need it?

To view the DVR remotely over the internet, the DVR will need to be assigned an address by your internet provider. Unfortunately for most of us, the plan that we signed up wit the internet provider is a dynamic (as opposed to static) plan where the internet provider will share the address with many other users. There is no exclusivity and the address that is given to you will change. Depending on how heavy is the network traffic, you may see your address change as often as 10 times within an hour. This presents a problem for anyone wishing to view the DVR remotely.

This is where ddns service provider comes in. You can program and instruct your router to tell the ddns service provider your new address whenever there is a change. The service provider will assign you a url address such as http://securevision.dvrdns.org, where any address changes is assigned to this url. So to view remotely, all you need to do is type in "http://securevision.dvrdns.org" and the service provider will check its index and point you back to your DVR.

CCTV Glossary

AC refers to alternating current electricity. 220 Volts AC is the type of electricity commonly found in our homes though 110 V AC is the standard output voltage in some countries such as the U.S.A.

AC/DC refers to changing between alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC). CCTV cameras normally require a AC/DC power adaptor to convert the 220 Vac to 12 Vdc to operate.

Alarm/Event Operation is a feature found in many DVRs. This allows the user to interface alarm sensors (like a PIR motion detector) with the recording device through an alarm in/out port. The recorder can then be set to automatically start and stop recording when the alarm is triggered. However many DVRs can now activate recording using Video Motion Recording.

Amps (A) are used to measure electrical current consumption. 1 amp (A) = 1000 milliamps (mA). Typical AC/DC power adaptors for the CCTV cameras are rated 1A.

Analogue indicates a particular electrical signal which conveys electronic data (i.e. a video signal or audio signal). Information carried over an analogue signal is a representation of data by continuously varying quantities. An analogue electrical signal has a different value of volts or amperes for electrical representation of the original excitement (light, sound, etc.) within a dynamic range specific to the analogue device.

Antenna Element - Antennas for wireless equipment are constructed of elements which are specifically tuned to a given frequency or range of frequency to improve gain.

Antenna Gain refers to any increase or decrease in the strength of a wireless RF radio frequency signal when considering external antenna equipment. Gain is typically measured in terms of decibels (dB) or a number of times of magnification

Antenna Type refers to the design of a particular antenna. Common antenna types for wireless CCTV are dipole whip antenna (the most common), yagi, flat panel, omni-directional, parabolic dish, and heliophase.

Aperture of a lens on a video camera controls the amount of light which is allowed to reach the image sensor. Aperture is listed in terms of an F-stop number. As F-stop number increases (i.e. F/1.4, F/1.8, F/2.8), the amount of light permitted to reach the image sensor decreases.

Aspect Ratio is a specification for monitors. This term refers to the ratio between the width and height of a video image. Typically, CCTV cameras produce an aspect ratio of 4:3 (the vertical size of the picture is 75% of the horizontal width). This is the same ratio for compatibility with standard consumer televisions and video equipment as well as security-industry monitors and video recorders. Wide screen televisions, on the other hand, have a 16:9 aspect ratio

Audio indicates sound. When audio is listed as a feature of some video product, this usually means one of a few things: a device for monitoring sound (microphone), a wireless transmitter's ability to broadcast sound, or a video recorder's ability to record audio.

Automatic Light Control ( ALC ) indicates the image sensor's ability to automatically adjust in diverse lighting conditions to yield the most vivid video image possible.

Auto-Iris Lens is a lens with a built-in method of automatically controlling the lens aperture for the best video quality under diverse and changing lighting conditions. Auto-iris lenses can be especially helpful under very low light and bright direct forward light.

BNC is the type of connector plug commonly found on CCTV devices for video and audio input / output connections.

Back Lighting Compensation ( BLC ) indicates the image sensor's ability to automatically adjust in conditions where lighting is from behind the camera to deliver the sharpest and highest quality video image possible.

Bullet Camera - A bullet design refers to a camera with a cylindrical shape using an inline video imaging chip (rather than a board design). These cameras are sometimes also called "lipstick cameras" or "inline CCD cameras."

C/CS-Mount Lenses and Cameras - The security industry has agreed upon a standard size lens mounting thread and coupling diameter with C and CS mount lenses. Cameras built with this type of lens mount can easily be configured with any of a large variety of C and CS mount lenses available for CCTV. Although C and CS are not exactly the same size, most cameras designed for this type of lens can accept either configuration using a simple plastic adapter. These lenses are standardized and will always thread properly, but exchanging C and CS mount lenses does require back focusing. This process requires the user / installer to slowly find the exact right thread position of the lens to ensure a clear video image.

CCD stands for charged coupled device. This is a solid-state semiconductor element which uses hundreds of thousands of tiny pixel elements to accept light and translate that information into a vivid, visible picture image. A CCD is one type of camera image sensor. CCDs produce MUCH higher tvres, lower light sensitivity, and better overall video quality than CMOS images (also commonly found in CCTV industry cameras).

CCIR is the standard monochrome video format used in most of Europe , Israel , and some other places in the world. CCIR products are also generally referred to as PAL because all PAL products can also handle black and white CCIR video.

CCTV stands for closed circuit television: a video system which will only be monitored in a closed environment (as opposed to public broadcast).

CMOS stands for charged metal oxide semiconductor. This is one type of camera image sensor which uses a charged metal surface to detect light and create a video image.

Coaxial Cable is the most common type of cable used for transmitting a video signal through copper wire. This type of wiring has a coaxial cross-section where an outer shielding protects the actual interior signal conductor from electromagnetic interference. In the CCTV industry, the term "coax" usually refers to RG-59 cable with BNC-type plug ends.

Codec refers to an internal computer component which processes analogue information (like a video or audio signal) into a digital format such as MJPEG, MPEG-4, Wavelet, etc. for electronic storage on digital recording media. Without a codec in place to compress and digitize video, digital video recording to a hard disk drive would not be possible.

Colour Camera - Cameras are available with either colour or monochrome image sensors. Colour cameras produce video images bearing the entire visible spectrum of colour. And because colour CCD cameras have come a long way in recent years, the colour of objects appear vivid, crisp, and distinguished on monitoring and playback of video.

Composite Video is the standard type of analogue video signal utilized by most CCTV video cameras. This signal is plug and play compatible with most consumer television.

Compression Method refers to the computer software technique the codec in a DVR video recorder (or DVR card) uses to convert the video signal to digital information so it can be compressed and stored on digital media like a hard disk drive. MPEG (M-JPEG) and Wavelet are the most common types of compressed digital video.

DC refers to direct current electricity. This is the type of electricity is used to power many small electronic devices. The majority of CCTV equipment are powered by 12 volts DC, which can easily be adapted from standard AC wall outlets using a regulated AC/DC transformer or obtained from a battery source.

Digital indicates information which is encoded into ones and zeros (binary code) by some computer processing element. Digital in this industry, however, can refer to several different things.

Digital Signal Processing (DSP) is a level of image correction or enhancement which takes place within a device using a digital computer element. This digital element encodes the information into digital information for the highest level of detail and quality.

Digital Video (DV) refers to video which has been compressed into digital information for storage onto digital storage media like a hard disk drive, CD, or DVD . The quality of digital video will vary depending on factors such as the camera quality and compression method.

Digital Video Recorder (DVR) - This device is capable of accepting one or more video (and sometimes audio) input signals for recording onto digital storage media. A DVR is basically a computer specifically designed to gather and compress video into a digital video format for storage on a hard disk drive or other form of digital media. DVRs are quickly replacing VCR video recorders for security and surveillance purposes without the need for changing tapes. Key differences between DVR and VCR recorders come to available features. Advanced DVRs are capable of accepting multiple video without the need for bulky and expensive multiplexers or video quads. As well, most DVRs offer built-in motion detection recording (without costly and conspicuous PIR motion sensors), and many can be remotely viewed and played back over the internet. Some models may easily be backed up onto external media for long term archival. These backup methods may include CDs, DVDs, flash media cards, or via USB to a computer or other storage device.

DVR Card - A DVR card is a device for installation in a home PC computer which converts that PC into a DVR digital video recorder by gathering video and compressing it into digital information onto a computer's hard disk drive. When all works well, this allows a home PC to record up to several surveillance cameras.

Electronic Shutter is the speed at which light is captured in fields of video by the CCD image sensor. Automatic electronic shutter determines the amount of light available and helps deliver the best quality video by dynamically adjusting for the current lighting conditions by toning down light levels in very bright situations and boosting brightness in low lighting situations.

Ethernet/Modem indicates a network communication device for computer-type devices. Most DVR video recorders come standard with built-in Ethernet LAN connection (with 'RJ-45' plug) to enable remote internet viewing and/or network operation.

Focal Length indicates the distance between the optical center of a lens and a video camera's image sensor device. For practical purposes, lens focal length refers to a camera's angle of view. Lenses with a higher focal length number have narrower, telephoto fields of view. A very low number focal length indicates a very wide field of view.

Field of View refers to the angle at which a camera is able to produce a visible image. This angle can be described in terms of diagonal, horizontal, or vertical degrees. A camera's field of view is determined by its lens configuration. Fixed lenses have set fields of view, while cameras with varifocal or power zoom lenses have adjustable fields of view.

Fixed Lens - A fixed focus lens has one set focal length with a specific field of view which cannot be changed. Any camera without a varifocal or power zoom has a fixed focus lens. This means that although the user cannot manipulate the field of view, everything in the picture beyond a few inches will be clear and in focus. Objects simply get smaller as they move further away from the camera.

Frame - a full frame of video is the combination of two image fields interlaced together. A frame is one basic screen capture taken by a camera. 30 frames are displayed in one second of real time video for NTSC format. PAL format is phased at a rate of 25 frames per second for real time.

Frames per Second (FPS) describes the number of full video frames displayed or recorded within one second. True real time video consists of 30 frames / sec for NTSC format and 25 frames / sec for PAL format.

FPS Display Rate indicates the number of frames per second a VCR or DVR recorder will display on a monitor for simultaneous viewing. The rate at which each camera is displayed is often NOT the same as the number of frames per second the recorder captures for playback.

FPS Record Rate describes exactly how many frames per second a video recorder can actually capture.

Gamma Correction refers to the correction of linear response of a video camera image sensor in order to compensate for the monitor phosphor screen nonlinear response. Without gamma correction set to the inverse (exact opposite corresponding value) of the monitor's gamma, a video camera would not be able to provide a complete video image for a unified display. Gamma correction is measured with the exponential value of the curve describing the non-linearity.

Hard Disk Drive ( HDD ) is a magnetic media storage device for recording digital information (like that used by computers or digital DVR video recorders).

HDD Capacity indicates the amount of information which can be stored on hard disk drive.

Image Sensor indicates the type of semiconductor which handles video processing inside of a camera. CMOS and CCD image sensors are the most widely available for security cameras in today's market. CCD cameras provide by far the highest quality video of any type of image sensor.

Lens - A lens is an optical device which bends light, focusing it on onto an image sensor to create a distinct, visible image. All video cameras (and still cameras) need lenses in order to obtain a clear picture. Lenses come in a variety of focal lengths. The focal length of a lens, in combination with the size of the imager, will determine its field of view.

Low Light (or low lux) Sensitivity refers to a camera's performance under low lighting conditions. The Sony 1/3 " Ex-View and SuperHAD CCD chip sets have the best low light performance.

Lux is a measure of light in terms of candle power (measured in foot candles). Lux is often given as a technical specification for cameras to describe the lowest level of light required for the camera to produce any kind of an image.

Manual Iris Lens is a lens with a built-in method of manually adjusting lens aperture for the best video quality for a specific lighting condition. Iris control on such a lens is set by hand to a particular fixed aperture, allowing for the best possible (often better than auto-iris lenses) brightness and contrast for a specific camera angle / shot.

Maximum Recording Time indicates the longest continuous duration of time which could be recorded onto storage media using a VCR or DVR video recorder. Maximum recording time for ALL recorders will depend on the user setting for time-lapse or real time recording and the amount of storage media capacity.

Monitor Screen Size indicates the actual physical size of a monitor's viewing screen. However, this measurement is often different than the actual part of the monitor which produces a picture. The monitor viewing size spec describes the size of the picture on a monitor.

Monitor Viewing Size indicates the size of a monitor's actual visible picture.

Multiplexer (mux) is a video switching device that accepts video input from multiple cameras and converts them to all display on one monitor and / or video recorder, similar to a quad video processor. However, a multiplexer is far more advanced than a simple quad processor. Video multiplexers use time division multiplexing, meaning that a full frame of video from each camera is recorded every few seconds. While multiplexed video does not achieve true real time display or recording (there is a slight drag to the images on playback), multiplexers do offer the capability to change between a view of several cameras and a solid close up view of only a single camera's view on playback of recorded video. When using multiple cameras, quads and multiplexers help to cut down on the amount of additional equipment needed for a dedicated surveillance system. However, DVR digital video recorders with multiple video inputs are quickly replacing quads and multiplexers. DVRs are now capable of doing what required a processor and VCR in the past .

NTSC is the standard colour video format used in North America , Japan , and some other places in the world.

Network Operation is a feature of many DVR digital video recorders. This allows the user to connect the DVR system to another computer or computer network for dynamic recording control and playback on other computers. Network operation is also interconnected with remote viewing capability for record and playback features over the internet. Connecting a DVR recorder to a PC network may require additional hardware such as a WAN or LAN router in addition to some prior networking knowledge and experience.

Operating Temperature indicates the temperature at which a device can safely and effectively works.

Output Voltage indicates the type of electrical current (AC or DC) and the voltage a device will emit to safely and effectively power another device.

PAL is the standard colour video format used in most of Europe , Asia , Israel , and many other places in the world.

PIR Motion Sensor refers to a motion detector with passive infrared technology. These alarm sensors are often used with alarm/event VCR and DVR video recorders to trigger recording upon the detection of physical movement. However, PIR motion sensors are bulky and expensive. As advanced video motion detection software continues to improve, motion detectors are quickly being replaced with the built-in features of high quality DVR recorders.

Pan refers to horizontal (side to side) dynamic motion of a camera. Any equipment capable of panning can rotate back and forth along a horizontal axis. Some equipment, indicated as " PTZ ," has the ability to pan as well as and zoom.

Pan/Tilt/Zoom ( PTZ ) indicates equipment with the ability to pan, tilt, and zoom, usually by remote user control. Much of PTZ equipment is completely integrated, meaning there is only one controller necessary to operate all three features.

Pinhole Camera indicates a video camera with a tiny pinhole lens built-in standard with the camera.

Pinhole Lens is only 1/16th of one inch in diameter, so cameras with tiny pinhole lenses can easily be hidden for covert video surveillance applications. Cameras with this type of standard lens are typically referred to as pinhole cameras.

Pixel - A camera's image sensor consists of thousands of tiny sensor elements known as pixels. These sensors detect information about light and colours and translate that information into a viewable video image through digital signal processing. Of the total pixels on a CCD imager, some are constantly dormant while others are effective and actively work to create an image.

Power Consumption refers to the amount of electrical current an electrical devices requires for operation, usually measured in amps (A) per hour (often seen in mA milliamps, 1 amp = 1000 milliamps). For example, a miniature video camera which draws 100 mA per hour will consume 1 ampere hour for every ten hours of continuous operation.

Power Zoom indicates the ability to adjust a camera's field of view by remote control. Power zoom may also be described as remote zoom.

Quad Processor is a video switching device that accepts video input from four cameras and converts them to all display on one monitor and / or video recorder. When using multiple cameras, quads and multiplexers help to cut down on the amount of additional equipment needed for a dedicated surveillance system. However, DVR digital video recorders with multiple video inputs are quickly replacing quads and multiplexers. DVRs are now capable of doing what required a processor and VCR in the past (plus a whole lot more).

Quality Differences - There are literally hundreds of different cameras available in the CCTV industry which on the outside appear very similar. However, inside these cameras (the crucial part) are so many different image sensors, each with different levels of performance, that it becomes quite confusing to even the experienced camera shopper.

RCA is a common connector plug for standard consumer video and audio equipment. RCA jacks are found on all VCRs and televisions equipped to handle a composite video input. In most cases, RCA jacks are colour coded yellow, white, and red. BNC plugs are easily adapted to standard consumer RCA connectors using a simple one-piece plug adapter.

Real time (or real time) refers to video recorded at the same speed as action occurs (so it may be played back at the speed of real time without drag). Real time video is phased at 30 frames per second (60 fields per second) for NTSC video and 25 frames per second (50 fields per second) for PAL format equipment. Basically all VCR recorders record real time video, but MOST digital DVR recorders do not.

Recording Media refers to the magnetic storage device used to store recorded video. For many analogue recorders this is a tape cassette, but DVR recorders use HDD hard disk drives. CDs and DVDs can also be types of media used to record digital video.

Remote Control is a device used to control the features of a piece of equipment without physically adjusting anything on the equipment. Some products feature a wired remote control. This allows a user to control many functions remotely, but this controller must be plugged directly into the device. Other products can be used with a wireless remote control. These types of controllers allow the user to adjust functions remotely. The information is "beamed" wirelessly to the device using an IR infrared signal from the controller.

Remote Playback is a feature of many DVR video recorders. This allows users to play back recorded video over the internet from virtually any computer in the world.

Remote Viewing is a feature of many DVR video recorders. This allows users to monitor CCTV cameras over the internet from virtually any computer in the world.

Remote Zoom indicates the ability to adjust a camera's field of view by remote control. Remote zoom may also be described as powered zoom.

Resolution (TV lines) refers to the maximum number of vertical lines / pixel elements (horizontal tvres) a video camera is capable of displaying on a monitor or registering with a video recording device. Horizontal tvres indicates the number of pixel elements placed horizontally across each scanning line of tvres (vertical tvres). Horizontal tvres varies based on the abilities of each different camera and each different monitor. Although the number of TV lines of horizontal tvres is generally considered a measure of a camera's level of detail and sharpness, this specification does not always indicate true end video quality.

S/N (Signal-to-Noise) Ratio indicates the ratio of noise to actual total signal (in a video or audio signal generally speaking). The S/N number measures how much higher the signal level is to the level of background electronic noise, so a higher number means a clearer and crisper picture. Signal-to-noise ratio is expressed in decibels (dB).

Simplex, Duplex, and Triplex concern the operation of video recorders and multiple camera video processors like quads and multiplexers. Simplex, duplex, or triplex capability reveals the number of device capacities which can be used simultaneously. For instance, a simplex device is only capable of performing one type of task at a time, whether that be recording or playback. A duplex device can perform two simultaneous functions like record and configure the monitor display for a certain close up view. Triplex devices are capable of three tasks at the same time (usually record, playback, and zoom or other display functions).

Storage Temperature indicates the highest and lowest possible temperature at which a device can safely and effectively be stored or shipped.

Tilt refers to vertical motion of a camera. Any equipment capable of tilting can move up and down along a vertical axis. Some equipment, indicated as " PTZ ," has the ability to tilt as well as pan and zoom.

Time-lapse is a feature of most CCTV-industry VCR and DVR video recorders. Time-lapse refers to recording one still video image (frame) at fewer than 30 frames per second. The speed of this recording can usually be adjusted. Time-lapse video is therefore slower than real time recording and has a drag when the video is played back. One advantage of time-lapse recording is the ability to increase maximum recording time so longer periods of time can be captured on a video tape or digital hard disk drive media. However, a major disadvantage of time-lapse recording is missing many frames of video and missing much of what happens during a given period of time. There is no way to recover these missed frames on playback. For the ultimate in surveillance, real time video recorders deliver the most complete and accurate video information of what occurred.

Uninterruptible Power Supply ( UPS ) is a special type of power supply commonly found in the security industry. This power supply is used to back up the system for ten minutes or more in the event of a main power failure. The time duration of this available emergency power depends on the size of the UPS and the current power consumption of the equipment in use.

VCR stands for video cassette recorder. This is an analogue device capable of accepting a video (and usually audio) input signal for recording onto magnetic tape media. These tapes can then be played back using the same VCR .

Varifocal Lens allows the user / installer to manually adjust the camera's field of view. Varifocal lenses can therefore be changed to provide wider viewing angles or narrower telephoto viewing angles. Because of their adjustability, varifocal lenses are great when a camera will serve more than one purpose or to ensure proper focus without first determining an exact fixed lens focal length. Varifocal lenses are also typically referred to as zoom lenses.

Video Motion Detection is a feature of all DVR digital video recorders. This is an advanced software feature which can detect motion in a camera's field of view and begin recording based on this motion detection. This type of detection can in most cases be adjusted in sensitivity. As well, a user can select and deselect areas in each camera's view for motion detection function. Advanced video motion detection erases the need for bulky and expensive PIR motion sensors.

Video Quality is of course always subjective. However, when most users describe high quality video they are referring to a sharp and clear video image without distortion.

Weatherproof equipment has been specifically designed for safe use in most outdoor weather conditions. However, weatherproof equipment should not be considered waterproof because it is never intended for submersion under water.

White Balance Control (WBC) - This term refers an electronic process used to retain crisp, vivid colour saturation in the truest possible hues. The technology balances the image colours against a light colour object in the camera's view.

Zero Lux Operation refers to video imaging in pitch black (0.0 lux) lighting conditions. Monochrome CCD cameras can use IR Infrared lighting to yield crisp and distinguishable video images when absolutely no visible light is available.

Looking for a Card Access System

Looking for a Card Access System and wanting to learn more. Check out our website and learn the basics of Card Access System.

Card Access System Basics

Electronic access system offers a better alternative as ID and authorization is programmable. An employee who leaves the firm can be denied access simply through programming the reader via the computer.

Similarly an employee who lost an ID card need not worry about someone gaining access using his card. The reader can be programmed to deny entry and even raise an alarm should that card be used.

The ability to log and keep track of who access a particular door and when it was accessed is a great advantage when it comes to investigating a security breach or theft.

More than that, companies are turing to card access system to keep track of their employees check in and check out time.

Coupled with Time and Attendance software, the card access system is fast replacing punch card system and freeing personnel from the mundane task of entering time sheet and calculating Overtime.

Components of a Card Access System

A basic Card Access System comprises the following:

Controller - the brain of the system that checks if the data presented by the Reader is valid and whether access should be granted
Reader - the interface at the door that reads either your Card, PIN number or Fingerprint
Electronic Locks - used to lock the doors

Standalone Reader Controllers

A controller is the brain of the system and can operate independently of any computers. Seen another way, it is actually a dedicated-task computer with its own operating system and software. It communicates with the reader, compares the data read by the reader with the information stored at its memory, check its programming setting and output data to the lockset - to either lock or unlock the door, granting or denying access.

The HID EntryProx Reader is an example of a standalone reader controller. That is, the reader and the controller are not separated but one single unit. Such units are economical and very suitable for single door access control application where you only need to control a single door - namely the front door.

However if you want to continuously monitor who came in or out, or if you need regular reports done, standalone readers would not be appropriate as most of these units does not interfaced to a computer. It is designed to be completely standalone and any programming of new cards or deletion of cards are done via its keypad.

Networked Controllers

Unlike standalone reader controllers where reader and controller is combined in one single PCB board, networked controllers are separate and are normally housed in its own metal housing complete with power supply and back up batteries.

Network controllers can support up to 16 readers and are often placed in some central location. Where required, network controllers can be linked and connected to a computer and information is shared. Typical application would be companies that may be housed over several floors or over a large area and there are many entry and exit points.

Variety of Readers TechnologyThere is a wide range of readers and the associated technology; from the simple PIN keypad, to Card Readers, to the different range of biometric readers.

The most basic of all readers is the simple numeric keypad where a user need only to enter the correct 4 digit PIN to gain access. While this is convenient for the user, it is also the lowest form of security. Anyone who saw you enter your PIN would be able to gain access. Hence PIN only keypad is not recommended for exterior doors.

Magnetic strip card readers used to be popular (it is still being used - think of your ATM Card and Credit Cards) though it is fast being replaced by proximity cards. Behind the face of the card is a magnetic strip that allow data to be stored in magnetic fields. Unfortunately the data can be distorted when the card is subjected to strong magnetic field or to scratches, wear and tear over time.

The cost of proximity card have drastically reduced over the years, making it the most attractive alternative. With proximity card, there is no need to swipe the card, hence no wear and tear All that is needed is to flash the card at the reader and the data can be read.

What is gaining ground is the use of biometric, particularly fingerprints. Biometric readers can read and recognize the fingerprint pattern, increasing the security of the premises. Unlike the card system, it is not possible to pass your fingerprints to someone else. And with the newer batch of fingerprint biometric reader, it can differentiate "live" fingerprints from "dead " fingerprints.

How Proximity Work

Convenience is desirable and what is easier than approaching a door, opening it and walking in, just as if it were unlocked? With proximity cards, such ease of ingress can be achieved without compromising security. A credit card-sized card can be kept in a wallet, briefcase or purse and when a person walks within three feet of a door, a reader will recognize the card and unlock the door.

Embedded in every proximity card is a special circuitry where its ID number is encoded and an antennae that is used to transmit data using radio frequency.

There are two types of proximity cards: active or passive. Active proximity cards are typically larger and thicker and contain a battery that powers the embedded circuitry. Passive cards do not have its own power source. It draws its power from the reader when it comes within its proximity.

Active cards are typically used for application where the reader must read the card from a longer distance such as cars entering a car park. Passive cards are typically used for access in and out of offices and building.

Proximity readers use an antenna that transmits RF, usually low frequency RF. When an access card enters the the RF field, it transmits a signal back to the reader, which then decodes the signal and grants or denies access.

How Fingerprint Biometrics Work

Fingerprints are unique and no two persons have similar fingerprint. For that matter, no two fingers have similar prints.

A fingerprint scanner system has two basic jobs -- it needs to get an image of your finger, and it needs to determine whether the pattern of ridges and valleys in this image matches the pattern of ridges and valleys in pre-scanned images.

There are a number of different ways to get an image of somebody's finger. The most common methods today are optical scanning. The heart of an optical scanner is a charge coupled device (CCD), the same light sensor system used in cameras. A CCD is basically an array of light-sensitive diodes which generate an electrical signal in response to light.

The scanning process starts when you place your finger on a glass plate, and a CCD camera takes a picture. The scanner has its own light source to illuminate the ridges of the finger. The CCD system actually generates an image of the finger and compares it with the pattern stored in its memory. If it matches, the persona is authorized and the door is released.

Card Access FAQ

1. How do I secure a door?

There are many ways to secure and control the access to a door other than controlling and issuing keys. Installing an electronic access system is a good way to securing and controlling access. Unlike physical keys which are cheap and easy to duplicate, access control system gives you control. Through simple programming, you can bar or allow access. So if a card is misplaced, you need not worry about a breach as all you need to do is to unenrol that card. With card access system, you can choose either a keypad PIN system, a Proximity Card System or a Biometric Fingerprint system.

2. Should I use a PIN to secure my door?

Keypad PIN only card access system is convenient and easy to use. All you need is to remember your PIN number and by entering the correct 4 or 6 digit PIN, the system will release the door, giving you access. Keypad PIN only system is normally good for internal doors such as access to the Server Room or Store Room. We do not however suggest using it for external doors. It is quite easy for strangers lurking in the passageway to note the PIN entered and hence breaching the security.

3. Is a Card System better than a PIN?

From a security perspective, yes. Every proximity card has a unique address which is set at the factory and cannot be altered or duplicated. So it is highly improbable to find another proximity card with the same address. To allow access, the address of the card must be pre-programmed to the reader, so even if there is a duplicate card, it can only work if it is used on a reader whose database contains that same proximity card.

4. When should I use Card and PIN?

Most proximity card access system can be programmed to operate in PIN only, Card Only, and Card and PIN mode. Under the Card and PIN mode, the user will have to flash the card and entered a PIN that is match to the Card before access is granted. This provides a higher level of security as anyone picking up the card will still not be able to access without the matching password. Whether you choose card or Card and PIN depends on your company's security policies. Some system is able to switch the operation mode automatically such that during office hours, you use Card only an after office hours, you will need to use both Card and PIN to gain access.

5. Is a Biometric Fingerprint System better?

Biometric Fingerprint Readers read your fingerprint and compared it to the fingerprint pattern stored in its database and release the door when there is a match. Compared to a Card System, it is better because unlike a card which can be passed around, you cannot pass your fingerprint to others. Not even if you were to chop off your finger as most newer readers now can differentiate between a dead finger and a live one.

6. Is a Biometric System reliable?

Depends on what you are really asking. If by reliability you mean the likelihood of the fingerprint reader mistaking an unauthorised fingerprint as authorised and opening the door for the intruder, then Yes, it is extremely reliable. If by reliability you mean the number of times you have to present your fingerprint before the reader recognise you, then it really depends on the individual. Most of such problems is very user dependent. For example, users forgetting which fingers they used or they did not place the whole finger on the reader resulting in a partial read. Most of these problems can be reduce by training and familiarising the users.

7. What is a standalone System?

Generally, a card access system comprises a reader, a controller and the electronic lockset. The reader simply read and transfer the information to the controller, which is the real brain of the system. For a standalone system, the reader and the controller is integrated and normally housed in the reader itself. Hence standalone system are much more economical and compact. While some standalone system can be linked to a computer or to other controllers via optional interface cards, most can't and does not offer the expandability you may need in the future.

8. When do I need to use a Network System?

If you have more than one door that you wished to control, you should go with a networked system. The networked system allow you to link the system to a computer, from where you can keep track of your staff movement as well as add or delete users.

9. What are the advantages of linking to a computer?

Ease of operation. For example, if you have a number of doors, without the computer network, you will need to go to each reader individually to add or delete users. With a computer, you can add or delete using the Management Software provided and then download the changes to all doors. In addition, you can print reports and keep logs on when your staff come in or out.

10. Do I need to use a dedicated computer?

No. You do not need to use a dedicated computer. Any computer that has a spare serial or USB port is sufficient for the application. Of course if the transaction is heavy or if you have many employees, it may be worth having a dedicated computer.

11. How do I choose the right locks?

What kind of locks will depend on the type of doors and whether your door swing in or out. The most common and economical locks used is the Electromagnetic Door Lock (EM Lock).

12. What happens in a power failure?

All Card Access Systems are installed with a back-up battery power supply. In the event of a power failure, the battery will take over, keeping the system operational for at least two hours. Once the battery runs out and if power is not restored, the system will cease to operate, and the doors may be released. If you are using EM Locks, the doors will be released. If you are using drop bolt or electric strikes, the door will be released if the locks are fail-safe, or remains locked if they are fail secure.

13. With a Card Access System, does it mean that my office is secure?

Even with a Card Access System, you should complement it with Burglar Alarm and CCTV Systems. The Card Access only control who has access but does not detect intrusion. For example, if you have a glass door, even though the card access system can deny the intruder access, there is nothing to stop him from breaking an entry.

14. I want to upgrade my reader. Must I change everything?

If you have an existing system that is still working, you may not need to change everything. It is quite possible to re-use your lock sets, break glass and push buttons an change only the reader.

15. I need more cards? Can I get from you or must I go back to the original supplier?

Yes. Most Proximity Cards used are generic and for most cases, there is no problem getting cards from us.

Helpful Links

Security Systems Links

Security Systems Guide - Securevision's Blog on Burglar Alarm Home Security Systems, CCTV Surveillance Cameras and Entry Door Card Access System

Home Security and Alarms - A Consumer's Guide to sensible home and property security

Home Security Guru - Web's largest and most comprehensive home security magazine, targeted at home owners and general consumers

Alarm System Reveiws - An unabiased resource for those considering an investment in a home security system