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