CCTV Security Camera Guide

Adam Togo — Tue, 26 May 2009 14:05:31 +0000

There are a few basics about CCTV security cameras when deciding to protect your home and family. CCTV cameras come in two forms. They are either CMOS or CCD cameras and are differentiated by the image sensor. CMOS based cameras are cheaper but produce a lower quality image than the CCD camera.

To find the best camera to fit your needs, the first step is to identify what purpose you intend the security camera to serve. For example, a camera to monitor general crowd movement is a much lower requirement than if you need a camera that can pinpoint a face in the crowd.

If the area you want to monitor is outdoors, there are requirements such as durability concerns that need to be address unlike an indoor security camera. There are factors such as weather and vandals that will test the durability of your camera.

The overall size of your security system, including the number of cameras you will need, will determine your spending ceiling. If it was just one camera you might spend a little extra for extra features, for example higher resolution. But across a 20 camera system that little extra you spend per camera will definitely add up to some serious money. Your budget will directly impact your buying decision and needs to be sufficient for the right cameras to adequately serve your needs.

The lighting in the area to be monitored by your security camera is another important consideration. A high quality camera designed for daytime use installed in a low light environment won't be able to render anything more than shades of black. If that is the case you will need flood lights or some other source of lighting in the area.

For nigh scenes, black and white cameras are recommended since they can deliver sharper images in low light settings. There are also day/night outdoor cameras with lighting sensors that adjust the camera for optimal recording at different lighting levels.

There are also night vision cameras for true low light recording. Take a look at the Lux rating. The lower the Lux rating the less light the camera requires. Cameras with a Lux rating of 0 are designed for complete darkness.

The resolution of a camera is the measure of image sharpness that the security camera can capture. A higher resolution camera can produce higher quality images. Lower end cameras come in resolutions of 330 lines and up while higher quality cameras have up to 400 lines.

When it comes to recording the video feed from the camera, most people will do with the DVR, which stands for digital video recorder. In more advanced monitoring systems there are controls for panning and zooming the camera in real-time to get closeups or follow a particular object.

About the Author:

Outdoor Security Camera Resource is a website designed to bring you information about outdoor security camera.

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