CCTV security is much in the news lately, as more cities in the US install “red light cameras” to catch and fine people who run red lights. As traffic control measures, they’re of questionable use, since statistics show that traffic accidents actually increase at intersections that use the cctv cameras. Research done in Washington DC and in the state of Florida showed that rear-end collisions happened more frequently at monitored traffic lights as drivers tended to stop abruptly to avoid getting a ticket, but instead have the car behind them hit them.
But while CCTV security is questionable for traffic control, its usefulness in home and business security continues to prove its worth. Long used in casinos, hotels, banks, and railway stations, CCTV security is becoming more popular for homeowners as DVR surveillance systems drop in price. Today they are much more affordable to residents and businesses in dangerous neighborhoods, where they act as crime deterrents. Coupled with security measures like bump-proof deadbolt locks and motion-activated flood lights, CCTV security is proving to be a deterrent to crime and broadcast of video captured on such systems is used to help police solve crimes.
Many homeowners install cctv cameras and DVR surveillance systems that they can monitor from a laptop or smart phone from wherever they happen to be. The systems can easily be set-up to email the owners if something is detected. With this type of setup, there is the danger of something incidental, like a spider crawling across the camera lens, to set off a string of emails to the owner, but this is apparently not a big enough problem for most people to stop monitoring their systems. Many people prefer monitoring their own home rather than hiring a security firm to monitor it for them. And most monitoring services do not monitor video because of obvious privacy concerns.
The use of CCTV security systems often gives home and business owners a feeling of enhanced security in their homes and in some cases can allow a discount on insurance rates as well, particularly if the system is coordinated with fire alarms, carbon monoxide detectors, and deadbolt locks. It is a good idea for a homeowner with a CCTV security system to contact their local police department to find out in advance if they will be charged for emergency calls that turn out to be false alarms.
One of the great things about the latest CCTV security systems and DVR surveillance systems is that they no longer have to be hard-wired into the home. With wireless technology and high tech motion sensors, the home surveillance system can be installed easier than ever – often by the homeowner – in a matter of a couple of hours. And with cctv camera prices constantly dropping as technology matures, homeowners and business owners can monitor multiple areas, such as pools, alleys, safes, and dumpster areas.
While installing CCTV video security systems can be a great way for home and business owners to increase their peace of mind, there are so many options available that choosing the exact configuration can be overwhelming, particularly to the less computer-savvy user. Understanding the basics of how CCTV security systems work can help homeowners and business owners to acquire enough knowledge to be able to narrow down the field of choices.
Basically, all home CCTV / DVR surveillance systems use a CCD (charge coupled device) sensor. The CCD changes the light coming through the lens into an electrical signal that is processed and turned into video. The video output can be displayed on a monitoring device or recorded. Video systems may be either analog or digital, though digital systems are gaining in popularity and will probably replace analog systems eventually.
Digital devices generally give a better image quality compared to analog. Digital cctv cameras create video output via digital signal processing (DSP), which uses microprocessors. The analog signal goes through a DSP, which creates digital data from it. There are plenty of advantages of digital signal processing over analog. Not only are the images generally of higher quality, but there are many more options available for storage of digital video and playback.
CCTV security systems may be in color, or they may be black and white. While images that are in color are usually easier to see, color cctv cameras don’t do so well in low light conditions. Black and white surveillance cameras should be used in places where there are low light conditions. You can also get infrared night vision cameras that are helpful after dark, and there are even some systems that have the capability to switch from color to black and white depending on the level of the light available.
The resolution of an image is another way of describing how detailed the video image is. Standard TV resolution is given in “lines” and is generally in the 350 to 400 line range, though there are higher resolution systems with 500 lines. Anyone purchasing a CCTV security system should be sure that all the supplementary equipment supports the highest level of resolution that you want to attain. For instance, if the camera gets 500 lines of resolution but the monitor only shows 400, there is no point to having the higher resolution cctv camera.
Today’s DVR surveillance systems have huge advantages over the older time-lapse VCR recordings for video surveillance. There are two types of DVR devices: PC-based and stand alone models. Each type, of course, has its advantages and its drawbacks.
The basic way DVRs work is by recording video onto a hard disk drive for future viewing. A stand alone DVR does this with a single circuit board housed in a small box. They look very much like a DVD player and come with all the cabling, software, and other parts needed for recording. There are several advantages to choosing a stand alone DVR device.
For one thing, stand alone models are very reliable. They’re pre-tested and are functional straight from the box. They don’t require a lot of user input to work. That’s another advantage: they’re really easy to set up and use. The software and hardware are pre-configured so that set-up is a very simple process and does not require computer knowledge. Software / hardware compatibility problems can arise with PC based DVRs, so for the non-technically savvy, a stand alone model makes more sense.
But stand alone DVR systems have their drawbacks as well. While they’re great for reliably recording video from cctv security surveillance cameras, they can fall short in a couple of ways. For one, they are not made to accommodate a lot of cameras. They can usually take care of four or eight of them (occasionally 16), but if your CCTV security system has more cctv cameras than that, you’ll have to get multiple standalone DVRs to operate all of them.
Additionally, because stand alone DVRs are self-contained units, it is not easy (or even possible in some cases) to upgrade or expand them. If you expect to expand your CCTV security system, then you may want to consider a PC-based DVR, which is much easier to expand and upgrade.
Another consideration for your CCTV security system is whether you are using outdoor cctv cameras and what conditions they will be exposed to. Some cameras carry an International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) classification certificate showing that it is a weatherproof camera or certification from the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA). These ratings are internationally and nationally regulated and show the level of environmental and physical assault a cctv camera can withstand.
While each agency has its own classifications for ranking levels of environmental hazards and conditions, they do rate the level of protection that enclosures add to cctv security cameras. It is important to note that the IEC ratings cannot be directly equated to NEMA ratings and vice versa, because NEMA tests for some conditions that IEC does not.
A CCTV security system that has a NEMA 4 rating is designed for indoor or outdoor use. It can generally stand up to dust blown against it, rain, water splashing and even water directed at it from a hose. It should also stand up to external ice formation. A NEMA 4X rating is made for indoor or outdoor use too, but the X designation certifies protection against corrosion in addition to the standard NEMA 4 hazards.
The IEC codes start with “IP” and are followed by a numerical code. The first digit of the code describes the amount of protection against vandals or solid foreign objects, while the second digit rates the protection against water. An IEC rating of IP56, for example, shows protection against access with a wire, protection from dust, and protection from powerfully directed water hitting the device from any direction. It doesn’t mean that the device is vandal proof, but it shows that the camera can withstand some level of intentional abuse.
The IEC and NEMA ratings are applied by independent, designated testing laboratories. Manufacturers are required to submit their CCTV security equipment to such a laboratory, where it will undergo strenuous testing to determine the certification levels it will receive. If you choose CCTV security equipment with IEC or NEMA rated enclosures, you can be sure that the equipment can withstand the incidental hazards of outdoor use, and with the IEC rating, you will have some idea how well it will stand up to intentional damage, such as hurled rocks.
While CCTV security systems and wireless DVR surveillance do add layers of protection to a home or a business, they cannot substitute for the basics of security, including bump-proof locks, motion-activated floodlights, and other basic deterrents. There’s no such thing as a perfect security system, but the dropping cost of CCTV security equipment is allowing average home and business owners to take their basic security measures up a level or two.