After a break-in or vandalism at home or at work, you may be prompted to
install a capable smart video CCTV system. Regardless of the reason, you are
looking for one thing, and that is safety. With advancements in technology over
the years, it is no longer safe to just rely on heavy doors and locked UPVC
windows.
A complete CCTV system primarily comprises installation gear, camera and
a storage device. Anyone looking to purchase a security video system
tends to look for clear image quality within a particular price bracket.
However, here are the top things you must keep an eye out for while
purchasing a CCTV security and monitoring system:
Know The Purpose
It’s important to understand what you are purchasing a CCTV security
system for. For example, a camera with 2 mega-pixel (MP) HD picture quality
works the best in domestic CCTV security systems within a range of 20 to 25 metres. A higher range (5 MP and 8 MP) is essential for a CCTV
system installed outdoors.
Understand The Camera
There are basically two types of cameras: HD cameras are used for
domestic purposes while IP (networking) cameras are mostly installed in
factories and enterprise settings. These CCTV cameras are further categorised
into Wired vs Wireless. Wired cameras are connected to the digital
video recorder (DVR) through a cable, whereas, Wireless (or Wi-Fi) cameras are
simply connected to consumer smartphone via an app and information is stored
within the device on an SD card. Cameras with inbuilt audio-recording and
night vision are also popular options as they can capture high-quality video
even in pitch-dark conditions.
Do Not Neglect ‘Storage’
Collecting video footage is the singular most crucial duty of a CCTV
camera, it is also one of the most critical points of failure in many implementations.
And reasons for that are many, but the most common ones are 1) inadequate
storage capacity as a result your important old data can’t be retrieved because
it is overwritten by the new data and 2) lost connection between your camera
and the backend because you didn’t have storage on your camera. Both of these
can be easily fixed.
First of all you
must buy a surveillance-grade storage device that is high capacity, high
performance and high endurance such as WD Purple Surveillance
Hard Disk Drive, which is build ground-up for CCTV or smart
videos. Secondly, most cameras come with slot for microSD cards and a few with
a slot for SD cards. There are various capacity options available up to 512GB
from WD Purple Surveillance microSD
and SD cards that one can choose from.
Always Buy From Certified CCTV Camera Providers
Before ordering an installation, be sure to reach out to reputable and
certified CCTV camera providers. Reputed System providers offer after-sales
services in addition to the company warranty. This is either included with the
cost of installing the CCTV System or is charged separately. Shifting Cameras
for a better angle, relocation, wiring problems, or even forgetting the app
password are some of the likely scenarios when you might have to reach out to
your CCTV Camera provider and not to forget cleaning of your CCTV Camera.
Conclusion - Budget Should Not Compromise Purpose
CCTV systems have considerably evolved over the years. Image quality is
a key consideration while buying a smart video system, however, the greater the
resolution the higher the storage capacity required for recording the video.
Hence, selecting the right type of storage without compromising on budget is
critical for the best performance and reliability of a security video system.