What CCTV to have Installed?
Discussion
My system records about a months worth, and is controlled via the PC LAN. I can view, edit, playback and set up on any PC in the world or from my iphone.
It is based on a second hand Axis main system, hidden away in the loft. 4 cameras of varying quality covering the areas needed set up.
All this lot cost approx. £350 from Ebay, and I set it all up.
It is based on a second hand Axis main system, hidden away in the loft. 4 cameras of varying quality covering the areas needed set up.
All this lot cost approx. £350 from Ebay, and I set it all up.
Loads of CCTV on the market and all but impossible to determine what will work, what won't and what you ideally need.
We have a site that gives you all you need to know and then some about CCTV with advice on cctv systems for home, business etc. There are specific sections dealing with choosing a DVR recorder, CCTV camera and the various accessories you'll need. CCTV systems buying guide.
In a nutshell:
DVR recorder: Make sure your system records in what's called D1 resolution. At 720 by 576 pixels it's 4 times larger than the commonly used CIF resolution. Remote access, many DVRs use proxy servers and other non direct methods to remote view cameras. This can cause problems particularly when the internet is busy. We prefer direct connection between your browser, be that on a computer or mobile phone, and your DVR recorder. Make sure the DVR has a really good AV grade hard drive fitted.
Camera: It is critical to get the right camera for the job. Most cctv cameras we see commonly advertised have lenses which are not "powerful" enough for the level of detail people want to record. They use too wide an angle lens in the hope of machine gunning the target area but not collecting sufficient data to be useful. Night time performance varies tremendously from camera to camera. We did loads of direct comparison testing at 1.00am before we settled on acceptable CCD / DSP chipset combinations. Ironically TVL (the number of TV lines) so often quoted as the holy grail of CCTV choice actually has far less influence on the end results than the choice of lens and night time performance of the camera.
Have a look at the site and if you have any questions give us a call, we'll try and help out.
All the best.
Henry
We have a site that gives you all you need to know and then some about CCTV with advice on cctv systems for home, business etc. There are specific sections dealing with choosing a DVR recorder, CCTV camera and the various accessories you'll need. CCTV systems buying guide.
In a nutshell:
DVR recorder: Make sure your system records in what's called D1 resolution. At 720 by 576 pixels it's 4 times larger than the commonly used CIF resolution. Remote access, many DVRs use proxy servers and other non direct methods to remote view cameras. This can cause problems particularly when the internet is busy. We prefer direct connection between your browser, be that on a computer or mobile phone, and your DVR recorder. Make sure the DVR has a really good AV grade hard drive fitted.
Camera: It is critical to get the right camera for the job. Most cctv cameras we see commonly advertised have lenses which are not "powerful" enough for the level of detail people want to record. They use too wide an angle lens in the hope of machine gunning the target area but not collecting sufficient data to be useful. Night time performance varies tremendously from camera to camera. We did loads of direct comparison testing at 1.00am before we settled on acceptable CCD / DSP chipset combinations. Ironically TVL (the number of TV lines) so often quoted as the holy grail of CCTV choice actually has far less influence on the end results than the choice of lens and night time performance of the camera.
Have a look at the site and if you have any questions give us a call, we'll try and help out.
All the best.
Henry
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