CCTV(closed circuit television)
Our CCTV displays are color, high-resolution displays and can include the ability to zoom in on an image; provide motion tracking and provide 2 way communication among their features.
CCTV is commonly used for a variety of purposes, including:
- Monitoring who enters and leaves your home or office.
- Keeping a record for safety and security
What Is CCTV and How Does It Work?
The main use case for CCTV is for security purposes. Many businesses, bars, schools, restaurants, banks, country clubs, and homes rely on CCTV for protection. While the security system may not stop the bad guy, it will prevent criminal activity from occurring in the first place.
Live footage was the primary feature for CCTV when it first popped onto the security scene. Not long after, the technology emerged into a recording device. This way, we take advantage of securing the premises in real-time as well as reviewing archived footage.
There are many reasons we will want to keep an eye out for our surroundings. Many homes utilize a security camera to ensure the safety of their loved ones. Installing a camera on the outside of your home in multiple ways can drastically reduce the chances of something bad occurring.
You can also think of installing CCTV security cameras inside your home as well. The purpose here is to extend footage of unwanted intruders. If you ever have strangers doing work in your house or have a babysitter, a security camera is essential for securing your home when you’re not around.
Now that we know what CCTV is, we can now ask how does CCTV work? First, we need to be aware of the two types of security camera systems—analog and digital (IP).
CCTV Types
We have three CCTV systems: simple, grid powered, and systems with recording. Let’s first break down analog vs digital CCTV cameras and how they work.
Analog
With a traditional analog video camera, we connect to our digital video recorder, DVR. The information from the DVR is received, stored, and compressed on a hard drive. This is very beneficial because we can go back and watch stored footage.
Digital (IP)
A digital system brings us up to date with CCTV. The system itself is a bit more involved and costly, but well worth it in the end. It works similarly as analog, but instead of a DVR, we have an NVR, network video recorder.
This streamlines our security process, as the camera takes the place of the DVR. Now we can remotely monitor our footage live via an internet connection. If an emergency should occur our smartphone will alert us.
Simple CCTV
A simple CCTV system is a camera and a monitor. We can one or many cameras hooked up to a monitor with a coax cable. The power comes from the monitor and feeds it to the camera.
Recording CCTV
A recording CCTV system takes advantage of today’s technology with the ability to record and view later via DVR or NVR. We can now archive our footage on hard drives for later use. This comes in handy, especially with authorities.
CCTV Benefits
Unfortunately, crime is not going away anytime soon. We need to remain safe and secure at all times. Having a CCTV system provides us with a safety net from criminals and fishy activity.
CCTV units range in price, but the cost outweighs what damage may occur without. If you run any type of business, you will be glad you installed a CCTV for you and your employees. Digital CCTV systems provide us with a piece of mind knowing we can access our homes at any time if need be.