Camera Surveillance Systems Affordability

Posted on August 13, 2009 by Rob

Have there ever been times that you wished for a camera surveillance system in your house?  Have you ever heard the doorbell ring and wonder who was there, or worse, answer the door to find no-one at the door.  Moms often times wish that they didn’t have to drop what they are doing and go check on the kids in the back yard.  Small business owners, struggling to get by, sometimes don’t have a clue as to whether merchandise is walking out the back door or not.  In all of these cases, a camera surveillance system can provide a solution.  Many people think that these systems are just too expensive to consider.  Until the last few years, that was true. However, in today’s day and age, camera surveillance systems come with many different options and are affordable for any budget.

Technology has been racing forward at a breakneck speed.   We are all benefitting from the advances by seeing the price of camera surveillance system.  There are two varieties. The first is PC based as it has a tower and the functions of the system are carried out by (usually) a Windows based program.  The good thing about the PC based systems is that they integrate well with wireless cameras to form home based wireless surveillance camera systems that have all of the power of there wired cousins at a fraction of the cost.

The second and more popular version is based on an embedded DVR. There is no software as all of the systems functions are embedded in microchips.  Up until recently, a basic two camera DVR type system cost over $1,000.  Today, you can get a system that includes the two cameras, a DVR , 120 minutes of looped recording, live viewing from anywhere via the internet, PDA, VGA, and USB outputs for under $400.  Many of these features were not available five years ago, for any price.

The PC based systems are more expensive than the DVR type for two reasons.  First, they come with more hardware than the DVR types, the PC tower and a minimum of four input cameras (sources).  Second, because they are PC based, the software comes with more flexibility and can be updated easily. These systems usually com with image control software that gives you more options on the output side.  All of this functionality comes with a price.  These systems start at over $1,000.  While this might seem expensive, it is an order of magnitude cheaper than ten years ago.

For people willing to take the time to research and install a camera surveillance system, it can be done for a minimum amount of money.  The systems are well worth the amount of money spent for the security and peace of mind that they provide.

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Camera Surveillance System Technologies

Posted on July 21, 2009 by Rob

The technologies for camera surveillance systems has evolved dramatically over the last 20 years.  This article will educate you on basic system technologies currently available.  After reading this, you should be able to make the right choices when designing a video camera surveillance system that will meet your expectations.

First, we have to understand the different camera surveillance system technologies, their operations and benefits. The technologies range from 25 year old “Analog” to cutting edge “Digital”. Your goals and what you want to accomplish will dictate which technology is right for you.  There are three types of surveillance technologies that you have to consider.

The first is analog recording systems.   Basically, these systems consist of the cameras, some sort of muliplexor to comverge the signals, and a VCR.  There are many advantages to this type of system.  No post processing required in the field/lab.   Data storage (VCR tapes) is cheap, $2 – $3 /tape. Changeout time in field is quick, as long as it takes to swap out a VCR tape.  Easily display output on analog monitors.  Most television repair stations can service the recorders.  Sampling techniques can easily be implemented to save storage with the analog camera surveillance system.

The next type is the digital recording camera surveillance system.  Digital recording systems can be broken down into two categories, but they have many things in common.   Most digital video security systems are intended for short bursts of important data (i.e. the five minutes while an entry is compromised) or for some few hours (i.e. while the robber is checking out the casino without his mask on). The video data being stored on the hard drives is immediately available to the police or security for downloading to the internet, digital storage cards, DVD’s, etc.  When the event is over and the small amount of critical data is archived off of the hard drive, the hard drive is then placed back on line to record new video data.  At some point in the future, depending on DHD capacity, it will start to write over the data previously recorded but the small amount of security critical data has been saved.  Many resolution levels are available and they go to much higher levels than most analog systems. Various compression schemes are available MPEG 2 , MPEG 4, etc.  Tremendous range of storage capacities from 20 gig to terabytes.  The variety of hard drive video recorders is growing explosively.  Systems generally require less power than analog systems.  Moisture generally less of a problem because hard drives are sealed.

The two types of digital recording camera surveillance system are PC based systems and hardware based systems.   PC based systems are more flexable and have a wide range of functionality.  Limitations are that the system runs on a PC with the Windows Operating System and all of its flaws and limitations. Also, users must have average or better computer skills.   The hardware based system is built specifically for camera security systems and is much less likely to experience operating system issues.  However it is the more expensive of the two options.

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Why Install a Camera Surveillance System?

Posted on July 17, 2009 by Rob

People Install a camera surveillance system for many different reasons.  However, whether it is to prevent shinkage for a small business or to watch the kids in the back yard for a family, it all boils down to one thing.  Peace of mind.  So, when you’re ready to install a video camera surveillance system in your business or home, you can be rest assured that you are about to feel a whole lot safer. People install these security camera surveillance systems for so many different reasons. No matter what your reason, the one thing everyone can agree about is how good you feel when your property is protected and the peace of mind it provides.

You can install a security camera surveillance system to monitor the activities of your business.  A well placed system prevents employee theft.  Studies have found that the average dollar loss per employee theft is sometimes more than 5 times the amount of the average shoplifting incident.  Whether your business is commercial, manufacturing or retail, the design and implementation of a camera surveillance system should be an integral part of your loss prevention and anti-theft program.  If burglary is an issue, there are motion activated, infrared, security cameras that will take pictures automatically whenever someone moves in front of them and then digitally storing the pictures within the micro-camera.  This allows you to retrieve them later just by plugging the camera into your TV/VCR. A more expensive option is a video camera surveillance system with the same attributes.  Even if you do not have theft or burglary issues at your business, many times you can significantly reduce your business insurance premium when you install a security camera surveillance system.  All you have to do is call your insurance agent.  They will do the leg work for you and check your policy to see if you can save money.  Many times, the savings can pay for the system within a year.

Homeowners are one of the biggest benefactors of camera surveillance system’s.  You can monitor the activities of your home while you’re away, so you will be sure of the safety of your children and your pets while you are away. You can even arrange for a motion detector to alert you via pager or e-mail when there is a disturbance at your home or business or to activate recording.  You can set up a camera surveillance system for your backyard if you have a pool there, or just to keep an eye on the kids.  Setting up a camera at the front door can save lots of needless trips to answer the door for pesty solicitors.

Security camera surveillance system are not expensive anymore.  They can notify you of suspicious activity where ever you are in the world.  Security camera surveillance systems are easy to install. In fact, it takes less than a few minutes to determine the system that’s right for you, and have it installed in your home or business. They can be installed by yourself or by a professional.  If either case, it is most likely that the peace of mind that they provide more than outweighs the costs involved.

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