Buying a Home Security Surveillance System

The technology used in home security surveillance systems has changed dramatically over the years. Today, the surveillance cameras that come with surveillance systems are smaller, cheaper, and better. Up until a few years ago video footage was recorded onto VHS tape, but today DVR (digital video recorder) systems record video footage onto a hard drive. The price of home security surveillance system has come down dramatically over the last few years. The surveillance cameras and the video recording device are the two main parts of any home security surveillance system.

1. Surveillance Camera Technology

Surveillance cameras either use CMOS or CCD (charge couple device) chips to record video images. CMOS is used in cheaper cameras, and the video quality is not as good as CCD cameras. We use inches to measure CCD camera formats, and brighter images are produced by larger CCD chips. A CCD format of 1/4″ or 1/3″ is good enough for most situations.

The number of TV Lines (TVL) is how the resolution of a surveillance camera is normally specified. This determines how detailed the video picture quality is. A resolution between 350-400TVL is normally produced by surveillance cameras. The number of separate images that a surveillance camera can record per second is said to be the frame rate of the camera. Most camera’s can record at 30fps (frames per second), and video below 30fps is not smooth and begins to look jerky.

A color surveillance camera is not as good as a black and white camera in poor lighting conditions. A camera’s sensitivity to light is measured in lux. The light sensitivity of a camera must be 0.5 lux or less to be able to see anything under nighttime conditions.

2. Surveillance Camera Lenses

The lens of a surveillance camera should match the CCD format of the camera – 1/3″ lenses should be used with cameras with a 1/3″ CCD format. Most home security surveillance systems have cameras with fixed focal length lenses, which means that the cameras do not have a zoom in/out facility. Motorized zoom cameras are more expensive, and allow you to change the camera’s zoom focal length remotely.

3. Other Surveillance Camera Features

Some surveillance cameras include Infrared (IR) LEDs, which project an infrared light allowing you view video in complete darkness. The range that these camera’s can see in the dark vary, and is typically between 10 to 50 feet. Cameras with a pan, tilt and zoom (PTZ) facility are included with the more expensive home security surveillance systems. Pan, tilt and zoom (PTZ) cameras allow someone to remotely pan a camera left and right, up or down, and to zoom in and out.

4. Surveillance Camera Housings

A home security surveillance system can have large, visible cameras, which are cheaper, have larger housings, and can deter criminals by being clearly visible. Hidden (covert) security cameras are quite small, are more expensive, and are usually hidden within other objects, such as a wall clock. Dome housings are mounted on ceilings, and are commonly used with cameras that have a PTZ facility. Weatherproof security camera casings are used by cameras that need to be protected from the elements. Outdoor surveillance cameras need to be waterproof and to be able to withstand extremes in temperature.

5. Video Surveillance Monitors

Using a standard TV as a video surveillance monitor does not produce the best picture quality. Computer monitors produce better picture quality, and also offer an extended lifespan. If you want to display video from multiple cameras onto a single monitor, then a 15″ monitor should be the minimum size you purchase.

6. Video Surveillance System Recorders

Most home security surveillance systems today record video onto a hard drive and not VHS tape. This has several advantages. Firstly, you do not need to fast-forward or rewind a tape to go to a specific point in a recording – you can immediately go to that specific point in the recoding. Secondly, you can playback an earlier part of any camera recording whilst that camera is still recording.

Motion detection is a handy feature which is incorporated into some home security surveillance systems, which allows you to only record when motion is detected within a certain area. This will reduce the hard drive storage space requirements. The only advantage of purchasing a VCR system today is its cheaper price.

7. PC Based DVR Versus Standalone DVR

There are two types of home security surveillance system, PC based DVR systems, and standalone DVR systems. A PC based DVR system is quite cheap, and is run off an existing PC. Special software must be installed on the PC, and a PC board must be installed inside the PC case. A standalone DVR system is normally quicker, and more stable when compared against a PC based system.

The recording on a standard DVR security camera system is done using hardware, and this eliminates software crashes that you sometimes get with the PC based DVR systems. PC based systems generally do not perform as well, and are not as reliable as DVR systems.

8. Considerations when buying a Home Security Surveillance System

Your first consideration is the quality of the video you want to record. The is is the quality of the video recordings in terms of resolution (TV Lines), and the video frame rate (video smoothness). The second consideration is the number of cameras that you will need for your home security surveillance system. Entry-level systems come with 4 cameras. The third important consideration is the hard drive size that you will require for the DVR system. Low-end DVR systems come with 80 gigabyte (GB) hard drives, whilst top-end systems come with a 750GB hard drive.

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