Choosing the right camera locations is essential to effective surveillance.
Closed circuit television, or CCTV, is one of the most prolific and effective methods of security and surveillance. Cameras positioned around homes, offices, outdoor areas and public venues have been in use for a long time as a way to monitor property, people and locations. These factors that should be taken into account when choosing which surveillance techniques best suit your needs.
Cameras
Camera technology has evolved significantly in recent years, but the established, externally mounted camera housing is still a popular choice for CCTV surveillance techniques. The larger camera housings offer weatherproof protection for your CCTV cameras, and extra room for elements such as infrared floodlights for night vision, heated lenses to prevent misting, and protection against vandalism. Visible CCTV cameras also provide a clear deterrent, emphasizing that a particular area is under surveillance. Because of this, mounting an empty camera housing can provide a similar level of security at considerably less cost.
Covert Cameras
The progress made in the miniaturization of CCTV camera technology has made it possible to install surveillance equipment in many covert locations. Pin-hole cameras require only a very small aperture to obtain an image, allowing you to place hidden cameras in inconspicuous locations such as wall clocks, office equipment, ornaments and any object that attracts people's attention and thereby providing a clear image of their face. Covert cameras can even be installed within clothing and accessories for remote surveillance.
Monitoring
Capturing an image from a camera is only one part of an effective surveillance strategy. The image must be displayed somewhere so the areas under surveillance can be monitored. Security monitors accept a direct input from a camera, or you can employ a video switcher to accept multiple camera inputs to be displayed on a single monitor or a bank of monitors. Devices called modulators can be used to adjust a camera's transmission frequency to allow it to be viewed on a standard TV set. Many TVs have a composite video connection, which can also be used to accept a direct feed from a CCTV camera.
Recording
Time-lapse video recorders are used to capture surveillance footage from cameras or camera switchers for extended periods of time. By only capturing a few frames per second, a time-lapse recorder can make a single tape last up to a week before it needs changing. Digital recording methods are also available, which capture CCTV feeds directly to a computer, hard drive or flash memory. Many time-lapse recording devices include motion detection technology, and only record a feed when movement is detected on the camera's image. This can further extend recording times and avoids filling recording media with static CCTV images.
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