Home Security Cameras
A home is one of the biggest investments any person can make so it’s in your best interest to keep your investment safe. Whether you want a nanny cam to watch the babysitter or an entire security system there are camera options to meet your needs.
How to Choose a Home Security Camera
Instructions.
1.1
Pick a spot in which to put your security cameras. The location will play a large role in determining the type of camera you’ll need.
2.2
Consider a wired security camera if it will always remain in one position.
3.3
Consider a wireless camera if you need to send signals through walls and floors.
4.4
Buy a battery-operated model if your camera must function without electricity, or if you want a camera unencumbered by wires.
5.5
Read reviews of home security cameras to determine which one best suits your needs. Browse magazines such as “Consumer Reports” to find unbiased reviews. This magazine and others like it do not accept any money from the companies whose goods they test.
6.6
Visit Web forums to ask questions about home security cameras. You can chat with people who have already used the product you’re considering.
7.7
Search the Internet or visit stores to find the best price.
8.8
Use auction sites such as eBay to find the best deal. Remember to ask about warranties and shipping charges.
Security Cameras CCTV
A Brief History of Surveillance Video Recording Technology
You will quickly learn that all DVR’s and surveillance solutions are not alike. Quality, performance and reliability vary widely. It’s not what the manufacturers and installers do tell you, rather what they omit. The object of this guide is to make sure the products and solutions you specify meet your required overall objectives.

Prior to the digital age surveillance video was recorded on videocassette recorders (VCR’s). Since videocassettes don’t store more then several hours of video on a traditional VCR, time lapse recorders were used. The time lapse recorder may record a single frame of video each second or even less, instead of 30 frames per second, which is live motion. With a single frame of video being recorded you only had to change the tape once every 4-5 days. The only problem there was:
- someone had to remember to change the tape when it ran out
- since only a single frame or less was recorded many times you missed details of an incident
- since the tape was recorded over and over the video quality became poor very quickly
- tapes would break and jam
- machines wore out quickly
- you had to go to the location to see the tape and could not do it remotely
Since you only wanted one video cassette recorder, the question was how am I going to record multiple cameras? After all, if I need 16 cameras was I going to have to buy 16 time lapse recorders? The answer was no. A piece of hardware known as a multiplexer or a quad was used, which would take all the video images and put them all on a single screen.
The quad or the multiplexer was a box with multiple video inputs on one side and a single video output on the other side. The problem there is imagine how small the images are and trying to see what happened, when an image takes up 1/16th of a screen; with no way to blow them up; good luck!

DVR technology for security began in the early-to-mid 90’s with mechanical-type devices. They typically were operated by remote controllers and buttons or dials on the DVR box itself. Easy to operate, their functions and keys were similar to a device users were already familiar with; the VCR. Unfortunately, due to technological limitations, early DVR’s were not reliable, had limited features, offered poor quality video recording and were not powerful enough or designed properly to provide solutions that could address managing large amounts of cameras and video. Customers required more capable and reliable systems, which resulted in the introduction of PC-based DVR’s.
The PC-based DVR brought enhanced features and were programmable, but the early models were plagued by inherent reliability problems and still did not have the requisite robustness in order to manage anything of substantial size.
DVR Security Cameras
Today, both PC based and non-PC based DVR’s and related solutions are much improved over their early predecessors. Considerable advances in digital video technology and equipment have opened as many doors to users as they present challenges and quality issues for manufacturers.
Many people have the misconception that a PC-Based DVR is merely a PC with video capture (encoder) cards, display (decoder) cards and some off-the-shelf software. This explains the presence of hundreds of DVR and security companies that have literally sprung up overnight.
While these companies may hold themselves out to be “manufacturers” and security specialists – beware – few can deliver what they promise. In later chapters, we will discuss some of the “sleight of hands” to throw the unknowing off the track- in the quest of anything to make a sale.
At a recent security industry trade show we attended there were hundreds of exhibitor booths with DVR’s on display. In fact, it was difficult to find a booth without one. Many possessed attractive literature and some phenomenal marketing claims. However, many were unable to provide a live demonstration of their equipment and just limited it to a “canned” and “controlled” demonstration. Others, when trying to show the features listed in their sales brochures upon specific request, experienced problems.
A true DVR, meant for security, is a sophisticated system composed of specialized hardware, software and sub-assemblies with built-in checks and balances. It all must work in unison to create a robust and reliable solution. There is no margin for error. Down-time costs money.
DVR Security Cameras
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