How To Choose The Right Cctv System

A well planned CCTV System can provide the extra security that you have been looking for at your home or business. Before you buy any CCTV system, you need to know exactly how you want the system to benefit you. Whether it is facial recognition, number plate recognition or just a general overview of an area, there are many aspects that need to be considered before you buy your equipment.

Here is a brief overview of things to take into consideration when buying a CCTV System.

Take a detailed look at your home or business. Identify the areas you will want to cover with your cameras. Pinpoint any vulnerability on the property or specific areas which you need to pay close attention to.

After your initial survey you now need to consider how many CCTV cameras you will need for your home or business. How big is the area that the cameras need to cover? This information is crucial when choosing the lens size of you CCTV cameras. Wide angle lenses such as 3.6mm will give you greater coverage but in lower quality and less detail. Narrow more focused lenses from 8mm upwards, can be much more beneficial providing a smaller area of view but with much greater detail and quality. Anti Vandal dome cameras are great for vulnerable areas and when being mounted at low heights.

In low light situations you need to consider cameras equipped with IR illuminators. The majority of external CCTV cameras on the market now come equipped with IR LEDs. IR Range can be used to gauge IR CCTV cameras, however only as a rough guide, because some retailers state a much greater IR range and you will find results are more often than not less than stated. The IR illuminators on external CCTV cameras can also be very much focused on one area, so although they may claim a 30m IR range, the IR will reach these distances, but often you will find it is focused on a smaller area of your overall view. IR Cameras are often referred to as Bullet cameras.

Your choice of CCTV DVR is mainly dictated by the amount of cameras your system has. If you require 5-8 cameras you will need an 8 Channel DVR. If you only need 1-4 cameras on the system you will need a 4 channel DVR. Once you have selected the amount of channels you require you can begin to think about other aspects of the DVR that will affect you decision. Is your system going to be monitored or does it require high quality recording functionality. How long do you want to keep recordings for? The longer this time is, the larger the memory will need to be within the DVR.

When choosing your CCTV monitor, many modern DVR's come equipped with a VGA connection as well as BNC connection. This means you can use most computer monitors and the majority of modern televisions are already equipped with a VGA connection as standard to connect your CCTV. If your chosen DVR does not have an optional VGA connection you also need to consider a monitor with BNC inputs. Nearly all CCTV DVR's have a BNC connection to connect the monitor, as well as the more modern optional VGA connection.

With the above in mind you will hopefully have a better idea about what you need from your CCTV camera system. I hope this article helps you choose the right CCTV system for your needs.

By: Mark Curry

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Article Written by Mark Curry from www.mie-cctv.co.uk