Surveillance
Camera
A surveillance camera is nothing new when
a customer walks into a retail store, convenience store, even
a college or school. But surveillance cameras
come in a variety of styles and have many functions to accommodate
the consumer’s needs and preferences. Surveillance
in general is watching and observing selected areas for any
interference, such as theft, burglary or vandalism. You can
have something as small as a peephole surveillance camera
to observe who comes to your door without them knowing, or upgrade
with audio surveillance equipment where you
can speak or listen to the outside as well. Surveillance
equipment can come as small or as large as needed,
can zoom in or out, there are even spy
cameras and wireless cameras
out there where large companies can hide cameras to observe
their employees activities. Security cameras in security camera
systems, which are described elsewhere in this site, are similar
in function.
Some functions of a surveillance camera are
that it allows you to observe activity that is happening without
you actually having to be there. There is no need to inform
the people involved and you can gain access to the video via
your web browser on the Internet or a local network without
having to even be in the same state much less the same building.
Depending on your specific needs, you can pause and still capture
an image, zoom in and enlarge a part of the image, and even
have the surveillance system notify you via
email if there is an “occurrence” it has captured
on film.
When purchasing a surveillance camera and surveillance
system in general, be familiar with the jargon thrown
your way and make sure you know what you need. Some things to
consider are:
• The resolution. How detailed of a
CCTV camera do you need? This is where you need to think
specifics, such as where you want a high-resolution camera (captures
up to 500 TV lines) or if you can do with a normal surveillance
camera, which will capture about 350 TVL. Upgrading
is not costly, so if you don’t care about adding about
$50-$75 to your budget, purchasing a high-resolution CCTV
camera is a wise decision. Make sure your entire surveillance
system is capable of supporting high-resolution cameras
if you do choose that route.
• Figure out what you are trying to monitor to determine
what type of surveillance equipment you will
need. Do you just need a video surveillance system to watch
vehicles or do you have to actually see merchandise and faces
of employees and customers? Once you decide on what you need
to see, you can figure out what you will need to purchase.
• Some other things to consider is the noise ratio or
interference you can get, such as static or outside surrounding
noise that can interfere with what you need to capture on your
monitor or recordings. Lighting can also play a factor so determine
exactly where the surveillance cameras and
CCTV cameras will be placed so you can see
if you need a fluorescent bulb or a lux camera, which can make
out images in dim light. Depending on your specific needs, you
may need to purchase a few different types of surveillance
cameras.
• There are many types of surveillance cameras with similar
functions to the security cameras described on other pages.
Night vision cameras , infrared cameras, PTZ cameras ( pan-tilt-zoom),
wireless cameras, and spy cameras are a few of the cameras available.
They provide unique functions and are a key part to any surveillance
system for home or office.