What Are CCTV Cameras? Let’s take a step back and get to the crux of the thing we’re talking about – Closed-circuit television or widely known as ‘CCTV Cameras’. That gadget we see pretty much everywhere nowadays on the roofs of buildings, both indoors and outdoors, telling us that we’re in a safe-zone, and if anything, unfortunate does happen, like if your bag gets stolen, we’ve got it all on tape and are a step closer to solving it. This equipment has been used for decades now, to produce images and recordings for different surveillance purposes both privately and in the public eye via government regulations.
How it does this is by sending digital signals to a storage device such as a tape recorder, laptop, or desktop computer while recording everything. Sometimes this is done via analog as well but this would need to be converted to digital if you need to save it to your laptop for instance.
You can also get Network cameras that are built into video servers and have an IP address. The resolution is much higher in this option and can get up to 1280 x 960-megapixel resolutions, and is usually the easiest and simplest way to do any surveillance, all you need is the network camera, some ethernet cable, and a personal computer.
This article will shine some light on the differences between all three http://www.differencebetween.net/technology/difference-between-ip-camera-and-cctv/
Reasons Why You Should Get One (or a Few)
We don’t live in an innocent world anymore, and never have we been 100% safe at all times in our lives, that is just a fact that every individual needs to face one way or another. Unless you are quarantined in your house for 10 years straight and never see daylight again, you will be exposed to many scenarios where it is easy too, as mentioned in our example above, get your bag stolen or have a car accident and know it wasn’t your fault, and need to prove it.
These are just mere examples of scenarios where having one of these, would save your life or help the court see that it was not your fault. Okay, so now were dwelling on extreme situations. Let’s take a step back and look at some of the reasons why anyone would invest in these extremely powerful and helpful pieces of equipment.
1. For Your Overall Business Security
It is a fundamental truth that the majority of businesses, should at some point in their history of work, get a basic security system installed in their premises. Whether you run a big corporate business or a small simple one, security is security. For some companies, it is mandatory to have security equipment and retain their footage for a set period as per regulations.
2. Crime Deterrent & Evidence
In case a crime does happen – you have video footage of it. But before a crime does take place, it deters any possible criminals in carrying out any illegal activities. When crimes do take place in areas where there is video footage, the chances of solving it are a lot easier and higher.
3. Safe and Secure Environment
Ever noticed how much more secure you feel when you are working in a building that has cameras opposed to one that does not? In my personal opinion and experience, I have worked in both and do feel safer in the building that has them, of course, I also feel like I should watch my back and not do anything silly. Have you seen those funny YouTube CCTV videos of people caught on camera? I guess not everyone is as vigilant as they should be. And they’re not even that hard to find – CCTV camera kits can be bought online or in some commercial stores and engineers can help you install them as easy as 1-2-3.
For owners of businesses, this is one of the ways that they can keep things transparent and keep track of the daily activities on the premises, adding to the safety of the environment.
4. Dispute Settlement
Which brings us to our fourth point. In cases where court hearings require evidence, it can help settle disputes far easier than having to go through heaps of paperwork, records, files, and random documents. Cases such as employee disagreements, altercations between employees or staff, and customers or even family feuds can be cleared out simply and efficiently by using video recordings of the activities in question.
5. Record Keeping
Some big businesses such as the ones that run warehouses, find it hard to keep track of their employees ins and outs especially if they need to clock their times or check-in and check-out of the site, sometimes deliveries will be made and customers will come in and leave and there needs to be evidence of this to make sure everything is running as efficiently as possible.
What Are Your Options?
Shall we dive into the different choices that you have on the market? Because there are a few, you first need to decide on the kind you need, or rather which one will fit into your premises and circumstances perfectly, then you can go out and look for one or do an online search to find an online store.
Your choices are:
Bullet CCTV Cameras are the gadgets you find on the streets in your neighborhoods, on robots, and in big retail stores or supermarkets. It is because they look like a bullet, hence the name. sometimes they are also called lipstick cameras. This option can be used both indoors or outdoors, as they are quite sturdy and have a waterproof aluminum casing.
Battery Powered Cameras are intended for motion detection only and do not have the capability of recording for long periods, due to battery life. You can use these to record specific instances or events.
4G LTE Security Cameras made to run on 4G data and have built-in SIM cards instead of the typical router network to function. As long as you have the requirements, i.e. sim card and data, you can run it wherever and for however long as you like.
Dome Security Cameras because of the dome cover it is made of, it is hard to detect where it is facing. These are very easy to destroy by vandalism and have been done so, due to the fragile plastic exterior. You can see these placed mainly on rooftops facing downwards and have a 260 view, typically used in banks and big rooms. It can be accessed via smartphone or personal computer.
PTZ Security Cameras are the most popular options in any household. It is also known as a Speed dome camera, which allows you to control the tilt and it has zoom functions remotely via surveillance software that sometimes comes with it or needs to be purchased separately. If you’re not sure where to place them, there are online sources that can help such as on this website.
Wireless CCTV Cameras, the name wireless, does not mean the device itself is wireless, it still has a cable but the data it sends to the output is wireless. All you need is one power cable to install it.
So, when choosing the best kit for your premises, keep in mind what the purpose it will be used for and on a level of 1-10 how safe do you want to keep your four walls.
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