Choose a Surveillance Camera
For business or home owners concerned about personal safety and security, a surveillance camera provides a great solution. A surveillance camera helps deter criminal activity because it monitors activity. For the undeterred criminal, surveillance cameras also help create visual records for police. Although choosing a surveillance camera might seem daunting, if you follow a few easy steps, you can select one that fits your needs.
Instructions
1. Decide if you need a day camera or a day-and-night camera. For instance, a day-and-night camera can see in infrared and provides ongoing security on the darkest of nights.
2. Determine if you need color or black and white. Although black-and-white cameras often have the same resolution as color cameras, objects on a small black-and-white screen might seem muddled at first. Color screens allow better shape recognition, which helps security personnel identify threats sooner rather than later.
3. Choose a size for the monitor. Typical monitors come in 10 or 13 inches, but these small screens make monitoring your property difficult. A 17-inch screen, though more expensive, makes monitoring easier.
4. Look for a camera that offers panning, tilting, and zooming (PTZ). PTZ cameras come with a little joystick or keyboard. A homeowner or security guard can move the joystick or key the keyboard, which, in turn, shifts the camera's focus.
5. Examine the camera's protective cover. For instance, some cameras come with a metal visor to protect the lens. Others come with a globe that fits around the entire camera.
6. Consider the price, and make sure it fits your budget. Surveillance cameras cost as little as $75 for black-and-white models or as much as $1,000 for color models.
7. Determine what type of recording media you need. For instance, some camera systems employ video tape or DVR technology. Others save information on a computer hard drive. Video tapes cost less, but they must be changed on an hourly or daily basis. DVRs also require changing but less frequently. Hard-drive recording systems do not need to be changed, but they can cost $500 or more and require a powerful computer system.
8. Select a camera with adequate frames per second (fps). For instance, anything less than 30 fps will appear choppy. Anything 30 fps or more appears like standard video.
9. Determine if the surveillance camera company also offers real-time monitoring. For businesses, real-time monitoring can alert police immediately upon detecting an intrustion.
10. Review the installation specifications. If you can install the camera yourself, you'll save money. Some cameras, however, come with free installation. Other camera systems carry hefty installation fees of more than $250.
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