CCTV Camera Basics: What To Know Before You Buy?

Answer 1

Closed circuit television, or CCTV, is the traditional way of handling video surveillance. Since internet protocol (IP) innovations have changed the game in video surveillance for some users, it’s important to know if you’re looking for the right system and equipment to suit your needs.

Surveillance cameras are often referred to as CCTV cameras, even if the method of delivering the signal from the camera has nothing to do with closed circuit television. Beware of the distinction and get your questions answered before you click proceed to checkout. Equipment and systems are two different things, so make sure you’re really getting what you both need and expect.

CCTV refers to a specific way of handling a television signal. Rather than broadcasting the signal over radio waves (formerly the only real alternative), the signal goes more or less directly from camera to television. There’s no need for expensive broadcasting equipment, and the signal is much more secure.

Computers have changed all that, as they’ve changed just about everything else in our society. IP offers a third way to handle the television signal. Internet protocol can do a number of innovative things with surveillance cameras and footage, allowing for remote viewing from any Internet connected device, including smart phones and PDAs. Since the footage is digitally processed, IP opens a whole new range of possibilities for using the footage more effectively.

For instance, programs and applications are available that effectively automate video monitoring, and are capable flagging suspicious activity. Such potential allows users both greater convenience and more effective use of the piles of information surveillance video can provide. Applications are even being developed that will allow cameras to recognize faces, though the full potential of these applications is far from being realized.

The security concerns of IP cameras, however, are real. IP systems are certainly more secure than Broadcast Television, but are considerably less secure than CCTV. With video signal running through the Internet and computers, the signal can be hacked. Your needs may not require heavy Internet security beyond a basic firewall, but the security of the system itself is something to consider before you decide what you need.