How Home Video Surveillance Works

The first video surveillance systems were used by large and medium-sized businesses to monitor for shop-lifting and to keep an eye on cash-handling areas.

They have been very effective in identifying and prosecuting criminals. Today, though, more homeowners are installing video surveillance systems. Also called closed circuit TV (CCTV), home video surveillance systems allow homeowners to monitor specific areas and keep an eye on potential thieves, burglars, and vandals.

The monitor is the defining characteristics of video surveillance systems. It receives a live picture from the camera. Normally black and white, the monitors boast higher resolutions than most home televisions, standard resolutions being between 500 and 1000 lines.

Of course, the camera is an important component of the video surveillance system. During installation, the cameras are located strategically outside the home in vulnerable areas like entry ways, porticos, and where landscaping hides access to windows. For a more effective system, cameras should be placed where they are difficult to see. They work continuously, feeding images to the monitor either constantly or at timed intervals.

Coaxial cables tie the video surveillance systems together. Available in many different sizes from local electronics retailers, they transmit the video signal from camera to monitor. These cables come with the video surveillance systems, but there are times when extra longer cables must be purchased for far-away cameras.

Home video surveillance systems also include switchers that allow the user to hook up several cameras to one central monitor. Automated switchers normally cycle through camera stations until it detects movement. When that happens, they lock on the camera where movement has occurred to monitor possible security breaches.

Some home video surveillance systems can be used with VCRs to record the live video feeds. Particularly useful when the family is away on travel, the VCR can record a break-in as it happens, saving a picture of the criminal for later investigation and prosecution. Your home video surveillance system then provides a critical piece of evidence for law enforcement.

Home video surveillance systems make it possible to get the level of security for your home that, in the past, were available only to businesses with large security budgets. Today, they are so affordable that they are used in homes across the country.

If you've been looking for a way to better protect your home and belongings, a video surveillance system may be the way to go.

One cautionary word: remember that video surveillance systems do not automatically sound an alarm or notify the police or fire department of emergencies when they occur. You'll still want to have a reliable burglar alarm system. What they will do is provide a permanent image of the crime in progress to make arrest and prosecution more likely.

Surveillance Cameras And CCTV

The level of protection that you need through surveillance cameras may extend to the range of CCTV or Closed Circuit TV. Depending on your need, you may have a surveillance system that is set up to provide you with several cameras, various operators and digital recorders. The perfect set up means considering the need for closed circuit television which provide many aspects of security for your business.

Why CCTV?

There are many reasons to install a high quality, surveillance camera as well as a variety of other elements in your security system. Not only will it help you to make your location safer, but it provides for more efficiency and a reduced level of risk across the board.

For example, you can cut down on the loss your business takes each month by catching shoplifters in their tracks. Or, with surveillance cameras easily displayed around your location, thieves are already deterred from making your location a target. Just having them there is one of the most helpful tools.

But, you can accomplish more with surveillance cameras and a full CCTV system. For example, you can record employees as well as customers that make false claims against you. Perhaps someone claims to have fallen or that an employee mistreated them.

With a good surveillance system in place, you reduce the risk that you face considerably. If there are situations in which employees are involved in lying, cheating or otherwise being dishonest, your system can easily pick this up and report it to you.

For some types of businesses, a surveillance camera can also help you to reduce your insurance costs. By preventing thefts, deterring employee problems and even helping to stop fraudulent claims against your business, your insurance rates may be lower or you may simply meet their current requirements.

Investing in the right surveillance camera system will provide you with many different benefits, including the ability to monitor what happens at your business when you can’t be there. In many ways, this is a tool that most businesses can reap rewards from including lowering costs, increasing productivity and reducing claims against them. An effective set up like this is an investment in your business that will pay off over the long term, time and time again.