5 Ways To Choose The Right CCTV Camera For Your Home

Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) is a security system that comprises several cameras linked to a single monitoring system. Over the years, CCTV cameras have become more affordable and consequently gained popularity among homeowners looking to secure their homes or home businesses.

5 Ways To Choose The Right CCTV For Your Home

1.Determine Your Needs
Before deciding on which CCTV camera to buy, you may want to evaluate your needs and choose a camera based on them .Do you just want to monitor the comings and goings? Is it important to you that you see faces or crowds? Is your home better suited to a wired or wireless CCTV security system? Do you want indoor as well as outdoor CCTV cameras? Generally , your needs will be influenced by your budget so it’s important to first have in mind the amount of money you’re willing to spend on the cameras .

2.What Type Of Camera Do You Want?
There are different types of CCTV cameras available on the market. One of the types is the wired security cameras which are standard colour security cameras. Most of these cameras can be used indoor and outdoor and come with an infrared cut-filter to allow vision during the night (the image is usually black & white in colour to ensure clear image detail).
Another type of CCTV cameras is the IP or network cameras which connect to a computer’s router much like a net-workable device. Homeowners can access these cameras from any remote location online. Most of them also offer an option of directly recording a video to a computer. Your choice of camera will be influenced by your budget, needs and the recording environment.

3.Consider The Imaging Chip Of The Camera
Another important thing you need to consider when choosing CCTV security cameras is the quality of their Imaging chip. A CCTV camera usually produces images using either CMOS or CCD chips.

Small and low price security cameras use the CMOS technology and they produce low quality videos and also have poor light sensitivity. If you’re considering the quality of the images produced, don’t go for the low quality cameras.

Most quality CCTV cameras apply CCD technology .The sizes of the chips are typically 1/4″, 1/3″ or 1/2″. A large size chip means higher quality images and videos, but also higher price. It would be best to select a camera with a quality imaging chip, one that you can rely on.

4.Do you want white or colour?
If the CCTV cameras will be used in an area with very low light conditions, consider going for the black & white camera system. The colour CCTV cameras are ideal for indoor environments with better lighting conditions.

5.Understand light levels and resolution
Light and resolution are very important specifications that need to be put into consideration when selecting CCTV cameras for a home. Levels of light are usually measured in Lux .

The lower the number of Lux, the less amount of light required to produce a clear image. Resolution, on the other hand is measured in numbers. As a rule of thumb, the higher the number of resolution, the sharper the images produced.