Tips to Choose CCTV Cameras for Home

Gone are the days when CCTV cameras were only used by large commercial establishments. Owing to the growing rate of crime and recent advances in technology, many homeowners now use these systems to protect their property and dear ones. Technically speaking, these camera systems are connected to a central monitoring system, where all the recordings can be seen by the users.

Over the last decade or so, CCTV cameras have evolved by leaps and bounds. Naturally, it can be extremely intimidating for a common man to go through the latest CCTV technologies and features. Mentioned below are some of the most important points for you to consider before purchasing a CCTV camera for your home.

Internal Storage vs SD Card Slot: Previously, most of the CCTV cameras relied solely on a hard disk, and had no internal storage facility. These systems are still available, but now we also have the more advanced option of CCTV cameras with micro SD card slots. Therefore, these cameras are capable of functioning on their own as a complete CCTV system. Depending on your requirement, you may use 32GB, 64GB, or 128GB cards with the systems.

Tilt/Pan: In order to cover larger spaces around them, many of today’s advanced CCTV cameras can rotate vertically as well as horizontally. This vertical and horizontal rotation is referred to as tilt and pan respectively. The most advanced surveillance cameras can tilt and pan by up to 90 degrees and 355 degrees respectively. In some systems, this rotation can be done using mobile applications. If you are looking to monitor a larger space with your CCTV camera, you need one with a higher pan and tilt.

Image Quality: This is one of the foremost factors to consider before purchasing a CCTV camera. The best of products available in the market are capable of producing videos with the resolution of 1080p. However, please remember that CCTV cameras with higher resolution also require larger storage space to record the video. Therefore, a high-resolution camera is a great choice if your system has a large internal storage facility. Some of the CCTV cameras with in-built storage deal with this problem by self-erasing the previous recording once the storage space is exhausted.

Motion and Audio Sensor: Motion and audio sensors are considered to be integral components of modern-day security cameras. This useful feature helps the camera systems detect and alert users about unusual movements and sounds, by sending notifications via mobile applications. You must look for a CCTV camera system with this feature if you are someone who only wants the best for the safety and security of his or her family members.

Installation and Setup: In general, installation and setup is the easiest for wireless CCTV cameras simply because there are no cables to deal with. Positioning and mounting are two factors that determine the ease of camera installation. Cameras with sticky pads and magnetic bases can be installed easily, but it is recommended that the cameras are screwed properly into the wall. As a homeowner, you will not need to concern yourself about this, because most of the reputable CCTV companies offer free installation and setup.

Video Chat: CCTV cameras with video chat feature are equipped with inbuilt microphones, and can be extremely useful for users that have an elderly person or kids at home.

Waterproof: Waterproofing is a must-have feature for individuals that are looking to install a CCTV camera for the purpose of monitoring the outdoor spaces surrounding the home.

Infra-Red LEDs: The number of infra-red LEDs plays an important role in determining the quality of night vision and recording. Therefore, the quality of recording for the nights will be better for CCTV cameras with more infra-red LEDs on the sides of the lens.

Wireless: It makes more sense to opt for a wireless CCTV camera because these systems are much easier to install and move around.

This article does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors or management of EconoTimes.