7 Tips for Selecting the Right Surveillance System for Your Needs
Every year, the United States sees over 2.5 million home invasions. The losses from all of the property crimes in 2013 amounted to about $16.6 billion. For home burglaries, about 61% are committed through forcible entry. It has been estimated that when a home lacks both a security or alarm system are 300% more likely to be broken into. Many people turn to video surveillance system to keep their home safe and secure.
- Decide how large the area that you need to cover is. Every home is different and every space is different. You need to walk around the area you need to secure and try to see where the weak points are in your home. Look for areas that might be easy entry points for criminals. Most people put in multiple cameras to cover any one particular area. Calculate the square footage of the area. Look at the configuration of the space. When you buy video surveillance systems, you also need to look at the conditions they will be subjected to. This includes the weather conditions.
- Decide your focal length. You need to look at the ideal focal length for the home security cameras that you are buying. Not every camera will have the same focal length. You can use a lens calculator to determine the correct or optimal focal length for each of the cameras that you will be installing.
- Decide what kind of cameras you want. You have a lot of options when it comes to closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras today. The right home security camera can make a big difference. If you are putting video surveillance systems both in and outside of your home, you will have to get different kinds of cameras for each. You also have to decide how visible you want the camera to be. Many people use these home security systems just as much as a deterrent to home invasion as well as to catch anyone who breaks into the home.
- Get the right resolution for your cameras. This is measured in lines. The higher the number of lines you have, the better the clarity will be of the video that is captured. You should try to get cameras with as high a number as you can. CCTVs that have a resolution that goes from 525 through 580 lines is going to be a very high resolution. The average is 480 lines and this level does offer a lot of clarity and is very common. Cameras with a resolution of around 350 lines have the lowest resolution and should be avoided.
- Look at your options for recording at night. If you think you are going to need your video surveillance systems run at night, you will have to make sure your cameras are able to record in low light. There are video surveillance cameras that have infrared lights to make it easier to record in low light environments. This kind of light is not visible to the human eye so would be burglars will not see it.
- Consider all your options vis-a-vis wireless and wired video surveillance systems. Often people think that the wireless versions are going to be more sophisticated but that is not always the case. Moreover, anytime you are dealing with wireless technology, you run the risk that it can be interfered with by other wireless technology in the area. In addition, no system is totally wireless. Even wireless cameras need power so there is that cord that you will have to contend with.
- Look at the price. There are areas where you may want to splurge to get a system that is of a higher quality. If you go with cheaper video surveillance systems, you may not get the security that you are looking for. It may be worth it to look around and see if you can see different prices on the same product but you should be careful about buying a super cheap system. The cheapest system may end up costing you a lot more than one that costs a little more.
If you take your time and do some work, you will find the right system.
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