This post will cover the basics of surveillance systems, whether you plan to install one in your home/organization or you just want to have the knowledge about it.
Surveillance systems are one of the assets homes and organizations should own. From small or medium organizations that provide daily services like banks, shopping malls etc to the larger organizations like the companies, car dealers and so on. This can be a great asset for monitoring the work or business environment. They can also be used for private or home surveillance as the case may be.
This can serve as a tool for work improvement as employees tend to put more effort in their work knowing they are been watched also it can help to prevent an incident of robbery attack or vandalism as the cameras will scare away the assailants from the environment.
Types of surveillance cameras
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| Surveillance systems |
There are basically two types of surveillance cameras used namely:
• Analogue cameras
• IP cameras
Analogue cameras comprise of a digital video recorder (DVR), which is the equipment where the video feed is sent for recording. The camera connects to the DVR through a Siamese cable comprising of a RG-59 cable merged with a power cable. The RG-59 cable carries the feed from the camera to the DVR for recording while the power cable provides the necessary power requirement of the camera. The RG-59 cable connects to the DVR using a BNC (British Naval Connector).
On the other hand, IP cameras can be regarded as standalone computers considering that it has all the necessary capabilities a computer uses for networking. It is assigned an IP (Internet Protocol) address and connects to the computer network through the components (switches, routers etc.) it has an Ethernet port which serves both the purpose of data transmission and powering the camera as technology has made available power over Ethernet switches, which not only connects devices to the network but also power the devices. This camera uses the standard Ethernet cable i.e. CAT5 or CAT6 and connects to a network video recorder (NVR).
Varieties of surveillance cameras
Surveillance cameras come in different shape and sizes which serve various purposes. When purchasing a surveillance camera, you should be aware of factors such as:
• Location: Are you using it for internal or external surveillance?
• Lighting: The lighting condition of the environment where it will be installed.
• Protection: Is the camera well protected from vandalism?
Now let me elaborate more on these factors:
When planning to install a surveillance camera, the location of installation have to be considered to enable you choose the right camera i.e. is it going to be suitable for internal or external use? Where if installed externally it will be exposed to environmental factors such as rain, sun, dew etc. or internally inside a building or warehouse where this environmental factors cannot reach it.
Also the lighting of the location has to be considered, if it is going to be installed in a lighted or dark environment also considering situations of power outage where the camera may not be designed to operate in the low light condition thus not transmitting any visible video feed.
The third consideration which is the protection has to do with the physical location and strength of the camera i.e. its reachability in case of vandalism also considering its proper mounting.
Form Factors
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| Kinds of surveillance cameras |
Surveillance cameras come in various forms which include:
• Dome shaped cameras: These have the shape of a dome and are suitable for mounting on ceiling and walls.
• Bullet shaped cameras: These have a cylindrical tube shape, can be mounted on walls.
• Box shaped cameras: This are rectangular in shape. A typical example is the popular CCTV camera we find in our environment.
Note: There are also a vandal proof cameras for example the vandal proof dome camera which is suitable for mounting in public places to prevent its physical damage from vandals.
Other Classifications
• IR (infrared) cameras: This type of camera has infrared lights. It is suitable for conditions of no light since the IR serves as a source of light for the camera in the dark conditions.
• Low lux cameras: This type of cameras operate in low lighting conditions e.g. a camera of 0.05 lux which is the amount of light produced by the moon (low light) can still produce a clear video feed from its environment.
• PTZ (pan-tilt-zoom) camera: This are the robotic kind of cameras which have a (left to right) and (up and down) movement and can zoom to get a close-up view of objects
Note: The PTZ cameras come with an extra cable for the controller. ( a device that is used to control the movement of the camera from the control room).
Resolution
The analogue camera's resolution is measured in TVL (TV lines) with a resolution of 320 TVL low and 700 TVL high etc. The resolution of the IP camera is measured in mega pixels e.g. 5 megapixel, 10 megapixel, 20 megapixels etc. where the quality of the video increases with a higher megapixels.
Frame Rate
This refers to the visual perception of the recorded footage. Which is determined if the footage is viewed in real time or as a jerky image. Frame rates are expressed in frame per seconds (fps). A frame rate of 30 fps is real time while that of 15fps is perceived as real time. Frame rates lower than 15fps is not real time it produces a jerky image.
These are some of the basics you need to know about surveillance systems.
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