Selecting a Security Camera
If theft and burglary sound like news
headlines to you, please take a reality check. Without trying to
cause a panic attack, a word of warning: both are much more prevalent
than you can imagine. You cant
afford to take a risk when the safety of your dear ones, and your
valuable assets are concerned. Being paranoid doesn't solve
the problem either.
You
need to engage in electronic warfare to counter threats to your
security. Catching an intruder on camera can provide evidence in
court. A video record also provides intelligent data mining and
information retrieval if you want to know exactly what happened in any
place or situation you want to monitor.
Once you decide to set up a video
surveillance system, take some time to plan and design it. You
need to decide whether to go for the classic CCTV (Closed Circuit TV)
based surveillance, web cameras attached to your PC, or the more recent
IP (Internet Protocol) camera technology.
CCTV
Originally, video surveillance was done using closed
circuit television. This technology uses analog video cameras,
coaxial cable and video tape recorders. The cameras transmit a
signal to a specific, limited set of monitors. CCTV systems
typically involve a fixed communications link between cameras and
monitors, using wires and cables. This method records what is
happening, but does not send you alerts. CCTV works like a VCR,
you have to change cassettes, image quality is average, storage tapes
wear out over time, and storage is bulky. Also, the cameras,
monitors, and recorders must be physically close enough together to be
connected by cables.
Web
Cameras
A web camera is
connected to the PC, most often via a USB port, and uses the PC to make
video available to other viewers. Images from a web camera can be
accessed over the Internet with the help of monitoring software.
Web camera images can be uploaded to a web server, either continuously
or at regular intervals.
Webcams
are being used effectively for security purposes. Webcams can be
used to monitor and record activity in small offices, shops and
homes. Monitoring software, such as
WebCam Monitor, is needed
to complete a video security system. A web camera works
only if it is directly attached to a PC. You will need a long
cable if you want to monitor something that is not near the PC the web
cam is attached to. Web cameras can only be directly read and
controlled by one host computer and cannot be shared across a network.
IP Cameras
With the Internet revolution, there
have been great strides in video surveillance. IP cameras are
stand-alone devices that connect to your Ethernet or wireless
network. An IP camera acts like a computer on a network, allowing
you to view its video feed from anywhere in your network or over the
Internet. You can monitor multiple cameras at multiple locations
from one remote site. The digital picture quality is superior to
analog. Recordings are highly compressed for easier storage
Let's look at the benefits of an IP
camera over CCTV.
- Live Remote Monitoring:
For a company with operations in geographically dispersed locations,
monitoring multiple locations becomes easy and economical with IP
cameras. The camera doesn't need to be connected to a PC.
You can view the camera images from any place that has an Internet
connection. All you need is a PC with access to the Internet to
view all the activity live.
- Motion Detection and Alarms:
When IP cameras are used with motion detection software such as Webcam Monitor or Security Monitor Pro, you
will be informed and alerted instantly when motion is detected.
They trigger sound alarms, sends SMS and e-mail alerts when motion is
detected, allow you to view cameras remotely, and much more.
- Better View and Control:
Some IP cameras have features like Pan, Tilt and Zoom (PTZ). You
can control the camera remotely, adjusting the focus, angle, and field
of view without being actually present at the camera site. You
can track and zoom to reveal more about the exact person, place or
thing you are concerned about.
Video security can be both a defense and a
deterrent. As they say: Better safe than sorry! If you are
considering installing or upgrading video surveillance for your company
or your home, understanding how different video surveillance systems
work is critical to your making the correct decision.
IP camera-based systems are the future
of video surveillance. In the short term they may be a bit more
expensive, but it is obviously an investment in superior quality and
flexibility. As the surveillance technology of the future, you
won't be outgrowing an IP camera-based video surveillance system any
time soon because new developments in surveillance systems are based on
improving this technology. Therefore, you will be able to upgrade
and improve this system for years to come while older systems will
become obsolete.
When
setting up a video security system with
Security Monitor Pro you can
choose from the following list of supported IP cameras:
More cameras are added to this list
regularly.
Even
IP cameras that may not be listed here may work with
Security Monitor Pro. The
program will work with most cameras that stream MJPEG over HTTP.
It's easy to find out whether your camera is compatible.
Security Monitor Pro can
search the network for IP cameras, and detect compatible ones and
install them automatically. You can download the free trial
version of
Security Monitor Pro and test it with no risk.