Sunday, November 21, 2010

Some Things to Consider When Buying Outdoor Security Cameras

Outdoor security cameras are used for monitoring public and private places as well as protecting valuable assets such as homes and offices, and even your kids! Security cameras come with a range of features designed for both indoor and outdoor systems. Outdoor cameras need to be able to withstand extreme weather conditions, and generally have a heavy-duty construction to ensure that they can withstand permanent exposure to the elements. Depending on your individual needs, outdoor cameras may be implemented as part of a simple wired, single fixed camera setup with real-time monitor, or they may form part of a sophisticated monitoring and recording network made up of multiple, possibly wireless, cameras which can be controlled via remote control and provide infrared for night-time and other low-level light situations.

One important consideration when buying an outdoor security system is what level of security protection you require. If you require 24 hour monitoring outdoors, then you will need cameras with integrated infrared detection to support night/low-level light visibility. Most outdoor security cameras are available in either black and white or color capability. Buyers who are considering buying a color camera(s) should be aware that during low-light conditions, the camera will still return black and white images since this offers the better contrast and visibility when returning images via infrared. Whilst color cameras generally deliver sharper images than black and white models, they don't generally work as well in low light conditions.

Another important consideration is the quality of the camera. Higher resolution models are naturally more expensive but do generally provide a better, sharper picture. If you need to record your footage then you need to consider a high-resolution camera so that the  playback images shall be easily discernible.

Camera Location

Probably the main benefit of installing an outdoor security camera is the simple fact that simply having such a device on show can deter potential intruders from attempting to break into and steal your property. Additionally, in the event that someone does break in, the surveillance footage from the cameras shall increases the chance that the intruder(s) can be identified and brought to justice. For the reason alone you should consider high resolution cameras.

You also need to keep in mind that your cameras won't necessarily deter people from breaking into your property if you do not install them in areas where they are easily visible. Choose where you mount your cameras carefully, and if you don't have wiring in the right locations, you will need to either run wiring to the right places or select wireless cameras. Its better to have your cameras on show than try to hide them.

Wired or Wireless?

Another important consideration is whether to buy wireless cameras or wired ones. The installation of wireless systems is easier since they do not have to be connected to a power supply and in addition, they are more flexible solution since the fact that they are not hard-wired, makes it easy to move them around. However, wireless systems run on internal batteries, and so you need to have them checked and replaced/recharged regularly in order to be sure that they have adequate power supply. Another drawback with the wireless systems is that some models often pick up interference from nearby electronic devices.




You can find more information about Outdoor Security Cameras at the Camera Security Guide where Jonathan writes

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Friday, November 19, 2010

Choosing a Perfect Security DVR System

Earlier, videos from multiple security cameras were recorded on time-lapse VCRs and multiplexers, but nowadays, due to technological advancements, the digital video recorders (DVRs) have started replacing the multiplexers and VCRs. A Security DVR camera is simply a digital video recorder which is designed to be used as a surveillance tool. The DVR security camera systems record the video on a hard drive-based medium, eliminating the need for a videotape. A security DVR system is a sophisticated system that has the ability to manage multiple cameras at the same time. It can also record and playback the video locally or through the internet.

Security DVR systems can be classified into PC-based models and Stand-alone units. The PC-based models contain advanced features like face recognition, missing object detection, and unattended object detection. While the stand-alone units offer simultaneous viewing, recording, backup and playback capabilities to the users. The PC-based DVR systems convert analog signals to digital signals and then compress these signals, which are then stored on a hard drive for archiving and playback. On the other hand, Stand-alone units are highly efficient and are the best options for home security. The video in these is less compressed as compared to PC-based systems and can be operated by the simple push of a button and does not require the use of a PC.

The security DVR system also supports internet viewing and is available in 4, 8, 9 or 16 channel units. These systems provide detailed images and crystal clear video that do not degrade. They also allow the users to record video for a longer period of time, which can be paused without distorting the picture. The digital video recorders are thus, easy and inexpensive to set up and are a perfect option for performing surveillance for the user's home or office.




Laura Wattenberg have written many articles on various topics. For more details about security cameras, visit us at http://www.closeoutcctv.com

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Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Shoot Professional Videos With Sony Digital Video Camera

Gone are the days when home videos were shot with the old eight millimeter film cameras. Higher public demands along with more sophisticated technologies made it possible to shoot a home movie on a professional level. The new family of Sony digital video cameras of high definition with 30 gigabyte hard drive allow producing superb quality on your new high definition television or home computer.

You can even share your valuable movies with others with a quick transfer to disk by creating high definition DVDs to share with family and friends. The new Sony digital video camera, model HDR-UX1 can also record movies directly to your digital video recorder and includes a four mega-pixel still camera capability to complete your picture-taking experience.

The tricky part about recording video in AVCHD format digital video cameras is that in case the video is copied to a DVD, it will not play in all DVD players. Not only that - if not played on a compatible Blu-Ray Disk player/recorder it may fail to eject, or even may be erased. The greatest advantage of the Sony digital video camera is its capability to record in this format, and also in MPEG2, which is compatible with most DVD recorders/players.

The Sony digital video camera model HDR-UX1 features a 10X optical zoom and an 80X digital zoom for extreme close-ups; costing about $1,400, it is a great item to take on vacations or for other important family gatherings.

For those with a more modest budget there is a Sony digital video camera for under $300. Of course, it may lack some features and high definition capabilities, but it definitely makes Sony the leader in home and family video. Sony's newest offering of hard drive capable video cameras is enabling the company to continue promoting itself as a leader in digital video camera production.

If you own a Sony digital video camera, you can make your own movies! Thanks to its compatibility with most video editing software, your videos can be edited on a professional level, and you don't need to be a professional for that. As high-definition transmissions of movies and network broadcasts enhance sales of HD televisions, the addition of HD home video cameras will soon follow in popularity.




For more information on Sony Digital Video Camera check out http://www.digitalcameraworld.org You'll find loads of tips and techniques plus you'll find answers to questions many others in your situation have asked before. But Hurry! For a limited time you can get your very own copy of our award winning Digital Camera Software at absolutely no cost.

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Sunday, November 14, 2010

Using Motion Detection With Security Cameras

Many modern CCTV installations use motion detection to record video footage onto a Digital Video Recorder(DVR). The technology is very useful reducing the amount of video images you need to record, it can be even used to alert you in real time to any potential intruders. However, as much as motion detection can be a real benefit it can be a real problem if setup incorrectly. At best you'll end up recording random video sequences which will quickly eat up your DVR storage capacity. At worst you'll miss an intruder break into your property because the motion detection isn't configured properly.

Setting up your motion detection camera depends on whether the motion detection software is built into the camera itself, or you are using the in built software on the DVR. As an example, many network cameras that communicate over I.P. networks have built in software to provide a variety of functions including motion detection. If you've bought a camera that just sends a video signal over a wired/wireless network, you'll need to utilise the motion detection software on your DVR. The DVR itself can be a stand-alone box or a home P.C.

The easiest to configure out of all these options is the networked camera because you can access it from any P.C. on the same network. Furthermore, each camera is individually configured and self reliant (if one camera stops working it doesn't affect the rest). A network camera can also be used to record images to a DVR and send/email images to a remote server. This means that if your DVR fails you will still get copies of your images either through email or on another remote P.C. Cameras that use the motion detection on the DVR are reliant on a single piece of software to run all cameras, if that fails then no images will be recorded. Furthermore, if the DVR itself fails then no images can be recorded.

Which ever configuration you choose the principle of setting up motion detection is generally the same. First, for each camera you'll need to set up an area(s) in the image whereby motion is to be detected. Many interfaces use an image overlay of small squares/regions that can be selected and de-selected. Selecting a square means motion will be monitored from that image region and vice-versa. It's important to consider which areas you select for detection. Think about the circumstances when you actually want to record images. For example, pointing your camera into a busy communal area will generate a lot of motion recordings, it's often advisable in these circumstances to limit your motion regions to points of access to the room, i.e. doorways and windows. Outdoor cameras can often be more problematic:cameras pointing out onto the street can capture passers-by, tree's moving in the wind can trigger detection and even rain on the lense can appear as motion. In truth, the solution to overcoming most of these problems is a combination of camera placement and motion detection configuration. Place cameras to maximise the view of important pathways and entrances that intruders will use to access your property. Minimize the number motion detection regions by selecting small areas that must be crossed to access your property.

Be aware that motion detection works by monitoring changes in image pixel light intensity, so any significant changes in light intensity in a motion detection region will trigger a motion event. This can often create unforeseen problems when the motion detector is triggered by reflections, shadows or even car headlights.

You will normally have another two main settings, one for motion sensitivity and the other for noise sensitivity. Motion sensitivity, is based upon the number of image pixels in your defined region that will trigger a motion event. It's useful because you can prioritise the size of the object you want to detect. For example, you can detect someone entering through a door by placing a human sized region at the door opening and setting the motion sensitivity so at least half to two thirds of the region must be in motion to activate the trigger. On some cameras you'll even have the option to define how long a motion has to be active in order to fire the trigger. Now, instead of just knowing when someone is entering a door, you can monitor if someone is waiting outside your front door, effectively creating a front door bell.

The noise sensitivity is there to filter out any noise in the image and is based upon the signal to noise ratio of the camera.The signal to noise ratio is the ratio between the strength of the camera signal and the noise present in that signal. This varies between cameras, but is more important in low lighting conditions when the camera amplifies the weak camera signal. In this case the ratio of noise present in the signal is increased, seen as white fuzzy noise in the camera image. Why is this important to motion detection? Well, because motion is detected by the number of changing pixel intensities in a given region and that also includes noise. If you have a lot of noise in the image, this will effect the performance of your motion detector and you'll need to adjust the noise sensitivity accordingly. For this reason, it's important to calibrate your camera both in daylight and night time conditions. Many cameras will allow you to have separate settings for low light conditions. If you need your camera to work in very low light, then either you need a camera with a low light lux rating, or use an infra-red camera.

Although setting up motion detection on your CCTV system may seem time consuming, it can have a huge effect on the performance of your system. If done properly, you will be able to monitor the daily activity in and around the home without the inconvenience of trawling through endless empty images!




For more information visit our website with examples of custom CCTV installations: http://www.customcontrols.co.uk/HighEndAXISCCTVInstallation.asp . Dave Gadsby
dave@customcontrols.co.uk

Custom Controls.
http://www.customcontrols.co.uk

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Friday, November 12, 2010

Setup Internet Connection to Digital Video Recorder Behind Router

This is first article from two part series looking at the seemingly easy task of setting up Internet connection to security DVR. While this article will focus on general steps involved in proper connection forwarding to CCTV DVR, the part two is all about dynamic DNS support and workarounds. Before we step into the main subject, I like to explain very briefly a few key aspects of Internet connection for those of us not familiar with term like IP address, DDNS, port forwarding or IP mapping.

Terminology:

Every computer or other network device, in our case CCTV recorder has its own address called IP address, much like your home address it allows the information to find its way in enormous world of internet. IP address has four groups of numbers separated by dots; the number range is between 0 and 255. There are two separate networks that we need to take into consideration, LAN for Local Area Network and WAN for Wide Area Network. LAN has its own IP addresses and handles connection on local network devices (computers or devices located in your home or office network), if WAN IP is your home address than LAN IP would be your apartment number.

WAN IP is an external address visible to every user on the Internet. We will explain rest of the terminology as we go along.

Setup:

The best way to explain and clarify surveillance DVR connection setup is to use an example. In our example, we will setup DVR model VDV-074 from DVRExperts thru Netopia Router/Modem combo currently used by AT&T DSL provider with static IP service, I will also use Linksys WRT54G Router for Cable DSL connection. Security DVR recorder needs to be connected to the Internet through Router and Modem, in some cases Router and Modem are all in one devices, for example Netopia Routers.

For standalone Modems please connect the Internet out to WAN port, on your Router. Connect CCTV DVR and computers to available ports on the Router as well. Your Router will need to be setup now to log in to the Internet service provider and establish connection.

Netopia Router users:

Open up browser on your computer and type into the address bar your routers default IP http://

192.168.1.254. User name and password window should appear; the default user name and password for Netopia Routers are admin for user and serial number of your Router for the password.

Select Configure followed by Quick start link, type your Internet service providers user name (email address) and your ISP password. Click submit and alert icon located in upper right corner (I know it is strange), finally select save and restart. Your connection should be up in minute or so, click home link to see your connection status.

Linksys Router users:

Open up browser on your computer and type into the address bar your routers default IP [http://192.168.1.1]. User name and password window should appear; the default user name and password for Linksys routers are admin for user and admin for the password.

The home page of the router has ISP settings, type in your email address as a user name and ISP password for the password, select save or submit. The Router will restart after minute or so, log in again and go to status page to see if your connection status is UP.

If everything is ok and your connection is UP, we can now proceed to fun part of the setup process

There is great number of different security Digital Video Recorders on the market, so please follow your DVR's manual for details; I will only provide the proper settings. In the DVR menu, setup static LAN (Internal) IP for the DVR, in our example we have 3 computers and DVR. Each device has assigned LAN IP address as follows:

Computer 1 - 192.168.1.100

Computer 2 - 192.168.1.101

Computer 3 - 192.168.1.102

DVR - 192.168.1.103

The surveillance DVR will now be accessible within our network by typing its assigned internal IP (192.168.1.103) into browser or connection software. What we need now is to forward the connection from external IP (WAN) which is accessible from outside of our network to the LAN IP of the DVR (192.168.1.103).

Netopia Router users:

Select Configure followed by Advanced and finally IP Maps. IP map table should be empty, click on add and type into IP Map Entry Name text box the name of your DVR connection, in our example I just typed in DVR so I know what this IP map is for. In Internal IP address box type in 192.168.1.103, for external IP address refer to you ISP work sheet and find out what is your IP. In some cases ISP will provide more than one static IP, you can choose one of them.

Click submit and alert icon located in upper right corner, finally select save and restart.

From now on anyone requesting external IP will be forwarded to the internal IP of the DVR (192.168.1.103), therefore the connection should be established successfully.

Linksys Router users:

When setting up your DVR for access from the Internet, you will need to configure Port Forwarding on your Linksys Router. This can be accomplished in one of two ways, Specific Port Forwarding or the DMZ host. The DMZ host automatically forwards all incoming connection requests to a given IP address on your local network. Open the Applications & Gaming section of the router and choose DMZ. DMZ is not secure and should only be used with embedded, non-PC based CCTV recorders.

To expose the DVR to the Internet, enter the DVR local IP address (192.168.1.103) in the DMZ Host IP address box. In some cases you may just want to forward specific ports to your security DVR. If you are running any other device/server that hosts services available to the internet, you will want to use specific port forwarding instead of the DMZ Host, also if your DVR is PC based it is strongly recommended for security reasons, to only forward ports used by DVR connection. Open the applications & Gaming section of the router and choose Port Range Forwarding. Type in the name for the connection, starting port number, ending port number and internal IP of the DVR (192.168.1.103 in our example). Save and exit.

Your connection is now setup properly.

You probably noticed the term static IP in this article, and are wondering what that is.

Well, static IP is what the name suggests an IP that never changes. While there is no problem with internal IP selection; we can use whatever we want or prefer - the external IP, usually is dynamic. The static IP has to be requested from the ISP and is more expensive than dynamic IP. In our case we do want static IP so we have address for CCTV DVR connection that will never change.

Throughout this tutorial I have assumed that the external static IP is available.

Unfortunately in many areas it is not, or the cost is prohibitive. Don't panic yet, there is at least couple of different ways around this problem and I will try to go over each approach in my next article "How to use free dynamic DNS services for DVR connection."




Robert Moskal is Technical Department Manager at V2Comp,Inc, a major installer of security equipment located in Chicago area. More information about CCTV systems and security cameras installations [http://www.v2comp.com].

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