How To Set Up Your Own Home Video Surveillance?

Every 15 seconds a home is burgled, making a home surveillance system is a great way to prevent this crime from happening to you. Setting up your own home video surveillance has become now  easier and cheaper to do because of new advances in technology. With these advanced security systems, you are able to  track down suspicious movements around your vicinity, ideally monitor your pets at home, or the front door, garage and  bedroom while you are away at work or on vacation. CCTV video cameras are very simple and easy to operate.

The first thing you need to do for setting up your own home video surveillance is install contacts into your home. Think where would the best place to break in be and what is valuable for you to monitor. Home installations should focus on gathering areas and areas that are valuable to kept, while retail installations require to secure cash registers,near exit areas and in aisles.

The second thing is to decide what type of system du you need. Wired or cabled systems can be connected to other security devices, while wireless systems need to be "detected" by either TVs or computers and then recorded. When selecting wireless cameras make sure the signal is clear and steady: some  require that you tune to a specific channel on a TV, others use HomePlug or wireless network to connect with computers.

The third thing to do are various settings you can give your hidden cameras. They can record 24/7 or they can only record when notified by a motion sensor. Security cameras are also popular in commercial settings, where business owners use them to capture the behavior of customers and employees.They also come with monitoring and management software that lets you trigger alarms and e-mail alerts when certain events occur.  Before buying your home surveillance system, just let the company know your needs.

The latest step.Each camera needs to be set to its own channel. Set up surveillance in any room that contains valuables and external camera positions that face outward and allow you to see who is approaching the home.Check and test if your camera system works properly.  Don’t forget also to give your cameras names such as "Living Room" and "Bedroom" or "Camera 1, 2 and 3."

The whole process setting up a wireless home security camera system is frankly not that difficult and can be done in under one hour.

Woman Caught On CCTV Dumping Cat In Bin

Check this video how woman caught on CCTV dumping a cat in bin for no apparent reason.

The cruel act was caught on CCTV by the cat's owners, Daryll and Stephanie Mann, at their Coventry home.
They discovered the trapped cat when they heard her cries and decided to check the footage from their security camera to see how she ended up in the bin.
They believed Lola - who is not yet a year old - must have been dumped by drunken louts. But when they saw the video, they were shocked to discover it was the work of a middle-aged woman.
The grey-haired lady is caught petting the animal on camera, before looking around to see if she is being watched.

How to choose a CCTV camera lens?

When installing a CCTV camera system for your home or office, it is  very important to choose the right lens for your CCTV camera. The camera’s lens determines how much the camera covers, how clearly you can see the area you’re monitoring, and how much light enters the camera. Here are a few things you must consider before buying a CCTV camera lens:

Focal Length

The focal length of a CCTV camera lens determines its angle of view and how far the camera can see measured in mm.The bigger the focal length, the narrower the field of view-that is, the more you zoom, the less area you see, and vice versa. Focal length of most CCTV camera lenses vary from 3.6mm to 16mm for fixed focal length lenses, to well over 70mm for zoom lenses.

Depth of Field

Depth of field is the amount of distance between the nearest and farthest objects that appear in  focus.A large depth of field means almost all objects  in the field of view are in focus and the vice versa-a small depth of field means only a small section of objects in the field of view are  in focus.The depth of field (DoF) of a CCTV camera lens is influenced by several factors. Wide angle lenses usually have a large depth of field than  telephoto lens, and a higher F stop setting as a rule  has a larger depth of field than a lower setting. The small depth of field is most apparent at night when the lens iris diaphragm is fully open and the depth of field is at its minimum.

The Iris of CCTV lenses

The Iris of a lens is another important detail to check before buying a CCTV camera lens. Most modern camera today use a type of  adjustable diaphragm known as an iris diaphragm, and often referred to simply as an iris. The Iris of a CCTV camera is either auto or manual. “Auto-iris’’ types of CCTV lenses  have a lead that connects to the camera itself, and provides the camera with the ability to let in more light in dark conditions, and less in bright conditions. This helps avoid the common problem of "sunrise glare", where the rising sun shines directly into the camera, completely blinding the camera's view. Auto-iris lenses come in Video or DC, and cameras generally support one format or the other.Those users who wish to use CCTV camera in an area (usually indoor areas)  that experiences infrequent changes in light, can use a manual iris lens, which is adjusted for light only by hand. 
Here are the things you must consider before selecting the CCTV lens. Always check the lens and camera before buying both.

What is the difference between infrared CCTV CCTV cameras and CCD cameras?

A CCD (charge couple device) is a device for the movement of electrical charge usually from within the device to an area where the charge can be manipulated, for example conversion into a digital value. CCD is the heart of a CCTV (Closed Circuit TV) camera and is widely used in professional, medical, and scientific applications where high-quality image data are required. The difference between CCTV cameras with CCD camera is significant- as noted in our other posts infrared CCTV cameras can be used in the dark even though there is no light and able to capture images and videos, while the CCD camera can only work in the light and not able to capture images and record video  in the dark.

Despite the difference between CCTV camera and charge coupled devices in darkness, the advantage is on the CCD camera to record clear and bright video, besides CCD camera can be changed depending on the lens  when they are used for security systems.They commonly respond to 70% of the Incident light (meaning a quantum efficiency of about 70%,) making them more efficient than photographic film, which captures only about 2% of the incident light. When comparing the prices CCD cameras used to be relatively inexpensive and well suited for most indoor needs, while CCTV cameras  are used usually for outdoor  experiences and are more expensive. 

The differences and advantages are here and the choice is yours based from criteria wheter you want to use either area who want to install CCTV in an area of darkness in the evening or at night lighting available area.