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How To Install Security Cameras Without Cables

Sunday, February 21st, 2010

Deciding on the right security camera system for your home or business is definitely an important decision. Another important decision is how you will be installing your surveillance system. will you be using COAX cable, twisted pairs or maybe even no cables at all? Sure, the thought of a wireless security camera system conjures up images of the easy life. It seems that everyone would have security cameras if they could all be installed without wires. So, why aren’t all surveillance systems wireless?

It would simply be much easier to install your security cameras if there was no worry about wires, but the truth is that wireless security cameras are not as dependable as wired cameras. Sometimes wireless cannot be avoided and in those cases there are some dependable solutions. First, I recommend you do everything possible to avoid wireless security cameras. Make sure to consider all of your options. If there is just no other way, then it is time to look at wireless options. There are basically two main forms of unlicensed wireless technologies that can be used with security cameras.

There is analog wireless. This technology usually works in the 900mhz, 2.4ghz and 5.8ghz  bandwidth. These wireless bandwidths are prone to interference from many of today’s household appliances such as microwaves, wireless phones etc.. In general, unless there is direct line of site, there is a very limited distance for the receiver and transmitter to work correctly. However, if you can get a direct line of site without any obstacles between the transmitter and receiver this solution can work. To use this solution, you will simply mount the cameras, connect the video output to the video input of  the wireless transmitter, then if mounted outdoors, place the transmitter in a weatherproof junction box. Next, mount the wireless receiver so that it has direct line of site to the transmitter and connect the video output to the cable and run your cable directly to the video input on the back of the DVR. With this set up you can usually run quite long distances depending on the amperage of your wireless transmitter.

The next option is to use standard wireless Ethernet. This uses the 802.xx B,G,N bandwidths. With this option you can usually get longer distances without line of site and since many homes and business already have a wireless internet network, this solution should easily fit in. This is not the cheapest solution, but it will be more reliable in most cases.  Using this solution with a digital security camera system is a little different to set up. Let’s assume that you are installing the system in your home and you cannot get cables run between the floors. Basically, you will set up 2 DVRs. The first DVR will go upstairs. It really doesn’t matter where. Just place it somewhere most convenient for all the upstairs cables. Now install all your upstairs cameras as you normally would and the connect the DVR to a wireless access point. This access point will be configured to connect to your wireless network. Now, you will set up your downstairs DVR and connect it to all your cameras downstairs. Next, connect this DVR to a wireless access point or just plug it into your network. Now, install the client software on any PC in your home and configure the software to connect to both DVRs. Now, from this PC, or any other PC where you install the client software, you can connect to both DVRs at the same time, basically as if they were one system. The client software will allow you to do all functions of the DVR. You can view live video, recorded video, download video, configure your DVR and more all remotely.

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How To Select A Security Camera System For Your Business.

Monday, February 15th, 2010

Of all the different applications for security cameras, the most common use is definitely for surveillance of businesses. Your business is the source of your income and security for you and your family. It seems almost outrageous to me that every business does not have security cameras.  If you think about the uses and the business that can benefit from surveillance systems, it almost seems like it would be an infinite list. Every business can benefit. Here are just some of the reasons:

- Prevent employee theft.

- Increase employee productivity.

- Prevent customer slip and fall lawsuits.

- Deter theft.

- Spend less time at the office and remotely monitor your business.

- Check in on your business after hours.

- allow a remote security guard to watch over your business.

and the list can go on, and on, and on.

So what do you need to consider when you want to purchase a surveillance system for your business? First, you need to decide on what you want to accomplish with the system. What is your primary goal? What is the secondary goal? What items do you want to cover?

Next, you will need to research the right DVR and security cameras for your application. Will you need infrared security cameras? Will you be using mainly overviews and use fixed lens cameras, or do you need to capture more detail of specific areas or items and need vari-focal security cameras? If you are monitoring a large open area, do you want to consider a PTZ (Pan-Tilt-Zoom) camera which can be put on a tour of a large area ?

Make sure to consider which cameras need to be outdoor rated and which will be used indoors. Indoor cameras are less expensive because they are usually housed in plastic where outdoor cameras are normally housed in metal and are more expensive. also consider the temperatures the cameras will be in. Security cameras can be available with heaters and blowers.

Finally, it is time to consider the DVR. The security DVR will record the video from the cameras and allow you remote access to the cameras using the internet. Typically, DVRs are available in varying quality levels. Be sure to select a digital video recorder that will meet your needs. Consider the amount of storage you need, the bandwidth you have available at your business and whether you need realtime recording. You will also want to consider what resolution you want to record in. Most DVRs will record in CIF (360×240) resolution, some DVRs will record D1 or 4CIF resolution (704×480) or (720×480). The combination of resolution and frame rate is also an important factor to consider. Realtime recording is considered 30fps on each channel. Do you want realtime recording at CIF resolution or do you want real time recording at 4CIF or D1 resolution? Only a handful of DVRs are capable of recording D1 resolution at 30fps on every channel. This is a premium feature that will usually cause extra.

Be sure that whoever you purchase your security camera system from can provide you with the high level of tech support you need. Surveillance systems can be very technical and will often require experienced technicians to get all the settings right.

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How To Buy Security Cameras for For The Home

Wednesday, February 10th, 2010

As security cameras get more popular and less expensive it is getting much more common to find security cameras installed in residences. A surveillance system in the home can provide much more than peace of mind. It can be used as a tool to watch over your children, your pet, the nanny or a contractor.If you have a baby in the home then a security camera would be a huge benefit to you. When selecting your surveillance system there are many things to consider. I recommend the Elite Mini Series DVR because of its compact size and high end features. This DVR will provide you with realtime recording as well as synced audio. With H.264 compression it uses storage efficiently and can stream over the internet while conserving bandwidth.

Typically, for residential applications I would recommend inexpensive overview cameras that have infrared capability. The OD-LX420IR50 are 420tvl, infrared, indoor/outdoor rated security cameras. These cameras will provide great overviews during the day and nighttime and they can see in complete darkness. Mount these cameras strategically so that you can monitor the entire radius of your home. The cameras will serve as deterrents as well as provide you with an extra layer of security. If you want to capture details of those entering your home, I recommend installing a security camera close to each entrance of your home and position these cameras to capture the face of the individual coming in. Don’t forget the back door.

Next, If you have small children you may want to consider installing a camera in their rooms. Consider also installing a microphone so that you can use your security camera system as a baby monitor. Make sure these are infrared cameras so that you can check on your little one while they are sleeping. You may also want to consider installing an overview camera to monitor your swimming pool. You never know, these cameras may one day save your child’s life.

To monitor the cameras from inside your home, you have several options. You could run a cable from the DVR to various TVs in your house. This would allow you to monitor your cameras from your TVs. The next option is to use any PC or wireless laptop to connect to your security cameras. These days you can buy netbooks for very little money and they can connect to your DVR wirelessly through the network. Lastly, you can use our new Mobile Video Viewer which would allow you to monitor your surveillance system from most smart cell phones and the soon upcoming IPAD. any of these options will work great.

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How To View My DVR With My Cell Phone or IPhone

Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010

As technology continues to move forward, so do customer expectations. Of all the questions we have been asked over the last couple of years, the most common by far has been ” Can I view my security cameras on my cell phone”. Up until now, the answer has been no. At this time, as far as I am aware, none of the high end DVRs in the market can be viewed by anything other than Mobile Windows cell phones. At least, until now. We are now ready to introduce our first Mobile Video Viewer. This software will allow anyone with a web enabled cell phone that uses a web browser capable of viewing images to see and even control PTZ (Pan-tilt-zoom) security cameras over the internet. This is the perfect Iphone application and will work with most cell phone that can surf the internet.

The software is free, but there is a one time license fee for each DVR. You can test the software first to make sure it works with your cell phone and then purchase the license after testing if you wish. The software is actually a video server that connects from any PC to your DVR and it streams video to your cell phone. The set up is very easy to do and we also provide free tech support. Think about the things you will be able to accomplish when you can view your surveillance cameras from anywhere on your cell phone or IPhone. You can check in on your employees while driving to work, check on your children while out to dinner, or keep an eye on your pet while traveling. The Mobile Viewer software will allow you to connect to multiple DVRs at one time and you can also set up cameras in groups. For more information on our Iphone and Cell Phone DVR viewer, please check out our website www.SecurityCameraKing.com

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How To Get Good Facial Capture (Recognition)

Sunday, January 31st, 2010

It is likely that if you get a security camera system, that you will want to be able to identify anintruder that has been captured on security camera footage. This process is call facial capture. Some people also call it facial recognition although they are really 2 different processes. Facial capture means to get enough usable details to be able to identify the person of interest by comparing facial features. It doesn’t mean the security cameras will identify the person, only that enough detail has been captured that he can be identified. Facial recognition actually refers to analytic software that can compare and match captured images of a persons face against another in a database. There are many interesting applications for such a process, but that is an entirely other article.

Getting proper facial capture is an important process to understand because what good are your security cameras if you cannot identify the person of interest in the video? Proper identification requires at least 25% of the video image to be occupied by the face. This means that you really need to use a dedicated camera for this process. Begin the installation by finding an ideal spot to capture the face. Usually an entrance or exit would be ideal, but maybe there is a room entrance to something valuable. Once you have found the perfect spot to capture the face details, decide on the type of camera you will use for this process. It is best to use a good quality day/night security camera with a varifocal lens rather than an infrared camera. Infrared cameras will be taking video in black and white in low light and this could make identifying the intruder more difficult. Since you will be using a good low light camera, make sure there is at least a little bit of ambient lighting. A night light, motion light or something of the like will be fine. Mount the camera close enough to the capture point so that at least 25% of the video (preferably much more) is the subjects face. Make sure to accommodate for people of different heights. Next, mount a second camera in a corner, or somewhere else in the room to provide you with a good overview. Now you have one cameras that is used to only capture facial details and a second camera that is providing the general overview of what is going on in the room. Make sure that the channel that the facial capture camera is on is set to record at the highest resolution possible. A D1 resolution image will be 4 times larger than a CIF resolution image and therefore will provide you with 4 times more detail. Use the higher resolution setting even if the frame rate has to be reduced. The overview camera can be set at CIF resolution rather than D1.

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