Keeping your CCTV system healthy
A recording that stopped three weeks ago is only found after a theft.
Analogue or IP cameras?
For most homes either works; for shops and offices, IP usually pays off.
Customers often ask which camera type to choose. The honest answer depends on the size of the site and what you need from the footage.
Analogue HD cameras send video over coaxial cable to a DVR. They are reliable, affordable and simple to service. For a home with four to eight cameras within 50 metres of the recorder, they do the job well.
IP cameras send video over network cable to an NVR. Each camera is a small computer, so the picture is sharper, they can run longer distances, and features such as people counting or line-crossing alerts are available. They cost more per camera, but each cable also carries power, which simplifies wiring.
For shops, warehouses and offices with ten or more cameras, we usually recommend IP. The sharper image makes it easier to read a face at a counter or a number plate in a parking lot.
Whichever you choose, the quality of the installation matters more than the type. A good camera badly placed or badly wired is worse than an average camera done well.
