How To Buy A Video Security System in 4 Easy Steps

Buying a Video Security system can be a bit ominous if you don’t break down the steps.  Sort of like building a house, you need to start with a foundation and move up from there.  Here are a few simple steps that will make the process more manageable and help you get maximum performance from your system.

1. Foundation; firstly, you need to figure out what you want to see.  Basically, what you see is what the camera will see so crawl up a ladder and try to get the best visual image you can.   This is also where the camera will be installed so you’ll also have to be aware of the cabling path (this is the path that the cable will take from the camera to the DVR (Digital Recording – Step B).  You are looking for approximate distance from the camera and width or your desired viewing area.  CVCMobile can determine the Lens Size you will require to accomplish this from this information.  90% of installations are a standard 3.6 MM Lens that will give you a view of about 130’ wide at 100’ distance from the camera.  Adjustable VariFocal lens are available on most CVCMobile Cameras.   Determine if Night Vision is required and how far you would like to see at night (remember that night vision is reflected Infrared light and is displayed in B/W video).  Determine if you need Vandal Resistant cameras for high traffic areas.  Determine what image you want each camera to see and what features the camera will require.
2. Structure; Image Recording can be a little overwhelming with all the technical specifications and all.  There are many inferior DVR system on the market and choosing the right system is critical to the project.  Frames Per Second is the industry’s largest misnomer.   This basically means the number of still images captured in a second, at 30 FPS, the unit capture 30 individual images in 1 second.  That’s a Lot!  Reducing your DVR to 15 FPS double the recording time as only ½ the frames are being recorded.  This means that the vandal only has 1/15th of a second to not be captured on video, that’s fast!  Selecting a DVR means finding the TOTAL number of cameras you expect to use, 4, 8 or 16 camera configurations are standard.  Do you want to access the video remotely  eg. From home or while you are holidays?  How long do you want the video stored?  Typically 2-4 weeks is average.  Discussing your Video Security project with one of our Video Security Specialists will help you determine the Ideal DVR for your application.
3. Power & Cable;  This is an easy step, how much cable do you need and how many cameras will you power.  Cable is measure from the camera to the DVR with a little extra at each end.  10’ too long is better than 1” too short.  We suggest a good Siamese cable that contains both the Video and Power in the same cable, easy to run and easy to connect.  CVCMobile cable is FT-4 rated and combined with our Connector Kits, will offer you a durable, high cable system.
4. Accessorize;  What extras do you need or want on your Video Security system?  Extra Camera Housings,  Zoom Capabilities (both manual and automatic), do you want full control of the camera (Pan Zoom Tilt), how about Wireless camera or building to building wireless, how many viewing monitors do you need?  These are all questions that we can answer with a Needs Assessment interview with one of our Security Consultants (did I mention this is Free?).