What is an Alarm Sensor? PIRs, Motion Detectors, Reed Switches and Perimeter Protection Explained
Alarm Sensor Options Standard PIRs $ Passive Infrared Sensors (PIRs) are the most widely used motion detection device in home security systems. They work by tracking body heat, i.e. infrared energy, and movement. If a moving object blocks too many of a sensor’s grid squares and IR levels change rapidly, an alarm will be triggered. […]
Alarm Zones – What Are They and How Many Zones Do You Need?
Security systems manage and control sensors through alarm zones. A zone normally corresponds to a sensor in a particular area of a property, for example your living room or front door. They are set up to inform you the area in which a sensor has been triggered. The number of zones you have will depend on […]
Colour Options for CCTV Cameras
Keeping your property safe does not necessarily mean having to comprise on the aesthetic value of your home or business. While most CCTV cameras come in the colour white, there is an alternative option. Both Dahua and Uniview offer security cameras with a black outer casing for those who’d like a more discrete or sleek […]
Bandwidth and Storage When it Comes to CCTV
Bandwidth refers to the amount of data that can be transferred from one point in a network to another (e.g. from a camera to a NVR or DVR) per second. While Storage is the capture of this data on your NVR/DVR, usually measured in TB (Terabytes). One TB is equal to 1,000,000 Megabytes (about 500 […]
What are CCTV Video Analytics?
Some high end NVRs often offer inbuilt ‘smart analytics’. These analytics analyse two key components of security footage: motion and pattern, and convert this information into data. Some CCTV cameras may also have their own inbuilt analytics. Brands like Hikvision, Dahua and Swann Security all have cameras in their range that offer this feature. Video […]
CCTV & Security Camera Buyers Guide
Our CCTV Buyers Guide is designed to assist end users, both residential and commercial, in the process of purchasing CCTV security cameras and systems. This article is a brief overview of the points discussed within the entire guide. To find out more about a section you’re interested in, click on the embedded link. In this […]
Security Camera Form Factors: Bullet, Dome, Turret, PTZ
Bullet Cameras Bullet cameras, named for their iconic shape, have a distinctive appearance that is highly recognisable to intruders. These cameras are renowned for acting as an effective visual deterrent. Strengths Weaknesses Highly visible, provides surveillance which is obvious to intruders (acting as a visual deterrent) Generally, have longer range than domes Outer casing protects […]
Wired, Wire-Free and Wireless CCTV Systems & Security Cameras: What’s the Difference?
Wired Cameras Wired cameras are hard wired to a DVR or NVR recorder to store and view the security footage. They are wired using coaxial (analogue) or Cat 6 (digital) to the recording device. Analogue will often require a separate cable to provide power to each camera, digital cameras receive power via Cat 6 (ethernet) […]
Low Light Technology for CCTV and Security Cameras: Infrared and Starlight
Infrared Cameras Infrared light is light that we cannot see ourselves but rather feel as heat. As the prefix ‘infra’ means after, the term ‘infrared‘ refers to the idea that we cannot see light with a wavelength ‘after’ (or longer) than that of the colour red. IR cameras use this invisible light to ‘see’ and […]
Analogue vs IP CCTV Systems
The transmitter is the part of the camera that sends video to the recorder or viewer’s device by either converting it to Ethernet in IP cameras or into a HD-CVI analogue format in analogue cameras. In IP cameras transmission happens internally – these cameras only require a local area network to send information. Whereas, in […]