How To Buy

What you see is what the camera will view; standing where the camera would be positioned or crawling up a ladder will give you the best view. 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). 

·Look for the approximate distance from the camera and width of your desired viewing area.

·CVCMobile can determine the Lens Size (chart below) 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 (approx 90° viewing angle). 

·Adjustable VariFocal lens are available on many CVCMobile cameras.

·Determine if NightVision is required and how far you would like to see at night (NightVision 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. Are the cameras for indoor or outdoor? Nightvision required? Covert or visible? Vandal resistant?

Camera Types:

Turret Camera - 60' NightVision weatherproof vandal resistant metal housing. Lens available from 2.8mm (fisheye) to 12mm. 3.6mm is the most common with approx 90° view angle. Also available in a VariFocal unit from 3.5 to 8mm. The larger unit also offers 95' NightVision. These cameras can be used indoors or out with -45 - +65° range.

Dome Camera - Turret cameras have replaced these, we offer one type as it has a built in microphone.

Bullet Style – These cameras can be used indoors or out. Most of these cameras can be replaced by the turret camera. One advantage with the better quality units is the NightVision distance. Two of the models offer 150' and 300' NightVision and feature a sturdy mounting bracket.

There are a variety of other cameras from covert to PTZ to specially units. Turrets and bullet style should cover 85% of cameras required.

Image recording can be a little overwhelming with all the technical specifications and all. There are many inferior DVR systems on the market and choosing the right system is critical to the project. Frames per second are the industry's largest misnomer. This means the number of still images captured in a second, at 30 FPS, the unit captures 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 1/15 of a second to not be captured on video, that's fast!  Selecting a DVR means finding:

·Total number of cameras you expect to use, 4, 8 or 16 camera configurations are standard and 32 camera DVRs are now available. 

·Remote access is becoming a standard feature, view from home or while you are holidays even on your Smartphone. 

·How long do you want the video stored?  Typically DVRs now offer weeks and months of storage.

Discussing your video security project with one of our Video Security Specialists will help you determine the ideal DVR for your application.

Power & Cable; how much cable do you need and how many cameras will you power? Cable is measured from the camera to the DVR with a little extra at each end. Having 10' extra cable is better than 1' short in cable. We suggest a good Siamese cable (RG59 Siamese cable) that contains both the video and power in the same cable, easy to run and easy to connect. An FT-4 rated cable combined with our BNC connector kits, will offer you a durable, high cable system. A second option is using Cat5 cable with baluns. Camera power can be supplied by using individual 12V adapters or by using our recommended regulated power distribution boxes available for 4, 8 or 16 cameras. Some cameras with high IR (NightVision) capability may require a separate local power adapter.

·Monitors are either separate or built into the DVR; most DVRs include both a VGA and an RCA port, so even a TV can be used for viewing.

·Remote viewing requires a high speed internet connection, best with a static IP address, and a router. This is an easy setup and offers protected access on remote computers, even some of the smart phones (CVCMobile offers toll free setup of remote access to your customers).

·Special cameras, some covert, some with zoom capabilities (both manual and automatic are available), PTZ (Pan Tilt Zoom), standalone IR illuminators and commercial grade wireless kits for building to building wireless are also available.

·VGA cables, adapters for BNC and RCA, long range lenses, camera brackets, and monitors are other products required for certain situations.

E) Wireless

For specific applications wireless equipmentcan complete a successful video security installation. Line of site is important as even tree branches can degrade the signal. Wooden and drywall walls will degrade the signal and the signal will not pass through stone, cement or steel walls or barriers. Commercial wireless equipment when set up properly, will deliver at least an adequate video signal. However, if cable can be run that is always the best way. Keep in mind that the remote camera and transmitter require power at the remote site.

Generally the receiver is mounted on the building containing the DVR and a video/power wire needs to be run from the receiver to the DVR. Wireless is available in 2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz and offers a 1000'+ range with line of sight.

Special wireless systems are available for mobile applications.

F) Intelligent IP Cameras

An IP Camera is a security camera with a built-in computer allowing it to run stand-alone without the need to be connected to another computer. IP Cameras are used in basic home surveillance solutions to high level complex corporate security monitoring. With an IP Camera, you can monitor your home or business and recording directly from your IP Camera across the Internet to a remote location. The IP Camera does not require itself to be connected to a computer to operate but instead just needs an Internet connection within its IP network.

An IP Camera is very similar to a web cam but offers many more features and as mentioned before, does not require a PC to run. A web cam requires a USB connection to a computer and the computer must always be on. An IP Camera only requires itself to be attached to a running network where it will run standalone.

As IP technology improves, more systems being installed are IP video security systems.

While cost of the IP systems are generally higher than equivalent sized CCTV systems the advantages of the IP system include:

·Higher video quality

·Remotely record to one base station from a number of remote locations

·Number of cameras limited only by hard drive recording size and RAM. (1 - 64+ cameras)

·Lower cost of Cat5 cable verses RG56 Siamese cable

·Expansion of the system only requires cameras and cabling (note: IP cameras must be software compatible)

·When set up are very user friendly

·Cameras are available in fixed lens, PTZ, indoor and outdoor.

·Audio does not require a separate cable if installed

·Do not require a separate cable for PTZ or input/output signals

·Secure communications using encryption of data

·Image quality not affected by transmission distance

·Intelligent IP Camera offers intelligent motion detection

·Video analytical software available for IP systems