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Home video surveillance systems serve a variety of uses. Cameras help you keep an eye on people at the front door, watch the kids in the playroom, conduct videoconferencing over the Internet, and share views of your beautiful sunsets with distant friends. And, of course, cameras are an integral part of a home security system.
A smart shopper — that's you — needs to carefully evaluate the different types of surveillance systems and cameras. Take the time to consider your needs before you begin shopping. Walk your home and property with a note pad, and assess areas where risks might be reduced by surveillance. Use your notes to help decide what to buy and install. Outdoor areas, for example, probably need weatherproof cameras with strong low-light performance. Indoor areas may call for smaller, more unobtrusive cameras.
The simplest way to choose a surveillance system is to buy a kit containing all the necessary components:
 | If you buy all the components in a kit, you greatly increase the chance that everything will work well together. Even when buying a startup kit you may have to buy additional wire, connectors, back-up power supplies, and other accessories. Typical prepackaged kits include four cameras, a video monitor that can display the inputs from all four cameras, and a recording device, along with the various controls. If you plan to install additional cameras, make sure your system's monitor and control unit can support them. |
Surveillance systems — whether purchased in a kit or as separate components — usually come in one of two formats:
- Closed-circuit TV (CCTV): These usually include analog TV cameras and a monitor. Analog CCTV systems are less efficient because analog images are harder to store. You can connect CCTV systems to VCRs or digital video recorders (DVRs).
- Web-based cameras: These cameras connect to your home network wirelessly or via Ethernet cables. The camera's internal circuitry generates a Web page containing the current camera image, and you can use any network computer to view the image using a Web browser. You may even be able to view the camera's image over the Internet if you have a static IP address. The camera's Web page can only show the current image, however; most cameras can't store images. You need a file server (usually a network drive) for storing video streams or pictures.
 | For the modern digital home, Web-based cameras are the way to go. Setting them up is easy and increasingly affordable. The biggest advantage to Web-based cameras is that you can connect up to 254 different devices on one network, each with its own IP address. If the network includes a file server, a router/gateway, and a PC that uses an IP address, that leaves you with the potential to install up to 251 cameras. Although it's hard to imagine that the average home would need more than 200 cameras, it's good to know that you probably won't run up against a limit. |
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