Q: Could you provide me with some background information on your security camera systems? I am also interested in DVRs. This will be a residential application - I don’t mind wiring for reliability!

A: Sure, we can certainly provide you with some insight. You are right, wired cameras are always “better” than the wireless versions. Maybe not in installation convenience, but definitely in reliability and video quality! Nothing beats a hard-wired connection in those regards. With that said, there are a few keywords you may come across when looking for and considering different cameras. Here are some quick definitions:

• Wired: Installs with wires
• Wireless: Sends signals through the air; no wiring needed for installation (except power supply)
• IP (internet protocol): Can connect to the internet directly, no other system required!
• Outdoor/indoor: Outdoor cameras are weatherproof; indoor cameras can only be used indoors.
• DVR: Digital Video Recorder, a high-tech way of storing and viewing constant video feeds in a digital, easy to access format.
• PTZ: Pan/tilt/zoom, or PT for pan/tilt only.
• Modulated: The camera’s signals can be seen by tuning to a specific TV channel.

Let’s start with the basics: wired cameras. Most wired cameras are very simple. They need only power and a place to send their video, which travels via a cable with a BNC or RCA (more common) connection. Note: BNC can be converted to RCA or vice versa with adapters. We carry indoor, outdoor, color, B&W, dome, and PTZ wired cameras.

The next type of camera we have are the wireless variants, which are better if you do not want to or cannot run wires. However, they have limitations in the quality of the camera’s signal and the range in which you can transmit and receive the signal. But, they are by far the most convenient when it comes to installation.

Next, we have IP cameras. These are great if you don’t have or want a VCR to record, a television to view, or a DVR to record. IP cameras plug into your existing network (with the same Ethernet wire your computer uses), or can use WiFi to wirelessly connect to your network. The Astak IP cameras, our most popular, come with world-wide internet access service FREE of charge for life! Just visit the website, type your username and password, and there is your camera! You can also program alerts to your email address whenever motion is detected, or you can set up the camera to snap a photo at a certain time. The camera can be panned and tilted from anywhere in the world just as easily as it can be from your home computer.

Now to DVRs. With a DVR, all video is recorded digitally. This is great for quick and easy access, transferring, accessing over the internet, and especially for overwriting the oldest video. With DVRs, you can have a constant amount of history always available, with no manual deleting required. Stand-alone DVR systems afford you the flexibility of having a reliable system always running, with massive storage space, ability to record to CD, and more advanced security features. We have three brand new DVR kits which include wired cameras at an extra savings. These DVRs are also specially designed to work with the Apple iPhone!

Finally we have a few specialty cameras. The Secureview camera is neither wired nor wireless. How so? It uses the existing electrical wiring already in your home to send its video signals to the termination point, where you will use an RCA cable to connect to a VCR, TV, or even a DVR. Pre-Modulated cameras, another type of specialty camera, are great because you need only a SINGLE coaxial wire run to each camera. On that wire, power is injected into the camera, and the video signal is already “modulated”. That means you can plug the camera wire into your cable TV system using a splitter/combiner, then tune any television to the specified channel to view the camera! This greatly cuts down on wiring times. We also sell modulators so you can modulate ANY video signal, whether security cameras or even a satellite box.

We have mentioned a lot here, so if you have any questions about these products, others you find in our newsletter or website, or the application/use of ANY product we sell, feel free to email technical support. We are happy to help!

This entry was posted on Friday, October 9th, 2009 at 6:08 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.