CCTV Guide

CCTV Security Camera Information for Non-Technical People Get a good face shot!
Use Higher quality cameras at entry areas Doors, gates and other entry areas need a good quality, high resolution camera to record a good 'face shot.' The video from this camera should be considered a highly valuable since it can be used as evidence in identifying a person in a court of law. Wide Angle Cameras for large surveillance areas Once you can get a good shot of a persons face, you should use a wider angle camera lens for the interior surveillance spaces of the building. Using color cameras inside your building is a good idea because you can readily identify a person by the clothes they are wearing. Used in conjunction with the face shot at the entry point, you have an excellent record of all people and activities in your surveillance areas. Use Bullet Security Cams and Dome Security Cams! They're Low Cost, High Performance, can be uses indoors and outdoors and available in Color or B&W. Dome cams and bullet cams come in many low cost models. Good quality B&W cams start at less than $80 and good color cams start at $150. When it comes to budgets, having a low cost black & white camera is better than no camera at all. Black and white cameras have advantages over color security cameras Most B/W cameras can see in lower light and have higher resolution than color cameras. If most of your surveillance goals are at night and your budget is limited, a black & white camera may actually be your best solution. Professional and Standard C-Mount Cameras If your budget permits, a c-mount camera offer a big advantage over other cctv cameras. C-Mount or CS-Mount? C-mount and CS-Mount lenses offer similar performance, the only real difference is the way the lens mounts to the camera. And that's not a problem since the adapter to convert 'CMount' to 'CS-Mount' comes with the camera. This enables the camera to use either CMount or CS-Mount lenses. Lenses can be changed! They simply unscrew from the camera body, just like the way lenses are removed from traditional cameras. There are lens options from 2.5mm up to 500mm providing many different magnification options. In general, an 8mm lens is like a 4mm lens magnified 200%. A 16mm lens is like the 4mm lens magnified 400%

Outdoor Housing C-mount cameras can be used outside when put in an outdoor camera housing like the photo to the right needed to protect the camera. Heat and Fans are necessary in the 'extreme climate areas.' See our outdoor housings. Varifocal Lenses You can also use a varifocal lens on a c-mount camera body. The higher millimeter of the lens the further distance viewable. C-Mount cameras can use a varifocal lens. This is a huge advantage because you can adjust zoom and focus. With Varifocal lenses the focus can be varied from 5mm to 20mm or more. Even after installed, the varifocal camera lens can be adjusted to choose a variety of focal distances and angles of view. An example of where you might use a varifocal lens is outside (or inside) a warehouse or parking lot where you need more distance than 35 feet. Pan-Tilt-Zoom (PTZ) Pan-Tilt-Zoom Cameras also known as PTZ cameras are excellent devices to use when you want to 'look around' your surveillance area. PTZ cameras allow you to pan an entire room, tilt up and down and zoom in on anything or anybody within the sight of the lens. PTZ cameras can be set to automatic or manual mode or both. In automatic mode, hundreds of points can be set for the camera to look at. The duration that the camera looks at a given set point can be adjusted from less than a second to as long as you would like. There are some variances in different models. Some have 17x zooms while others have 50x zooms or more. Closed circuit television also known as CCTV is the industry standard in surveillance security cameras. CCTV can be a single network of cameras or multiple networks of camera linked together via switches, internet, DVR or wide area computer technology. CCTV Video data is analog. The analog signal can be converted to digital via CCTV Digital Video Recorders. Once the video data is digital it can be managed just like any other computer data and can be stored automatically on computers and network storage devices.

What to know Before you Buy

In this age of heightened awareness of security needs, video surveillance systems offer extra pairs of eyes to help you mange your business more carefully. Before starting to compare surveillance systems or evaluating potential vendors, sit down and consider your closed circuit television (CCTV) needs. First, consider what you want to monitor with your surveillance system. General comings and goings? Vehicles? Do you want to see faces, merchandise, crowds? Once you decide what you want to see, choosing components will become easier. Next, decide what picture quality you need in your surveillance systems. Quality can refer to both how detailed the image is and how fast the frame rate is. Frame rate is simply a measure of how many individual pictures make up the video. "Real-Time", what you see on television, is 30 frames per second. Most often, lower end surveillance systems record at slower rates, which result in more jerky-looking images but saves on recording space, choose a system which allows you to adjust the record / playback and streaming video rates.

Think about how your surveillance system will be monitored. Will you simply record at all times, and only review the video when a problem occurs? Or will you have a dedicated employee watching for trouble? Also, with multiple surveillance system cameras, you have the option of connecting each to its own monitor, or combining multiple images onto one monitor. You also should decide whether your priority with your surveillance system is to deter potential crimes or to catch perpetrators. If you are more interested in deterring certain activities, large, visible cameras are your best bet. Trying to catch criminals without them being aware of it requires hidden surveillance system cameras, which cost more for hardware and for installation. With these questions answered, you will be able to speak with more knowledge as you explore the range of surveillance system options. One of the newest trends in the surveillance system industry concerns digital recording. Only a few years ago, most closed-circuit TV systems were paired with the familiar VCR to record images. However, digital video recorders DVRs, which record onto hard drives instead of tape, offering you complete control on how video is recorded, played back, and remotely viewed. For businesses that do not want to change tapes constantly, DVRs definitely are the way to go. While security VCRs usually offer a time-lapse mode that lets them record for long periods of time, the resulting images are not a good record of events - they record only one snapshot every eight seconds, and require very high maintenance and LOW ROI To get higher quality, you need to change tapes every day or more often. DVRs, on the other hand, can record for months. Security Cameras are one of the best ways to monitor your home or office. First you must decide whether you need an indoor or an outdoor system, Day or night use will also affect the type of camera you buy, some have built in infra-red that allow them to 'see' in the dark, others are infrared sensitive.

Consider the following when choosing a CCTV camera

1. Sketch out a Floor Plan: Put in all camera locations. Consider the distance to your surveillance zone: Are you 5 feet or 15 feet away from your surveillance target area? It is best to locate your camera as close to the surveillance area first, and then choose how much zoom you need. Do you need 4mm, 8mm or 12mm lens, or a PTZ camera? 2. Field of view or area of surveillance: Take photos of areas you want to cover from the proposed camera locations. What lens you need depends what you want to see and how far away and how wide a viewing area. Wide angle and fisheye lenses are available. 3. Resolution: Do you want to capture a persons face or a car license plate? Each camera location will determine which lenses would maximize your surveillance potential. Do you need 50mm lens or standard 8mm?, Vari-focal lens are also available and are mostly used when distances the camera is to view are unknown or "not sure" what the distance will be. This will allow you to adjust the (FOV) Filed of view as you see fit, and give you a wide variety of shots that may work out better then you thought in the first place! 4. Vandalism potential: Will your camera be subject to damage? Vandal proof cameras are available, and mainly come in a Dome. 5. Lighting: Is the space well lit or dimly lit. Are the lights turned off at night? Do you want to monitor the area with the lights turned off? Do you need infrared CCTV cameras or low light cameras? 6. Budget: Just like any technology, the more you spend, the better the system you get. Keep in mind a low cost, low quality camera will provide you with unusable pictures, you can turn

on the nightly news and see a perfect example of what we are talking about. A news brief will talk about a robbery and when they show you a picture of the thieves you will find the neighborhood kids probably do much better sidewalk chalk drawings than what the video of the low quality system produced!

Security Cameras Types:

Surveillance cameras are becoming more popular and, most importantly, more accessible to the average person. Huge store chains or gated communities arent the only places than can afford the benefits of surveillance cameras anymore. They are available for your home and office needs, no matter how simple or how elaborate a setup you require. Your home, your office, your store, your family -- these are just four reasons why you would want to purchase a surveillance camera. If you put your time, energy, and resources into these, why not take the extra step and insure what matters most to you? Video cameras designed specifically for surveillance give an extra measure of safety and security. You have a broad range of video surveillance cameras available to you. Understanding the different kinds will make it easier to determine which one suits you best.

1. Outdoor Cameras - Outdoor cameras need to be able to withstand extreme temperatures and humidity and usually come in a weatherproof casing that also helps protect against vandalism. 2. Day / Night Infra-Red Cameras - These cameras have infrared LEDs installed around the lens of the camera. This provides light the camera can use to 'see in the dark' even when no outside light is available. In some low light installations, a day/night camera will work as well. 3. Visual Security Cameras - Day / Night cameras have a super sensitive imaging chip in them. This allows these cameras to work great in low light with no infrared lighting needed. Low light means that there is some light available but not a lot, for example from street lights or even moon light. If your application has absolutely no light then you'll need to use infrared instead. 4. Mini Security Cameras - Mini cameras are some of the smallest available, but still offer extremely good resolution and are ideal for unobtrusive surveillance. The compact design of these coin cameras make them very easy to hide and difficult to see. 5. Bullet / Finger Cameras - Bullet / Finger cameras are small, compact and can be placed almost anywhere. These cameras are great for covert surveillance. The lens is built into the camera and cannot be switched. The main advantages to the bullet camera are their low cost and their small size. 6. Dome Cameras - Dome cameras are a popular style. Dome cameras present a streamline and professional look to any company, organization or building. They are available in both black & white and color formats. Some dome cameras come in an armor dome to protect against vandalism. Typically, they're only used indoors.

Fortify your home or office today

Surveillance cameras are extremely helpful in protecting your home or office environment. You can check up on your nanny or employers, make sure nothing suspect happens at your home while youre away, monitor the children from another part of the house, and make sure nothing strange is going on in the office parking lot when you leave after dark.

Dont wait to protect your home or office -- act now. Browse through your surveillance camera options today.

Best Security Monitors

Security monitors come in a variety of resolutions in both black & white and color. The quality of security cameras you are using will usually determine the type of monitor you need

1. A color monitor used with black & white cameras is pointless 2. Some feature remote viewing and control from a PC 3. Typically they come with auxiliary inputs for analog video and a secondary monitor output connection 4. Standard monitors are usually more powerful, but flat screen versions take up less space and can be mounted to the wall

If you get stuck on some CCTV terminology check our Glossary

When running cable, it is best to follow a few simple rules:

1. Always use more cable than you need. Leave plenty of slack 2. Test every part of a network as you install it. Even if it is brand new, it may have problems that will be difficult to isolate later 3. Stay at least 3 feet away from fluorescent light boxes and other sources of electrical interference 4. If it is necessary to run cable across the floor, cover the cable with cable protectors 5. Label both ends of each cable 6. Use cable ties (not tape) to keep cables in the same location together

Cable connectors

The most common type of connector used with coaxial cables is the Bayone-NeillConcelman (BNC) connector (see diagram below). Different types of adapters are available for BNC connectors, including a T-connector, barrel connector, and terminator. Connectors on the cable are the weakest points in any network. To help avoid problems with your network, always use the BNC connectors that crimp, rather than screw, onto the cable.

Power sources

1. When deciding on what power sources to use, always use "REGULATED" power supplies. These power supplies will send the correct amount of power to your camera, if you use too high a power source it will burn out your camera and void your warranty. We have 4-in-one Power Supply + Video Signal junction. It is a two way device supplies power to cameras and transmit video signals from camera to DVR.

What is a CCD Sensor?

Most CCTV cameras are now almost exclusively 'CCD' sensor type. CCD stands for ChargeCoupled Devices. These are light-sensitive chips, the sensitive area being split into a large number of individual pixels (Small dots on the chip). An image from a scene is focused through a lens onto the chip surface and charge is built up in each pixel proportional to the intensity of the light falling on it. Hence an electrical representation of the optical image is formed. Typical active pixel counts for CCD sensors are between 250,000 and 500,000 pixels. Cameras are available in both monochrome and color types.

Lenses
The field of view (FOV) How much will the security camera see?
The field of view (FOV) is based on the camera & lens. There are many different types of Lenses to suite any and all of your CCTV security camera needs. Wide angle lenses are suitable for most applications due to their ability to view a large area. A 4mm wide angle lens will be able to view an area 20' high x 26' wide at 21' away. As an example, a 15' x 15' room is shown in the diagram below. Observe that the 4mm lens (green arrows) allows better wide angle viewing coverage than the 12mm lens (red arrows). In applications where a closer view is needed (such as above a cash register or over a greater distance), an 8 or 12mm may be desired. The same camera (above) at 21 away with a 8mm lens will have a 10' vertical x 13' horizontal FOV. At 21' with a 12mm lens, the FOV will be approx 6' vertical x 9' horizontal. Increasing the focal length of the lens decreases the perceived distance to the viewing area. See the FOV diagram below for approximate views with different focal length lenses.

Camera Performance
The main criteria of a camera's performance are its sensitivity and resolution. Sensitivity is a measure of the minimum amount of light required by the camera to give a 'useable' Image. Resolution defines the amount of picture detail in the image produced by the camera.

Sensitivity
The CCTV industry has many ways of stating an individual cameras sensitivity performance. Most common is minimum scene illumination required to give useable picture at a particular lens aperture. This is inherently subjective. Another, more objective definition is the minimum scene illumination required by the camera to give full video output I.e. 1v peak to peak. Few manufacturers use this definition! Most manufactures provide a figure in LUX which is actually a light level the figures quoted are often like this 0.1 LUX. The problem with this is that to get a true representation of the actual sensitivity of the camera the lens apertures must also be compared. Lens apertures, i.e. the size of hole that light can pass through in the lens, must be compared in order to get a true comparison of performance.

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Camera 1 requires a minimum scene illumination of 0.1 lux at a lens aperture of f 1.4 to give a useable image. Camera 2 requires a minimum scene illumination of 0.05 lux at f 1.0 to give a useable image. This appears to say that camera 2 is twice as sensitive as camera 1 because it needs half the light to give a useable picture. In fact the cameras have equal sensitivities because the aperture through which light is allowed to fall on the sensor of camera 2 is twice the area of

that for camera 1. Typical sensitivities (defined as minimum scene illumination required for useable picture with lens aperture at f 1.4) for current CCD cameras are as follows: o o o o Medium Performance (General purpose) Monochrome 0.5 - 0.25 lux High Performance (Low-Light/Outdoor) Monochrome <0.20 lux Medium Performance (General purpose) Color 3.0 lux High Performance (Low-Light) Color < 2.5 lux

Typical light levels

Choosing the correct camera to operate in the ambient light conditions is possibly the most important although most tricky specification to understand. Light levels are usually measured in Lux. This is a measure of the light energy arriving on an area 1m2 of surface per second. Typical light levels are: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Full Summer Sunlight: 50,000 Lux Dull Daylight: 10,000 Lux Shop/Office environment: 500 Lux Dawn/Dusk: 1 - 10 Lux Main Street Lighting: 30 Lux Side Street Lighting: 0.5 - 3 Lux

The golden rule when deciding which camera to use for a given lighting condition is not to choose one that will only just give a picture. Try to give the camera approximately 10 times its quoted minimum scene illumination. Most cameras will be able to cope with excess light. The major problem is when they do not have enough light to produce a picture. The sensitivity of covert cameras with pin-hole lenses are often quoted as 0.1Lux @f1.4. This seems to indicate that the camera will work in moonlight. Actually the pin-hole lens will have an aperture ratio of something like f4 and so the camera will need approximately 1 Lux to produce a picture. Unless your house is directly under main-street lighting the light level is probably less than 1 Lux at the front and even lower at the back. Bright security flood lights in theory help but often produce dark shadows a short distance from the house. A monochrome camera rated at 0.05 Lux will produce reasonable results. Color needs a little more. However, color cameras achieve good night-time vision by switching to a monochrome mode. You will never get good night-time color pictures without huge amounts of additional lighting. So think carefully about the added cost of color over monochrome cameras. As most people are used to color television it sets a standard so it is very common to still select a color camera knowing it will switch to monochrome mode at night. Monochrome cameras respond well to additional IR (infra red) lighting. With this in mind true night-vision cameras include a ring of IR LEDs. Color cameras also offer IR illumination

but as stated previously will switch to monochrome at night even with the IR LEDs turned on. These are true night-vision cameras and are rate at 0 Lux.

How does IR work?

The human eye can see in the visible light portion of the spectrum chart (below). Above visible light is infrared (IR). The CCD or CMOS device inside your security camera can detect IR light and use it to help illuminate the area viewed. IR Cameras are cameras that emit IR so that the area in front of the camera can be seen in total darkness. ONLY black and white (B/W) cameras are affected by IR illumination. Color cameras will detect IR to a much lesser degree. Take your TV remote and press a button while pointing it at your camera for a simple demonstration of how a CCTV camera can see IR.

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Resolution
Resolution is measured in lines and normally only horizontal resolution is quoted. Vertical resolution of a camera is of little interest because pictures are generally speaking limited by the scanning system used to produce the image. In the UK and Europe this is the CCIR system, which defines that a picture is built-up from 625 lines across the screen. Of more interest in measuring camera performance is horizontal resolution. This is the maximum number of black or white areas that can be identified across the picture. This is always specified per monitor height. A typical general purpose monochrome camera has a horizontal resolution of 380 lines. This means that it should be possible to resolve 380 x 1.33 i.e. 505 individual actual lines of black, white or grey along any one line of a CCTV picture image. (The factor of 1.33 comes from the fact that a TV picture has an aspect ratio of 4 : 3)

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Typical resolution performances for CCD cameras are as follows:

Medium Performance (General purpose) Monochrome 380 lines Medium Performance (General purpose) Color 420 lines

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High Resolution Color 480 lines High Resolution Color 540+ lines.

Camera Formats
Cameras will be quoted as 1/2", 1/3" or occasionally as 2/3". Newer cameras will be referred to as 1/4". This refers to the format of the camera and defines the size lightsensitive area of the imaging device used in the camera. In itself it gives no measure of a cameras performance although generally the smaller the format size, the smaller the light gathering area of the sensor. It is provided for information to enable the installer to match the camera to the correct lens. Camera formats are getting smaller in order to reduce the costs of the imaging devices and hence the cameras themselves as well as the lenses put onto them.

IMPORTANT:
The format size of a lens must be equal to or greater than the format size of the camera it is being used on. If the lens is of smaller format size than the camera then the corners of the scene being viewed will be cut-off (vignetting).

There are 3 main standards in use around the world. NTSC PAL SECAM Each one is incompatible with the other. The system used in America & Canada is called "NTSC". Western Europe and Australia use a system called "PAL", and Eastern Europe and France use "SECAM". For some general information click the links below. Charts illustrating the differences Countries using N T S C Countries using P A L Countries using S E C A M

What is NTSC, PAL, Secam?

Video Surveillance & System Maintenance Tips for Businesses

1. Appoint 2 persons to share duties of surveillance system maintenance 2. Keep a record of maintenance/repairs performed, in a separate record book 3. Record the make/model/serial numbers of all system equipment, including cameras, multiplexer, VCRs to be readily available for police reporting when & if required. This would also apply if the system is a digiital recording system as opposed to video recording 4. Review camera position setups to ensure optimum location and camera focus. An additional camera may be in-order to capture "fill-the-frame" images of suspects as they enter premises, or stand at counters. This is in addition to cameras that try to cover the whole scene with one camera only 5. Camera focus should be adjusted clearly on the area most likely to capture a suspect image, such as counter area holding a card with large numbers or writing, at this counter area focal point will assist in checking the focus 6. Ensure crucial areas, on which the cameras are focused, have sufficient lighting to illuminate the suspect. Likewise, ensure light sources are not improperly aimed at the camera, or that a ceiling mounted camera is not too close to an adjacent ceiling light that will cause interference or "white-out" 7. A similar lighting situation to consider fixing is back-lighting that will cause the subject to appear as only a dark outline, obscuring any identifying detail. This often occurs in locations with sunlight streaming through windows, directly into the camera. It follows the old film camera advice of, "Dont shoot into the sun!" Consider repositioning the camera, or installing light reducing window shades 8. Institutions should consider the placement of advertising posters which are sometimes attached to ceilings, and hang directly in view of the camera, obstructing clear view. Any line-of-sight of the camera should be kept un-obstructed if possible 9. Monthly, clean camera lenses with approved lens cleaner fluid and paper. Put a few drops of cleaning fluid on the paper and wipe in a circular motion. Do not put fluid on the lens itself 10. Monthly, clean the VCRs recording heads using a high quality wet-tape cleaning cassette, which will also clean the entire tape path inside the VCR 11. Annually, have the VCR serviced professionally. Purchase one additional VCR for backup purposes to breakdowns, or servicing 12. Daily, ensure that the correct time & date is generated by the multiplex unit if installed, and most importantly, that the time & date is set on the recording VCR and displayed on the monitor. Brief power outages will require this to be reset. What you should see if your system has a multiplexer, is two separate time/date stamps. One is displayed by the multiplexer, and one is displayed by the VCR. This time and date stamp displayed by the "multiplexer", on your monitor, will not be seen when viewed by forensic investigators on their equipment, and will hinder examinations if it is not available. Therefore, this is the reason to ensure the VCR time/date is correctly set and displayed on the monitor. Make sure to correct for any time-zones who switch to day-light savings and back in the spring and fall 13. Purchase a large wall mounted clock, and a large single numbered calendar, and position it so at least one camera clearly captures it in the background. The calendar should be the type that shows only one day-at-a time, similar to whats used in financial institutions 14. Annually, purchase 40 new high quality videotapes. Label them 1 to 31, using them only on that day of the month. This will always permit the previous 30 days of videos to be available should investigators need to review incidents which may have occurred several days prior to them being reported, such as fraud incidents. The extra 9 spare tapes are for replacement purposes. This is based upon 24 hour recording mode. Other recording modes will require additional tapes to be purchased, however each tape should be used no more than 12-15 times for optimum recording. On the tape label, record each new date that the tape is used. This will help keep track of the total number of times the tape is used.

When an incident occurs, dont permit yourself, or anyone to view the incident

using the pause-jog-shuttle feature on the recording VCR in order to isolate the suspect image. This will damage the image and hinder forensic analysis. If necessary by staff or police officers for reasons of safety, review the incident using the play/stop controls only

If at anytime a crime occurs, and the recorded videotape is ejected from the VCR, immediately break-out and remove the record-tab, which will prevent accidental erasure of the evidence. Several surveillance VCR models automatically begin recording when a tape is inserted, and removing the record tab will prevent accidental "recording-over" of the evidence from happening.