Advances in CCTV Systems and Security Cameras

CCTV systems are among the most popular types of security systems on the market today, in part because manufacturing advances over the past decade or so have brought the prices down dramatically. At the same time, technological advances have improved the quality and increased the capabilities of even the low end CCTV systems. You might hear that today’s $300 CCTV camera systems do things that a $3,000 system couldn’t do ten years ago, but it’s even more pronounced than that. Today’s $300 security camera system does things that high-end CCTV system designers were just beginning to imagine.

In fact, for less than $500 today, you can have a CCTV system with multiple security cameras, including outdoor security cameras and IR cameras for recording security footage in darkened areas. And since networked CCTV systems don’t require running wires, installation costs less – right down to nothing at all for the many DIY security camera kits available on the market. These are just some of the advances that are changing the face of the security field today, thanks to CCTV systems.

Digital Recording

Digital imaging can provide an incredible amount of detail that most CCTV tape systems can’t approach. DVR based CCTV systems and PC-based security systems not only record in greater detail, the amount of footage they can hold makes it possible for security systems to hold onto the security footage for much longer in a much smaller space. Thanks to digital recording, a company can now store 3 to 4 weeks of security footage on a PC-based CCTV system with a 500 GB drive. That amount of footage on VHS tapes would have filled most of a small room.

Selective Viewing

DVR CCTV systems allow you to find specific activities and incidents in the footage far more easily. On VHS systems, the only way to find a specific incident or view the footage from a specific time period is to fast-forward through the entire tape until you reach the right time frame. With digital recording, viewing the footage from a particular time is as easy as entering the date and time into the system.

Remote Viewing

Perhaps one of the biggest advances in CCTV system security is the ability to control the security camera and do surveillance from anywhere that has an Internet connection. Thanks to IP cameras and PC-based CCTV systems, it’s now possible to log into your security system remotely, control the camera from your desk at work and view what’s going on from anywhere you can get online.

Advances in CCTV systems have provided more capability at lower prices than ever before. If you’re considering a security camera and CCTV security for your home or business, be sure that you know what the latest advances in CCTV technology allow you to do.