Home Security: Video Is Not Just For Businesses Anymore

The standard approach to home security has not changed in over 20 years. The alarm industry figured out how to make money a long time ago, and are no longer really interested in providing real security to most home owners. Most security alarm companies are not really security companies, they are contract companies. The job of the sales people is not to secure homes, its to land alarm contracts that the security company can sell to a bank or to the corporate office for their commission check. To most alarm companies, “securing your home” is merely a byproduct of “landing the contract”. Knowing this, its no surprise that most alarm companies will not talk to you about video security or a surveillance system for your home. CCTV, or security cameras do not usually carry a monthly bill, so there is no long term contract that can be sold. While most homes do not need bleeding edge CSI Miami style technology to be and feel safe, its worth taking a look at certain aspects of home security that your local security alarm company may not be telling you about. Again, video surveillance does NOT require a monthly bill and can go a long way towards fending off would be criminals as well as providing actual evidence when a crime against you, your home and your family is perpetrated.

Budgeting is the single most important factor when considering a home security camera system. A poorly designed and executed security camera system will cause more headaches and may be so difficult to operate that it becomes nearly impossible to find the video you need when something bad happens. The key aspect to picking the right equipment is knowing that if your budget does not allow you to buy everything at once, you should consider getting the best recorder you can afford and add cameras as money becomes available. Another option is to pre-wire the home for the number of cameras you are going to end up using, but only installing key cameras to help alleviate some of the up-front cost burden. The main point here is that one or two good cameras with a reliable, easy to use high quality recorder will be many times more useful than a poorly cobbled together kit with 4, 8 or 16 crappy cameras.

Often times you will find that buying a complete package doesn't really save you any money because the set of components in that prepackaged box may not be exactly what you need for your home. Prepackaged kits are also designed to be as cheap as possible. That does not mean they are discounted, it means that often they come with a recorder that is difficult to operate, cables that are too short and cameras that dont quite live up to the hype. The real kicker is that because it was purchased as one packaged item, you normally cant return a camera you don't like or a cable that's too short... its all or nothing (and good luck trying to fit it all back in the original box!). The lesson here is that while that $500 complete system looks tempting, you may be better off buying an upgradeable system that you will be happy with and adding cameras as funds and needs arise. This aspect is especially important if you are looking to buy a home surveillance system as a gift. Consider buying a good upgradeable recorder or DVR as a gift and letting them buy their own cameras tailored exactly to what they want to record. This is why budgeting is so important, if not done right, it can leave a bad taste in your mouth and leave you more vulnerable and less safe than before.

Once of the major objections most people have to installing a video security system in their home has to do with privacy concerns. Some people feel that having video recordings of what goes on around their house will somehow affect them negatively. The first thing to consider is whether or not you wish to have interior cameras. In most cases, people tend to choose not to have interior cameras installed. In my opinion, interior cameras are not necessary in most homes because properly placed exterior cameras will tell you everything you need to know about who comes and goes and when and what they carry into and out of the house. Using nightvision cameras in key areas will also make it so you can see the same things anytime day or night. Granted, there are some cases where interior cameras might be wise. If your home often has guests, or doubles as an Inn or Bed and Breakfast or if you run a home business, it may be a very good idea to install some cameras in the interior common areas.

While in most cases exterior cameras are all that is required, it should be noted that proper camera placement and the number of cameras installed need to be correct. The general idea is to ensure that entry points are covered in such a way to provide excellent clarity while wider shots should be used to cover larger areas like walkways and patios where general viewing is sufficient. For cameras covering the entry points to your house consider using cameras equipped with atleast 540TVL (TVL is a measurement of resolution, the higher the number, the higher the picture quality) and a varifocal (adjustable) lens. When installing these cameras ensure that they are focused and zoomed on the entry point whether it is a door or window. This guideline means that the camera shot should be no more than 4 or 5 feet wide at the point of entry. You may think that you would want to get as much coverage as possible by using a wide angle lens, however, this is counter-intuitive because wider shots produce less detail that tighter camera angles. Also when choosing cameras for entry points like the front door, be careful not to choose a camera with too many infrared LEDs. Infrared cameras have nightvision capabilities, however, too many LEDs can cause the center of the image to bloom white at night and produce an unusable image if they are used in short distance shots. When choosing an infrared front door camera ensure that the infrared distance rating is not more than 20 feet farther than the distance between the camera and the door.

When choosing cameras to watch larger areas like porches, patios, lawns and driveways, wide angle fixed lenses are usually good enough. A wider angle lens will be indicated on the camera spec sheet by a lens of 4mm or less. The smaller the number, the wider the shot. As a rule of thumb, a standard 3.6mm lens will give a camera angle of about 74 degrees. Infrared capabilities of these cameras with wider shots can be a little bit more generous because the infrared has a wider area to dissipate around. There is a catch though, cheaper infrared cameras will focus the light in the center of the image, where better cameras will have a wider spectrum, allowing the infrared to be spread throughout the image providing a clear, well lit night-time image throughout a wide area.