When installing a security camera system in Chicago, it is important to protect this investment and make sure you get the most out of it. Security cameras are sensitive electronic devices wrapped inside plastic or metal covers that provide some protection. To guarantee its integrity, it is better to adopt a few reflexes. Following this guide will give you some helpful tips to avoid the hassle of broken cameras.
Use efficient boxes for durable installations.
Junction boxes are ideal for providing cleaner installations. Hiding and protecting connectors is another reason to use junction boxes. An additional layer of weather or vandal protection is needed in today's world. Failure to protect these pigtail connectors will damage the cameras. It is important to note that the pigtail connectors cannot be repaired.
Intruders often seek to sabotage security camera systems by damaging cameras or wiring. Hiding and protecting the connectors and wiring inside the junction boxes helps a lot.
It is important to extend the cameras under eaves or away from walls to avoid problems with IR video. IR problems are often caused by building materials reflecting IR light into the camera. Junction boxes provide an easy way to mount the cameras under these overhangs or away from a wall.
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Use a weather cable gland.
IP cameras include a plastic cable gland that protects the connectors of IP cameras. The eyelet provides essential protection to the RJ45 network port against rain. If moisture gets into the pigtail connector, it will create a short circuit and damage the port in no time.
It is better to use the waterproof eyelet than to use plastic wrap or electrical tape. Using inexpensive materials leads to common mistakes that damage cameras. If you are not installing a system for yourself, it is recommended that you verify that your installer is not using this shortcut.
Protect each security camera against vandals and weather.
When security camera installation in Chicago, security officials try to get the best view possible. Sometimes this means that the cameras are installed within reach of intruders. Care should also be taken to ensure that the cameras are not exposed to conditions that exceed their weather resistance standards.
Improper installations expose the cameras to strong winds and lightning, or allow water to collect on the camera. Water combined with strong winds can pierce the glass on the front of the camera.
Sunlight can also damage cameras. If the camera is pointed in the direction where the sun is shining directly on the camera, the camera's image sensor will burn due to UV rays. Even sunlight reflected from a car windshield for hours a day can damage the image sensor.
Direct sunlight in warmer climates can also melt the wiring or overheat the cameras.
Lightning strikes and the camera is mounted on a pole, or elevated on a building. Lightning can also completely or partially damage the system. Electricity can pass through the wiring to the recorder. Ethernet surge protectors limit the amount of damage and the risk of lightning strikes.
5 factors to take into account when purchasing night vision cameras.
The technology of night vision CCTV cameras has improved a lot in recent times. If day cameras are now easy to choose because they have been mentioned and mentioned in numerous articles, films or documentaries, night vision cameras are more unknown, and therefore more difficult to choose.
Modern CCTV cameras offer many features. You may need some of these features while others may not be necessary.
Night vision cameras are important to meet the security requirements of businesses 24 hours a day. But most of the time, when you think about day / night surveillance, the first thing that comes to mind is the dark and grainy image. The first question you need to consider is this: do you need a black and white image or do you want a color image?
The standard choice for a day and night camera is a black and white image. This is mainly due to the fact that black and white images provide high contrast and clarity in nightly or poorly lit environments. Although some details such as hair or clothing color, etc. are not taken into account by such a camera.
Do you want a wired, wireless or IP camera?
Wired cameras provide greater image clarity and an uninterrupted supply of video footage. Wired cameras may require professional help and configuration may be more expensive than configuring the wireless camera. Wireless cameras can be easily installed and are cheaper, although the camera units themselves can be a bit more expensive. IP or Internet Protocol cameras are those that are connected via a local network using a local IP address for the cameras. The routers that connect the camera to the computer recognize each camera as a separate device and allow remote access via a Smartphone, laptop, and computer.
Do you need indoor or outdoor surveillance?
The outdoor cameras are designed to withstand extreme weather conditions such as dust storm, rain and snow. Indoor cameras, on the other hand, are designed to be aesthetically appealing and blend in with the environment. Indoor cameras used in banks, ATMs, etc. are also designed to resist vandalism.
How many CCTV cameras should you install for your surveillance system?
Nowadays, there are cameras with various built-in features that have the role of multiple cameras. Some of them are automatic tracking, motion detection and intelligent license plate recognition technology.
What should be the brightness requirement of your camera?
The more sensitive the camera is to light. The evaluation of the lighting in Lux gives the idea of the minimum amount of light necessary to obtain correct video sequences by the camera. Starlight technology is one of the latest technologies in the camera that allows you to shoot videos in almost complete darkness.
Why is a network video recorder essential for an IP video surveillance system?
IP cameras are increasingly used for professional surveillance. In fact, they are reliable and efficient, and offer significant maintenance potential and additional options. Always accompanied by an NVR, it is important to know how to choose the storage device to guarantee the efficiency of the entire system.
What is a network video recorder?
An NVR is a device that records video in digital format and is generally used for an IP video surveillance system. It is a specialized computer system that includes software that saves video in digital format on a player or other form of storage device. An NVR does not contain any dedicated video capture hardware. However, the software is usually run on a dedicated device, usually with an integrated operating system.
IP and NVR cameras
An NVR is different from a normal DVR. A DVR needs a direct connection for video input on a video capture card. NVR input is from a network. For the DVR, the video is encoded and processed at the level of the recorder. But for NVR, this coding and processing takes place on the camera, then transmitted to the NVR for remote storage or viewing. Additional processing can be performed on the NVR, such as additional compression or labeling with metadata.
Why is an NVR required for an IP camera?
An Internet Protocol camera, or IP camera, is a type of digital video camera that receives control data and sends image data over the Internet. Unlike analog closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras in Chicago, they require no local recording equipment, only a local network. A network video recorder receives video input from the network being encoded and processed in the camera itself. Therefore, the NVR is required to record video input from an IP camera.
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What questions should you ask your CCTV installer?
Before installing a video surveillance cameras in chicago, you must make sure to use a competent and recognized company. However, the best company imaginable will not provide you with good service if you do not ask the right questions and do not take the time to explain in detail what you want. This article presents some questions that you will need to ask yourself. Your future installer.
What storage device is used?
In video surveillance, storage devices are as important as cameras. They provide support for recording images from your cameras. Choosing the best will therefore be the first thing to do. You need to ask your installer what the storage capacities are, but also quite simply what types of signals are compatible.
What maintenance is required?
How should I maintain my CCTV cameras and how often is a question you should ask from the start of the purchase process. Indeed, installers often fail to provide this information. Consider asking these questions to anticipate your maintenance operations, especially if you have a lot of cameras.
What after-sales service will I receive?
Many managers of companies or security services believe that surveillance stops after the installation of the cameras. This error makes after-sales service difficult for the installation company to provide. The customer often forgets to ask himself whether it will be easy for him to contact or go to the supplier.
These questions are only the first of a long list that we cannot go through here. You can ask yourself the question of the image that a video surveillance system will give to your business, or even of the electric power necessary to make everything work. In any case, you need to take the time to think about all the questions you will potentially face.