Essential tips on choosing the right home security camera

Buying a security system for your property consists of a lot of research and can become confusing when there is a such a wide variety of products and features available.  

When you begin to research, it’s helpful to make a note on what you like and what you need in a system as you may find that each product is different. To help you, we’ve written a prioty list on how to figure out what type of system suits your needs. 

Indoor and outdoor 

First you need to confirm if you want cameras inside or outside of the property or both.  

CCTV Cameras are made to withstand certain environments, such as the materials they are made of which can be metal or plastic. Of course, both materials can be used outdoors, and you will find the cheaper options are usually made of plastic. The metal options will be slightly higher in price but that’s because they are made to withstand different weather conditions and some specifically, vandalism.  

Don’t forget the shape of the camera too as some work best indoor than outdoor. If you’d like a less intrusive looking camera then you may opt for the Dome or Turret shape which works well inside and outside. You may want a traditional shape called the Bullet, which although works the same as the other cameras, may deter unwanted guests from your property from first glance.  

Along with this, you want to figure out if you want hard wired cameras or wireless cameras that work through Wi-Fi connection.  

Hard wired vs Wi-Fi 

Both types of cameras are marketed to work outdoors, however, hard wired cameras are the traditional type made to sustain the outdoor environment and are also widely used indoors too. This is because it is more reliable due to less outages and interference, meaning your recorder will store the footage safely for the times you really need it. You also don’t need to worry about battery charging as the system is connected to the mains outlet of the building.  

Read more about Analogue and IP systems here: What is Analogue and IP? 

Wireless or Wi-Fi cameras, work where there is better Wi-Fi connection, which is mostly indoors or on a building, and although you can store footage to wherever you like, you may experience more drops in internet connection, meaning your cameras could miss an important event which you need footage for. Also, if you opt for a wireless camera, you may find yourself consistently checking when to charge the batteries.     

Storage options 

The traditional option with hard wired systems is to have the cameras connected to a recorder. Analogue systems are now becoming a thing of the past and are being taken over by IP systems which are futureproof and use a network connection – ethernet cable such as CAT5 or CAT6. The cameras will film the footage which will be saved onto the recorder. The recorder will then store the footage for a certain amount of time, depending on the storage space, until the footage can be replaced. You can also use an app on your phone, to view previous and live footage.  

Subscriptions to save footage on the cloud is an option for Wi-Fi cameras along with using memory cards in each camera. Subscription prices can vary, and you might find it costly in the long term.  

Viewing footage

Using your phone to view footage would be the easiest way with Wi-Fi cameras. As your phone is mostly there with you, this makes it easier to check app notifications wherever you are and save footage to your device which you can send through emails and messages. If you use memory cards in your cameras, you can also view them on a laptop or similar device, but always remember to put the memory cards back into the camera. 

With hard wired systems, you can view your footage over a connected monitor and on your phone through an app. A monitor connection is helpful when you need to constantly check over footage. It’s also appreciated more by businesses to keep an eye on security measures.  

Camera Features 

Now that you have the effective long-term decisions set, it’s time to figure out what kind of features you’d like your system to offer. 

Field of view and Stationery or PTZ 

Have you thought about the lens angle? Most cameras we sell on CCTV Outlet have a 2.8mm or 3.6mm fixed lens. This equals to about 90° for 2.8mm and 78° for 3.6mm. This is because 3.6mm has a narrow and longer vision compared to 2.8mm. With a motorised lens camera, you may still have the similar angles, but you will be able to zoom in to the fixed point.   

The angle degree can change depending on how wide you want your camera to view. If you opt for a panoramic camera, you’ll be looking at roughly 130° to 180° views or a PTZ (Pan/Tilt or Pan/Tilt/Zoom) which can rotate vertically and horizontally.  

PTZs sound very cool but they are not usually recommended for houses. They are mostly installed on large buildings, large housing and public areas for enhanced security.  

Motion detection 

Most CCTV cameras have Smart Motion Detection. This means the camera senses when a human or vehicle comes in sight and switches on to record.  

Night vision with lights or no lights 

All the cameras without lights that are sold on CCTV Outlet, have Infrared (IR). Some cameras that have an LED light, do not feature IR and some feature both IR and LED light which will switch on when motion is detected. If you’d like more information on how this works, read the blog on Smart Dual Illumination here: What is Smart Dual Illumination?

Audio 

A majority of customers from CCTV Outlet ask for cameras with audio. It’s a given that if there are any problems then of course you’d like to know what was being said at that time. You will also find an option of two-way-audio where in addition to being able to hear the intruder, the owner can broadcast their voice from the cameras built in speaker.  

Alarms 

Take a look at the Active Deterrence range on our website. These feature red and blue lights when motion or perimeter breach is detected along with sirens and speech warnings. Read more here: How Active Deterrence is changing the property surveillance landscape. 

And there you have it, a quick breakdown on how to choose your perfect security system to suit your needs. Of course, the features are unlimited across security cameras but it’s good to remember that you can’t have all of them in one.