Archive for March, 2011

As a rule of thumb, the cost of technology halves every eighteen months (for more information on this phenomenon, enter “Moore’s Law” into your favorite search engine). As a result, home security camera systems are less costly than ever. Even in a recession, home security camera systems are an affordable and practical way to protect your possessions and your home from theft.

There are many advantages to owning your own home security camera systems. If the deterrent aspect is enough for you, just buy a fake camera. Genuine camera companies now make replicas which look just like the real thing and they are undoubtedly the cheapest option in this article! For many thieves the risk is enough to throw them off. If you’re interested in something which actually works, keep reading!

One of the easiest ways to implement a home security camera system is to look for software to turn your webcam into a versatile and inexpensive piece of surveillance equipment. There are a number of advantages to this system over a stand-alone setup. For one, it doesn’t take up any additional space. Even very average home PCs today are powerful enough to run webcam software and some systems have remote login capabilities. These allow you to keep an eye on your property from anywhere in the world. A setup of this type would be ideal for someone in shared accommodation or at college, to keep a watchful eye on their personal space. The minimal outlay even means you could even just watch the refrigerator to see who’s been making off with your favorite snacks!

The next level of home protection camera systems is simply to extend this set-up. More wired webcams are one option, but wireless security cameras offer more flexibility in terms of position and number of cameras attached to the system (the number of physical connections ceases to be an issue in a wireless set-up). Of course, the downside of wireless home security cameras is that they require their own power source (batteries). It is generally a more flexible system though, and a great alternative to pulling wires through your walls.

For those who take their home protection cameras more seriously, systems comprising wireless cameras with a dedicated base-station recording to a high-capacity hard disk represent the state of the art. Prices vary according to resolution, range, recording capacity and any number of other features. This sort of system retails for upwards of $500 and is more than a toy. Having said this, children will treat it as a toy and have hours of fun watching one another sneaking around..

The top end of the home security camera system consumer market is made up of those systems monitored by home security monitoring companies. These often require a dedicated telephone line for the data, so installation should not be a decision to be taken lightly. However, the return on your investment is that after installation you get to just forget about ‘em. Someone else will be keeping an eye on them. They are hard-wired, so you can forget about changing the batteries. With a little luck, you’ll never be bothered by it again!

For many years video surveillance equipment was the domain of medium to large sized businesses. Thinks have changed as technology advances and prices fall, you will now see home security systems in many homes. Video surveillance systems are often known as Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) systems, and are used to monitor areas of your home to help protect it from intruders.

One of the key aspects of the home security system is the monitor. It will feed the video from the cameras that are monitoring the areas. Monitors often display in black and white only, but colour monitors are now readily available at an extra cost.

The camera is also an important part of the whole system. Cameras should be strategically placed outside the hose to monitor vulnerable areas. They should ideally be set up in areas where the camera is not clearly visible. The use of dummy cameras acts well as a deterrent and should be highly visible. The cameras work constantly, sending video images to the monitor.

Coaxial cables transfer the video signals from the camera to the monitor. The cables are available in different sizes from most electronics stores. Your system, if bought as a package will come with the coaxial cables, but if you may need extra if you wish to expand the system.

A switcher is an item that allows you to have multiple camera feeds to one monitor. A switcher will generally cycle between camera feeds. If however, the camera detects movement, the switcher will automatically lock onto that camera.

Modern video surveillance systems make use Digital Video Recording (DVR) equipment. These systems allow the feeds from the camera to be recorded to a hard drive or DVD. This is a great idea as it monitors and records disturbances whilst you are away from home, and preserves the recorded evidence to present to the police. A DVR Security System is becoming pretty much the standard for business and home security systems.

A combination of video cameras, monitors and DVR or video recording equipment can easily catch intruders in the act. Thousands are in use across America and around the world. They have become very affordable and can even help lower you home insurance. If you want to protect your home take a look at home security systems.