Here is another good question that was recently asked. How many does of record time can you get from a security camera. Depending on the nature of your question there can be two answers. The first answer would be in the context that you have a camera and you are trying to figure out if it records when you plug power to it. The answer is yes and no! Yes if you have a standalone security camera. Standalone security cameras are very popular in recording spy cameras, they have built in motion detectors that also have the abiltiy to record the video to a SD or micro SD card. You can put up to one SD card at a time. This answer is suited for security cameras that have built in dvrs. If your camera does not have this technology built in, then you will need a security dvr in order for a security to be able to record. Even then the security camera it’s self does not record, it needs the help of a security dvr that has internal hard drive space. The dvr, whether it is a standalone or pc based, digital video recorder, it has a firmware or software that instructs it on how it is to record. Do not be naieve here, security cameras cannot store much video. If you are looking for long record times, like a week or more, you need a security dvr to store the video the security camera picks up at real-time recording or recording on motion detection, set by your security dvr. Spy standalone security cameras, are what most people look for when they want a security camera that record and store video. Most of those applications only ever need one camera and they set to motion detection recording. On a 8GIG card you can get a few days to a week, depending on the high traffic area. Also you can get an SD card now-a-days that can hold up 32 GB. If you have any more questions about the capabilities of a security camera or how many days of record time you can get out of a standalone security camera or security dvr, give our 800 line a call and speak to a CCTV consultant today.
We have some strange questions that come through by email and to our site from Google daily. However, this topic is an interesting one! Infrared cameras have been posing problems for people who try to integrate security cameras with infrared lights indoors. It is very difficult to use infrared cameras indoors! The main reason why is due to the reflective surfaces that are in many environments. In residential applications, most try to point an infrared camera to look through a window and this will end in a video washout. By washout, we mean that the infrared LED lights will reflect off the window and shoot back at the camera. This is the biggest problem with infrared cameras. In business applications there are many reflective surfaces like stainless steal counters, glass doors that lead into a retail front or small office. High powered infrared security cameras will washout from these reflective surfaces. Also if you are going to use infrared cameras indoors, you don’t want to put them into small boxy style rooms. Again, infrared LED lights are bright and powerful and they will bounce off unfriendly surfaces or environments. If you have an open area free of reflective surfaces, windows and other objects, then you can use an infrared camera indoors. However, we still recommend using infrared cameras outdoors. Infrared cameras can burn freely in outdoor environments, they can beam in any direction without any interference. If you have any more questions regarding infrared cameras indoors, be sure to call our 800 line and ask speak with a CCTV consultant. A consultant can walk you through a brief protocol to determine if you can use an infrared camera indoors!
So you are in the beginning stages of planning your CCTV system yea? Or do you have all your equipment and you are starting to doubt if you have the right equipment to make for a good installation? Either situation is a great point to start to think if you are on point with your cable runs for your security cameras. If you are smart, you would have RG59 cable that also has an 18×2 power set in the same jacket. Having this will ensure that you don’t over work yourself in running cable, as this is a strenuous part of installing your cameras. Actually if you have the right tools, it should not be too difficult, however, we are talking about cable distances in this post. If you have RG59 cable know that at about 500 feet you have reached the max capacity on video signal strength. Five-hundred feet is the longest run you can have for video. Now for power to a camera you are looking at about 1000 feet. Video signal is very weak, that is why the BNC connection and connector was invented, however, you can solve the distance issues by using video baluns and video balun transceivers. Video baluns re-strengthen video signal and give it the boost you need to go up to 1500 feet in most parts. There has been reported distances with certain video baluns that transmit up to 5000 feet! Video baluns also solve the power issue too! If are trying to figure out how far you can run power for a 12-Volt DC camera, power-over-ethernet will work better for you if need to go past 500 feet or more. Typically we’ve seen 500 feet be the max capacity for video and a 1000 feet for power to your security cameras. If you are in this problem, we have a simple solution for you, try video baluns to get into the range you need. If you have multiple cameras you will need a POE switch to run your camera into a network. POE switch just means power over ethernet! Just make sure you have the necessary bandwidth to stream network cameras.
So you bought a PTZ camera and you are unsure why it does not work properly or if you have the baud rate set correctly. Depending on what type of PTZ control you have will dictate what baud rate rate you set it to. The baud rate is the address setting and speed in which communication occurs between your security camera and your PTZ controller or security dvr. We have some pictures that will help guide you on how to locate where the DIP-switches are on your PTZ camera’s brain and how to set them. Below is the first step.
The first step is to remove the PTZ camera’s protective dome. You can do this with an allen wrench and it is located usually on the side for most PTZ cameras. Next you need to remove the camera from the top-outer-shell. There are three screws that hold the brian of the camera in. You can use a Philips head screw driver for it. But be carful when you take it off, there are a series of wires and a ribbon style cable are connected to the camera’s integrated circuit board. You don’t want any of these to come loose or detach!
Now once you have it off, look at the image below and you will see where the red circle surrounds a group of white little blocks. This is where you can locate the “dip-switches” that you can set to the right or desired baud-rate. A baud rate is an address to where you have a speed of communication from your DVR to your camera. Some PTZ and keyboard or dvr combination require different addresses, make sure you check your dvr manual and keyboard manual for the right settings.
So here you have it! Now you know where you find your dip-switch settings for baud rate control and protocol. These are both necessary in order to get your PTZ security camera to function properly with your security dvr or PTZ keyboard controller. If you have any additional questions or you are lost, call our toll free number and press option 3 to talk to a CCTV technical support personal.
So we have been working on a new section to our website (among other sections like technical support, online demos, etc) where you can download each of our manuals and product specification pdf files. This is a great, because whether you are in the market for some CCTV surveillance security cameras, security dvrs, or even accessory items, we have organized everything by category. We will be working on this for next six months or so. It will take some time, as this is something we have decided to do, after we have loaded our website with many different products. However we are committed to making our website the central focus for CCTV products. This section is very ambitious but we can do it. If you loose a manual then you can download these pdf files and save them to your desktop for future reference. Each guide/pdf document has the product specifications and set of instructions and operational instructions on how to properly use the device. Again, if something you see on the site does not have a pdf file, then call our 800 line and talk to a tech about emailing you a copy of the product that you are interested in. We are still holding on to our New Year’s resolution of bringing more information, usability, and higher quality security cameras and digital video recorders.
866-414-2553
