FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Many of our customers install CCTV Surveillance Systems for various reasons, but below you will find a list of the most popular furnished by our customers:
- Access Control - Know who is coming and going and when.
- Prevent Lawsuits - With so many fraudulent lawsuits out there, we have been able to help our customers avoid a few from fraud rings - EVEN in small rural towns!
- Reduce Theft - Both Internal and External Theft tightens the profit margins of many businesses. Without a way to decrease the shrinkage, many businesses fail. Many companies even recoup the cost of their system within the first month of installing it, even when they didn't think they had much theft.
- Reduce Insurance Costs - Many insurance companies will reduce premiums when a complete surveillance system is installed.
- Protect Family / Employees - Surveillance systems can help protect your Family / employees as well, from vandalism, threat of bodily harm by would-be theives, theft of their lunches out of the fridge, and many many more reasons.
Motion Detection Recording
Motion Detection recording allows you to conserve on hard drive space, to allow you to record only when a movement is detected. This allows you to record more on a smaller sized hard drive, and keep more archives on your system. All of our CCTV Security systems and packages include the ability to record on motion detection.
Email Motion Alerts
Email Motion Alerts allow you to know when motion is detected at your premises. Many owners will use this to alert them if someone is in the building after-hours. An alarm system might alert the police, but your security camera system can alert you immediately via email or push notifications. This allows you to always know what is happening at your premises at all times. Email or push notifications alerts available on all of our systems.
Remote Viewing of Live Video
All of our CCTV security systems allow you to remote view your cameras from a PC, laptop or mobile phone over the internet. There is no recurring fees for this service. Simply plug your DVR/NVR into your broadband internet connection, and you can view your cameras from a remote location. All of our CCTV security systems Packages have built in Network Connection, which will also allow for remotely viewing Live and Pre-Recorded video over your internet connection with an internet explorer web browser as well.
Night vision recording
Many of our indoor and outdoor security cameras can even provide Infrared night vision capabilities. These types of cameras shine out an invisible infrared light, that only the camera can see, which allows your security camera system to see even in no-light conditions.
Deterrence of Theft or Intrusion
CCTV is not just about catching a burglar or intruder, it is about prevention of the crime in the first place. Thieves and vandals usually select easy targets for their illegal activities. If they see a premises with security cameras installed, they will have tendency to move on to an easier target. Many of our customers have even reported avoiding fraudulent lawsuits by being able to provide proof on video of what actually occurred.
Identification and Capture
Only a HD quality surveillance system can actually provide the needed evidence to identify and capture the would-be burglar and vandals. Selecting the appropriate HD cameras can help ensure that you get the footage that you need. Our technicians can help you select cameras and lenses that will suit your individual needs.
Automatic Recycling Storage
Our CCTV Security camera systems provide automatic recycling storage, which will automatically record over the oldest video as your hard drive fills up. Our quality Standalone DVR / NVR Systems never require human interaction to recycle the recording. You can just set the system up and forget about it.
Hardware Compression: Both Capturing Video Signal and Compressing Video Signal are done by DSP chipset integrated on DVR Board. It doesn't need the computer's CPU to do this work. It's low cost of CPU and RAM resources. In this system the computer CPU's task focus on answering network request, streaming the video/audio to network and saving recorded data to local hard disk. Software Compression: The DVR Board only capture video signal but doesn't compress it, it is the computer CPU and RAM to do this compression work. It's high cost of CPU and RAM resources. In this system the computer CPU and RAM are often overloaded. It is easier to crash than hardware compression system.
This in general is a comparatively difficult decision. Many aspects of the installation must be taken into consideration in order to obtain the correct performance that meets your requirements. A high-resolution camera should be considered where greater detail of scene is required. Choosing a more sensitive camera will improve reproduction in poorly lit areas. The sensitivity of a camera is indicated by the minimum amount of light in order for the camera to produce a usable picture A conventional camera produces a pale backdrop when an object is shot against a bright background. BLC (Back Light Compensation) /WDR (Wide Dynamic Range) will counter strong light sources retaining picture quality. Concentrated light sources directed towards the camera (e.g. car head lamps) can be inverted by an optional peak white inverter or an eclipser function. This has the effect of bringing detail to areas and making an object clear, that would otherwise be shadowed.
For the most full-featured remote viewing, our H.264 / H.264+ /H.265 DVRs /NVRs have a built-in ActiveX controls that will allow you to view your live cameras, as well as playback recorded footage, remotely record from the cameras and more right from your PC or Laptop. Simply open up your internet address in your web browser, and you can view all of your cameras live from anywhere in the world using any PC with IE. Or you can view your security cameras with the software, providing full featured remote viewing. This remote viewing also offers playback of video, remote archives, control of PTZ cameras, remote audio and more. This remote viewing is the preferred method for the best quality audio and video.
Basic Features
- • Record cameras to your PC
- • Remotely View Cameras over Internet
- • Send Email Alerts
- • Motion Detection Recording
- • Playback video while still recording
- • Play sound on motion detection
- • Available in 4, 8, 12, 16+ Camera Systems
- • Automatic Recycling of Hard Drive
Already have our H.264 Standalone DVR system, and trying to get your remote viewing set up? Contact us to assist you in setting up and configuring your internet connection and remote access.
These H.264 Standalone DVRs offer a basic remote viewing of your security cameras from a mobile phone. This app based remote viewing will allow streaming live video of your cameras right onto your mobile phone. This allows you to always see what is
happening on your cameras from anywhere in the world. These Standalone DVRs and systems are not only easy to install, but also deliver great remote viewing capabilities from virtually any Mobile phone on the market.With the mobile phone app-based remote viewing, you can view live streaming video as well as control any moving Pan/Tilt/Zoom style cameras right from your Android, iPhone, BlackBerry or Windows Mobile phones.
All of our cameras, with the exception of several covert use cameras are wired style. Wireless cameras are NOT recommended for any permanent security camera installation for home or business. Wireless cameras have several flaws which make them a poor choice for any security camera installation: Wireless cameras are not secure, Wireless cameras still require power, Wireless cameras operate on crowded frequency bands, Wireless transmission can be affected by many different electronic devices.
Wireless cameras are NOT Secure
Wireless cameras transmit unsecured raw video over wireless frequencies. Due to this fact, inexpensive wireless receivers could be used to tap in to the frequency, so someone outside of your home or business could access your cameras without ever setting foot in the building. With a wireless camera, someone else could be watching your cameras, and you would never know. This is unacceptable for a surveillance solution for your business or home, which is why we primarily recommend hard-wired cameras.
Wireless cameras still Require Power
If the point of your selecting a wireless camera is to prevent running wires from your camera to your DVR, then think again. Wireless cameras still require power in order for them to operate properly. So you will still have to run a power cord out to the camera. Yes, we know, there are some Battery operated wireless cameras on the market...we have tested them already. The battery usually lasts from 1-4 hours under normal use, so you would have to change the battery frequently, just for the camera to continue working...once again, not a good solution for a surveillance system, as it reintroduces the "human factor" into the equation. If you forget to change a battery, then your camera no longer works.
Wireless cameras Operate on Crowded Frequency Bands
The frequencies employed by the wireless cameras that are on the market are 2.4 Ghz frequency bands. These numbers probably sound familiar to you...because they are in use by MANY wireless devices, such as Cordless Phones, Wirelss Internet Connections, Wireless Routers, etc. If you try to transmit video from a camera over a frequency band that is in use by another device, you will find that not only will the other device be blocked from operation (ie. cordless phone stops working, wireless internet connection goes down, etc). But also your video signal will suffer dramatically...with spin wheels across the screen, black and white picture instead of color, wavy lines across the screen, or even just plain static.
Wireless cameras can be affected by many electronic devices
Wireless video transmission from a camera to a receiver can be affected by many ordinary electronic devices, such as refridgerators, freezers, air conditioning units, flourescent lighting, neon lighting, and any other high-load electrical devices. These devices can create an elecro-magnetic field that can scramble the transmission of video. This makes it very difficult to try to get a wireless camera to have even close to as good of a picture as the wired style CCTV Camera do. Along the same lines, a thief with barely any knowledge about electronics at all, can flood the crowded frequency bands, and shut down your cameras, without ever being seen, by simply using a wireless frequency signal jammer...which operates on almost the same principle.
Yes all of our systems have the option to view your cameras over the internet. Many of the variations between types of systems will offer different internet remote viewing options, outlined below.
Viewing cameras over the internet using a Web Browser
With this type of remote viewing, you can view your cameras via your internet browser and typing in the address of your NVR or Standalone DVR. With this type of remote viewing, you can connect in using almost any PC from anywhere in the world. Both our NVRs / DVRs offer this remote viewing capability, and are password protected, so that only you can view your cameras.
Viewing cameras using a Tablet or Mobile Phone
All of our Systems allow for mobile Phone and or Tablet Remote Viewing. This allows you to connect securely into your camera system from anywhere in the world to view live cameras right on your Phone.
An AC current that can be produced in a cable. This is usually caused by parts of the system being fed from different electrical sources resulting in different earth potentials at each end. The result is interference on the signal, usually in the form of dark bands across the monitor and on occasion tearing in the top third of the image.