Basic Components Of CCTV
BASIC COMPONENTS OF A CCTV SYSTEM
Analog CCTV systems are an affordable, reliable, and most of all effective option for a wide range of surveillance applications. CCTV systems are composed of a variety of components for viewing, recording, and archiving video footage that offer a wide range of surveillance benefits.
There are a wide variety of CCTV cameras and lenses including fixed models for monitoring specific locations, day/night cameras with IR cut filters, pan/tilt/zoom (PTZ) cameras for covering large areas, outdoor models with rugged protective housing and more. CCTV cameras are available with different levels of image quality as well. Standard CCTV cameras have a TVL resolution of around 420. High resolution CCTV cameras deliver images closer to 600-700 TVL
CCTV systems rely on a system of coaxial cables to transmit video footage from the analog cameras. The cables connect the surveillance cameras to a recording device such as a digital video recorder (DVR).
Digital Video Recorders (DVRs)
DVRs are a key component in any modern CCTV system. DVRs convert analog video to digital images, which extends storage capacity, makes it easier to search through archived video, and allows surveillance operators to stream video over a network for remote viewing from multiple locations.
Some CCTV systems also incorporate an additional external hard drive, which extends storage capacity even further. CCTV systems can range from basic 4-camera setups for small surveillance operations, to much larger configurations for applications that need many cameras monitoring a number of different locations.
To view video captured by the cameras, CCTV systems typically use monitors placed at a central location. The monitors are used much like a TV, but have higher lines of resolution for improved picture quality. Monitors can be dedicated to review video from a single camera, or they can be configured to access multiple cameras at one time.