The Ultimate Guide to CCTV Surveillance – When you think of it, cameras are almost synonymous with surveillance. The word “cameras” is often used interchangeably with “tracked cameras” to suggest that there’s something especially geeky about getting your hands on cameras yourself.
Visuals and audio recordings are no longer niche topics; now most people want to track the movements of people and things in order to protect their property. CCTV surveillance is one of the most popular uses for cameras today, and it has its own set of benefits—and drawbacks—over other methods. Here’s what you need to know about your options.
What is CCTV surveillance?
CCTV surveillance is a method to track and see what happens in your home. It uses cameras to see what your items are doing in the room, including probable cause for a crime, what rooms you’re using, and what’s going on in the other room. It’s ideal for monitoring significant events in your home, like your family’s activities.
CCTV cameras are usually concealed in walls, books, cabinets, or other similar structures, and they can be used year-round to monitor your entire home. There are models that can see as many as 100 cameras, and most have a zoom feature that lets you see in both front and backgrounds. These devices are often built with American consumer electronics like a TV tuner, card reader, laptop, or smartphone.
How to Set Up a Camera in Your Home
Before you get started, you’ll need to decide which room in the house you’d like the camera in. Most cameras use a unique identifier to uniquely identify the room, and we highly recommend getting that number from a professional photographer.
That number will allow you to identify each and every camera in your home and easily take it down for repairs or repair costs. A good rule of thumb is that if you’re going to invest a lot of money into a camera, make sure it’s worth it—and make sure it’s something you can actually see.
If you’re in the market for a home camera, we recommend getting one that’s easy to set up, is well hidden, and has low light capability. These are the best-selling home camera models on Amazon today.
Best CCTV Surveillance Devices
When it comes to choosing the best cameras for home use, there are a few things to keep in mind. There are plenty of home cameras on the market, so you’re likely to find one that meets or exceeds your needs.
There’s no point in spending $500 on a home camera that doesn’t do anything but watch your family and guests walk into it—that’s wasted money, and an extra headache to set up. In fact, you probably want a camera that does more than just observe—so you can actually do something about it!
Best Software to Monitor CCTV
If you want to be able to see what’s going on in the room and manage alerts from your home, you’ll want to look into which of your home automation devices you want to be monitored. There are a few popular controls available for most home automation devices, and you can easily add those as well.
For example, you can set up a room temperature monitor for your bedroom, a baby monitor for your home, and an outdoor weather buddy that you can call when something gets you concerned.
How to Use CCTV in the Real World
CCTV is best used in the real world, so make sure to get your camera connected to a Wi-Fi network and connected to a live feed. You can use the feed to see what’s happening in the room, and what’s going on in the neighborhood, and get alerts if something is out of the ordinary. CPR (CPR-T), breathing, first aid, and self-soothing are all activities you want to keep to yourself.
If you have to get out of bed at any point in your life, you want to be able to see what time it is and be able to set an alarm so you don’t miss any important details. You can also check out Remote Access, a technology that allows you to control your home camera in real-time, from a smartphone or computer, extending the life of old, clunky camcorders.
Related: How to Use CCTV Cameras for Home Security
CCTV surveillance is a method to track and see what happens in your home. It uses cameras to see what your items are doing in the room, including probable cause for a crime, what rooms you’re using, and what’s going on in the other room.
It’s ideal for monitoring significant events in your home, like your family’s activities. CCTV cameras are usually concealed in walls, books, cabinets, or other similar structures, and they can be used year-round to monitor your entire home.***
