Five More Common Mistakes in Security Camera System Design
This article provides an additional 5 common mistakes that people make when designing security camera systems. It also provides solutions to help avoid the mistakes.
1. Buying cheap equipment
There is plenty of poorly made equipment on the cctv accessories market these days. We know this because we reject 90% of the manufacturer samples that come across our test bench. If you buy the cheapest equipment on the market you are more likely to have these kinds of problems:
Equipment that doesn't work out of the box
Cameras that work for a while then stop
Cheap brackets and connections that won't hold up
Outdoor cameras that leak
Infrared that is ineffective
Poor image quality
Missing features on your DVR
DVR software that is buggy and incomplete
Some of the big box stores are now offering "complete" cctv accessories setups. However, these systems are usually not very good quality and they are not designed to your requirements. The other problem with these pre-packaged systems is that they often have proprietary connections so you cannot mix and match components from other manufacturers. Furthermore, if you have a problem or question about the product they are not likely to have the expertise to help you.
Solution: Buy from a reputable company that specializes in CCTV. Look for reviews and references that indicate that the products are good quality. The sales staff should know their product and be able to help you design a system that suits your application. Look for good support, warranty and return policy. Make sure that the cameras and DVRs all have BNC (Bayonet Neill-Concelman) type connections for the video.
2. Using oneBOX camera to cover too large an area
BOX (pan / tilt / zoom) cameras are great because they allow you to remotely move the camera up-and-down and side-to-side and to adjust the focus (zoom) in and out. So theoretically you can cover a lot of area with one BOX camera. However, unless the BOX camera is being monitored by a human it will only be focused on one area at a time just like any other camera. We often get reports of incidents not being recorded because it happened outside the current view of the PTZ even though it was within the PTZs viewing range.
Solution: Unless you have a human actively monitoring and adjusting the BOX do not use them to cover a wide area. Instead use multiple cameras to cover the area effectively. The good news is that you can usually purchase several non-BOX cameras for the cost of one BOX.
3. Not having enough bandwidth to view cameras remotely
In order to view your cameras remotely you must connect your DVR to a network and set it up to broadcast to the Internet. The trouble is that homeowners often do not have the internet upload speed to support real-time viewing remotely. Businesses don't have as much trouble with this because commercial Internet service is usually faster. Typical commercial Internet speeds are 12 mbps (megabit per second) download and 5 mbps upload. For residential sites, it's often closer to 3 mbps download and 0.5 mbps upload. That's 1/10 of the typical upload speed than you are used to seeing on commercial sites.
Solution: If you want to view your cameras remotely over the Internet or on your phone, make sure you arrange with your Internet Service Provider to get at least 1 Mbps upload speed.
4. Using an analog "wireless" camera system
The name "wireless security system" is somewhat misleading because although you don't need wires to transmit the video you still need wires to power all of the components. So, wireless systems do not solve all of your cabling dilemmas. There are two types of wireless technologies: analog and digital. Because the government regulates which frequencies analog wireless devices can run on and how strong the signal can be, interference is a very common problem. Other wireless devices such as cell phones and microwave ovens can cause the video to be unsteady, distorted, and noisy. Analog wireless transmission also does not have any wireless camera system of the video data - so anyone with a receiver in range utilizing the same frequency can view and record your camera's video.
Solution: Use a hard-wired analog wireless camera system or a digital wireless camera system.
5. DVR does not allow adequate number of remote viewers
DVR software will often limit the number of users that can remotely view the camera system at one time. This can present a problem for schools, day care centers and other businesses that are marketing this capability as one of their assets. In addition, bandwidth needs to be considered in these situations as well. The more people that you have connected remotely - the more bandwidth that will be used on your network.
Solution: If allowing multiple people to view the cameras remotely at one time is an important requirement, then you must double check for any limitations in the DVR software. One trick to address the bandwidth issue is to set up your router to disconnect any users that are connected to the DVRs IP address for more than a specified number of minutes. For example, if a person views the camera system remotely on their computer and then leaves the screen open, the router will automatically disconnect them after 15 minutes (or whatever time limit is appropriate).
One very interesting note about these two sensors chips: Both chips are inherently sensitive to IR radiation of the near InfraRed spectrum. The potential for this incidental characteristic is enormous.
True day/night cameras use the available IR radiation that is present to produce their video image. They use very sensitive photo sensors. During the day time or in places where there is visible light, they utilize an IR cut filter that is mechanically moved in front of the sensor to prevent excess IR radiation from striking the sensor. These usually produce color images. Excess IR can result in poor video image quality for these sensors.
A night vision IR camera uses IR Illuminators to "light up" the images in its FOV. Most cameras use an array of IR light emitting diodes or LEDs. They produce IR "light" that the sensor readily detects but that our human eyes can't see.
This offers a great advantage in that an area can be "flooded" with IR "light" but we would never know it because our eyes cannot see this type of light.
Generally speaking, the more LED's the Better the IR video Image. However, due to camera size constraints, only so many IR LEDs can be packed around the camera's lens. Therefore, if additional or stronger IR light is used, the further the camera can "see" and the better the quality of the video image. This cam be easily accomplished by using additional IR Illuminators.
There are many types of IR Illuminators. Frequently, these are used outdoors to extend the range of IR cameras, but the can be used indoors as well. Generally speaking, the more IR LEDs the longer the range and the better quality of the video.
One particularly nice benefit of using IR Illuminators is that the LEDs create adequate light at a fraction of the cost of regular, visible light yielding light bulbs. Security Camera King offers many IR cameras and IR illuminators (sold Separately) on our Web catalog. These include Product# OIL-60IR100 which has a 100 foot IR range, Product# OIL-40IR300 which has a 300 foot IR range, and Product# HAWK-4IR which has a 250 foot IR range. The first two mentioned above operate on 12VDC while the third illuminator is a dual voltage (it can use 12VDC or 24VAC)
This also is a good time to discuss range. Remember that each IR camera type has a range. The range is the distance the camera can "see" in the dark. Actually, the range is more specifically a function of the number and size of the IR LEDs used.
At any rate, always make sure you know what the IR range of a camera is before purchasing it. Measure and determine the actual footage of coverage that you will need before purchasing the illuminator. If the camera's range falls short of your measured range, it may be time to consider purchasing an IR illuminator to extend your available range and increase the "flood" of light in your cameras fov.
1. Buying cheap equipment
There is plenty of poorly made equipment on the cctv accessories market these days. We know this because we reject 90% of the manufacturer samples that come across our test bench. If you buy the cheapest equipment on the market you are more likely to have these kinds of problems:
Equipment that doesn't work out of the box
Cameras that work for a while then stop
Cheap brackets and connections that won't hold up
Outdoor cameras that leak
Infrared that is ineffective
Poor image quality
Missing features on your DVR
DVR software that is buggy and incomplete
Some of the big box stores are now offering "complete" cctv accessories setups. However, these systems are usually not very good quality and they are not designed to your requirements. The other problem with these pre-packaged systems is that they often have proprietary connections so you cannot mix and match components from other manufacturers. Furthermore, if you have a problem or question about the product they are not likely to have the expertise to help you.
Solution: Buy from a reputable company that specializes in CCTV. Look for reviews and references that indicate that the products are good quality. The sales staff should know their product and be able to help you design a system that suits your application. Look for good support, warranty and return policy. Make sure that the cameras and DVRs all have BNC (Bayonet Neill-Concelman) type connections for the video.
2. Using oneBOX camera to cover too large an area
BOX (pan / tilt / zoom) cameras are great because they allow you to remotely move the camera up-and-down and side-to-side and to adjust the focus (zoom) in and out. So theoretically you can cover a lot of area with one BOX camera. However, unless the BOX camera is being monitored by a human it will only be focused on one area at a time just like any other camera. We often get reports of incidents not being recorded because it happened outside the current view of the PTZ even though it was within the PTZs viewing range.
Solution: Unless you have a human actively monitoring and adjusting the BOX do not use them to cover a wide area. Instead use multiple cameras to cover the area effectively. The good news is that you can usually purchase several non-BOX cameras for the cost of one BOX.
3. Not having enough bandwidth to view cameras remotely
In order to view your cameras remotely you must connect your DVR to a network and set it up to broadcast to the Internet. The trouble is that homeowners often do not have the internet upload speed to support real-time viewing remotely. Businesses don't have as much trouble with this because commercial Internet service is usually faster. Typical commercial Internet speeds are 12 mbps (megabit per second) download and 5 mbps upload. For residential sites, it's often closer to 3 mbps download and 0.5 mbps upload. That's 1/10 of the typical upload speed than you are used to seeing on commercial sites.
Solution: If you want to view your cameras remotely over the Internet or on your phone, make sure you arrange with your Internet Service Provider to get at least 1 Mbps upload speed.
4. Using an analog "wireless" camera system
The name "wireless security system" is somewhat misleading because although you don't need wires to transmit the video you still need wires to power all of the components. So, wireless systems do not solve all of your cabling dilemmas. There are two types of wireless technologies: analog and digital. Because the government regulates which frequencies analog wireless devices can run on and how strong the signal can be, interference is a very common problem. Other wireless devices such as cell phones and microwave ovens can cause the video to be unsteady, distorted, and noisy. Analog wireless transmission also does not have any wireless camera system of the video data - so anyone with a receiver in range utilizing the same frequency can view and record your camera's video.
Solution: Use a hard-wired analog wireless camera system or a digital wireless camera system.
5. DVR does not allow adequate number of remote viewers
DVR software will often limit the number of users that can remotely view the camera system at one time. This can present a problem for schools, day care centers and other businesses that are marketing this capability as one of their assets. In addition, bandwidth needs to be considered in these situations as well. The more people that you have connected remotely - the more bandwidth that will be used on your network.
Solution: If allowing multiple people to view the cameras remotely at one time is an important requirement, then you must double check for any limitations in the DVR software. One trick to address the bandwidth issue is to set up your router to disconnect any users that are connected to the DVRs IP address for more than a specified number of minutes. For example, if a person views the camera system remotely on their computer and then leaves the screen open, the router will automatically disconnect them after 15 minutes (or whatever time limit is appropriate).
One very interesting note about these two sensors chips: Both chips are inherently sensitive to IR radiation of the near InfraRed spectrum. The potential for this incidental characteristic is enormous.
True day/night cameras use the available IR radiation that is present to produce their video image. They use very sensitive photo sensors. During the day time or in places where there is visible light, they utilize an IR cut filter that is mechanically moved in front of the sensor to prevent excess IR radiation from striking the sensor. These usually produce color images. Excess IR can result in poor video image quality for these sensors.
A night vision IR camera uses IR Illuminators to "light up" the images in its FOV. Most cameras use an array of IR light emitting diodes or LEDs. They produce IR "light" that the sensor readily detects but that our human eyes can't see.
This offers a great advantage in that an area can be "flooded" with IR "light" but we would never know it because our eyes cannot see this type of light.
Generally speaking, the more LED's the Better the IR video Image. However, due to camera size constraints, only so many IR LEDs can be packed around the camera's lens. Therefore, if additional or stronger IR light is used, the further the camera can "see" and the better the quality of the video image. This cam be easily accomplished by using additional IR Illuminators.
There are many types of IR Illuminators. Frequently, these are used outdoors to extend the range of IR cameras, but the can be used indoors as well. Generally speaking, the more IR LEDs the longer the range and the better quality of the video.
One particularly nice benefit of using IR Illuminators is that the LEDs create adequate light at a fraction of the cost of regular, visible light yielding light bulbs. Security Camera King offers many IR cameras and IR illuminators (sold Separately) on our Web catalog. These include Product# OIL-60IR100 which has a 100 foot IR range, Product# OIL-40IR300 which has a 300 foot IR range, and Product# HAWK-4IR which has a 250 foot IR range. The first two mentioned above operate on 12VDC while the third illuminator is a dual voltage (it can use 12VDC or 24VAC)
This also is a good time to discuss range. Remember that each IR camera type has a range. The range is the distance the camera can "see" in the dark. Actually, the range is more specifically a function of the number and size of the IR LEDs used.
At any rate, always make sure you know what the IR range of a camera is before purchasing it. Measure and determine the actual footage of coverage that you will need before purchasing the illuminator. If the camera's range falls short of your measured range, it may be time to consider purchasing an IR illuminator to extend your available range and increase the "flood" of light in your cameras fov.
Source...