First, consider what you want to monitor: General comings and goings? Vehicles passing by? Do you want to see facial features, clothing characteristics, or other details? Once you decide what you want to see, choosing CCTV components for your home becomes easier.
Next, decide what picture quality you need. Quality can refer to both how detailed the image is and how fast the frame rate is. Frame rate is simply a measure of how many individual pictures make up the video. “Full motion,” what you see on television and on VHS tapes, is 30 frames per second, or fps. Some CCTV systems record at slower rates, which result in more jerky-looking images but allow for longer recording.
You should also decide whether your priority is to deter potential crimes or to catch perpetrators. Both can be important, but your priority will influence your purchasing decisions.
If you are more interested in deterring vandalism or break-ins, a visible camera is your best bet. If you’re interested in watching a nanny or someone else without their knowledge, you’ll want hidden cameras instead. It’s a bit more expensive to install hidden cameras, and these also permit potential damage or theft while waiting for the police to review the recordings.
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The number of cameras you’ll need is based on your home’s square footage and the areas you want to watch. If you just want to monitor a baby’s room, for example, you’ll likely need just one camera. On the other hand, thorough coverage for a larger home will likely require four to six cameras.
Home surveillance system monitors
Monitors aren’t as necessary for home use as they are in business environments. Unless you need to watch surveillance footage live, you can usually just connect the cameras to your computer monitor or television to review recordings at your convenience.
Remote access
Some homeowners want to know what’s occurring on their property when they’re not at home. A residential CCTV vendor should be able to configure your home computer to provide remote access to your home surveillance system so you can see what’s going on inside and outside your house.
Enabling and recording audio
Consider if you need to record audio. There are a few companies that offer audio-enabled cameras, but your state may have specific laws preventing audio recording without consent. If audio is an important functionality for you, check with all federal, state, and municipal regulations first to see if it’s permissible where you live. It’s also a good idea to talk to an attorney to make sure you’re within your rights to record audio in your home.
