Home surveillance cameras

You don’t need to invest a lot of money in video cameras – most home CCTV configurations can use any type of camera. The standard home surveillance cameras are “bullet cams” and “mini dome cams.”

These cameras, roughly the size of a baseball or a can of shaving cream, cost about $100 apiece. Their small size helps them blend in with the décor of your home, but they are still visible enough to help deter intruders. For covert surveillance, pinhole cameras are easy to hide in everyday objects around your home but still offer quality recordings.

If you need to install a camera in a dimly lit area, you can spend a little bit more on CCTV cameras with infrared (IR) emitters that offer “night vision.” The IR light source on or around the camera lens will allow you to view and record images in the dark that the human eye can’t see.

Surveillance camera specifics

There are many technical terms and specifications that dealers may mention. Gaining a general understanding of these terms now will make it easier to talk shop with vendors when you meet with them.

Camera formats are measured in inches: most surveillance cameras fall between 1/4" and 1". This refers to the usable image size created inside the camera. For most security use, a small size is fine – 1/4" or 1/3" cameras dominate CCTV sales. Larger formats do not necessarily result in better images, but can be advantageous in dimly lit situations.

Many newer surveillance cameras use digital signal processing (DSP) to convert the analog video stream to digital information, improving picture quality and adding functionality. The DSP circuit in a camera can have a very large effect on the quality of the images.