Surveillance system monitors

Selecting a monitor for your surveillance system is a relatively minor decision, but there are a couple of important points to keep in mind.

First, make sure to purchase a monitor specially to handle the type of use it will receive. Televisions are not good monitors, since TVs are built to be on for a few hours per day, not the 8 to 24 hours per day they will endure. In some cases, computer monitors do make acceptable substitutes. Flat-panel LCD screens make great surveillance system monitors because they take up little space, have excellent resolution, and generate less heat than regular monitors.

As discussed earlier, make sure your monitor resolution matches your cameras. Buy a monitor with lower resolution and your camera’s capabilities will not come through; buy one with higher resolution and you are throwing money away. And of course, make sure you buy color monitors if you opt for color cameras as part of your surveillance system.

Also consider the size: a 9” monitor may be sufficient if the operator is sitting directly in front of it, but a 15” monitor is the smallest you should choose if you plan to combine images from multiple cameras onto one monitor. Merging multiple images onto one screen can be an effective way to save space, and appropriate if there is a dedicated employee who has the ability to zoom in on suspicious activity.