Home CCTV systems are increasing in popularity throughout Melbourne. As more people consider installing cameras the technology is improving rapidly.

I’d like to discuss some of the “new normal’s in CCTV”. These are minmimum things you should expect from any system that you install.

1. IP Cameras

   If you have an old analog system and it would be hard to replace the wires (for example in a restaurant) then there are some decent analog upgrade options that are worth considering.

   But in all new installations you should definitely go with IP cameras done with Cat6 cabling.

   – Some of the advantages of IP over analog include:
   – Better resolution
   – Less variability in image quality due to interference
   – More secure (encrypted data)
   – Neater installation (less cables)
   – Versatility

   An IP system costs about 20 percent extra compared to analog but it’s definitely worth it; that’s why 95 percent of our installs these days are IP.

2. Minimum 6MP

   It wasn’t that long ago that 2MP was considered on the high end of what you could expect with CCTV. Now 6MP is the standard bearer. As it stands at the moment 6MP seems to be the type that best meets the cost benefit ratio (especialy for Dahua IP products).

   Anything 8MP or above is a fair jump in price for not much quality difference. Anything 4MP or below and you’re probably dealing with analog.

3. Audio

   Audio is an important feature that you should expect for you CCTV system. Good quality microphones don’t pick up too much wind noise and can clearly pick out voices.

4. Wide angle lens

   You want to have a nice wide view with each camera; it’s no good having a clear image if you miss things that fall just outside the camera’s field of view. A 110 degree of vision is considered wide angle. You want to make sure that the cameras you select have got enough field of vision for your application.

5. Minimum 1TB storage

   For smaller systems you definitely want to have at least 1TB storage. The more cameras, the more storage you’ll want. Basically you want to be able to view footage for at least a month.

What Features You Shouldn’t Be Concerned With

1. Pan, Tilt, Zoom (PTZ) Cameras

   It’s very rare that you’ll have a practical application for a PTZ camera. You’re not going to be hovering over your phone all day moving a camera around. What you need is a goood, wide angle, fixed lens camera that is constantly storing data that covers a wide area.

2. Advanced Analytics

   Things like face recognition, people counting, heat maps…may have a commercial security application but they are unnecessary expensive for most home and small to mid commercial premises

Further thoughts on:

1. Fully Wireless Systems

   In some homes where it is not possible to run wires a wireless setup can be a reasonable solution. We rarely do wireless systems but one decent one I’ve seen in action is the Arlo Pro 3. Seems to have fairly good quality image and audio. According to Arlo the battery life is about 4-6 months with about 5 minutes of motion acticated storage per day.

2. Intercoms

   These days intercoms can be used as a part of an overall CCTV setup. Dahua has an IP intercom that can be added to your recording system and can be used to record data as well as acting as a conventional intercom. Other well known IP intercoms include Ring and Doorbird. Both these devices can run on wifi though a wired connection is always preferred for speed. Ring and Doorbird have more advanced security features than Dahua and are constantly developing better sytems, though they rely heavily on internet speed.