Digital / IP Security cameras
A digital network video surveillance system offers you a number of improvements over traditional Close Circuit Television (CCTV) video systems, like superior image quality and a large variety of built-in superior features such as scheduling, motion detection, multiple streams and more.
The major disadvantage and possibly deciding factor is cost. We will try and weigh the Advantages here over the traditional Analogue cameras.
Advantages
- High resolution and pixel perfect image quality
- Adjustable picture quality
- No electrical noise problems (electric spike and electronic interference)
- Adjustable quality with multiple streams for PC or real-time mobile viewing (through the Internet)
- Record footage to a PC, DVR or on to an onboard memory card
- Rich features such as
- scheduling
- controlling the Infra-red night vision
- motion detection
- multiple streams for PC and mobile viewing and digital recording
- Wireless IP cameras gives you the freedom to install the camera anywhere without complex wiring.
Disadvantages
- More expensive than analogue cameras
- A network is required for wired cameras (hub, routers or ADSL modem with various ports).
- The optional Power over Ethernet feature reduces the number of cables to the camera, but requires a POE hub or POE injector.
Analogue cameras
Advantages
- A wide variety of replacements are available
- Cheaper than network cameras
- Good infra-red night vision from most analogue cameras
- DVR Bundles are great value for money
- The image can be viewed on a PC or mobile device using a DVR device
- A network is not required and a television set or computer monitor connects directly to the DVR device
Disadvantages
- Lower resolution images compared to Megapixel IP cameras may lack definition
- High resolution cameras are still lower resolution than network cameras
- Requires a separate DVR to convert video to digital format for digital storage and for Internet viewing
Outdoor cameras IP rating
Outdoor cameras have an ingress protection (IP) rating.
This IP rating is not to be confused with Internet Protocol Cameras, which are digital network cameras.
This rating is an indication of how well the enclosure will protect the internal space and electronics against the following:
- Solid foreign objects of small sizes and dust
- Water drops, splashes, jets or submersion
The IP rating consists of two numbers (xy) and is indicated as follows: IPxy
The first digit (x) indicates foreign object and dust protection as follows:
- 0 No protection
- 1 foreign objects 50mm diameter or greater
- 2 foreign objects 12.5mm diameter or greater
- 3 foreign objects 2.5mm diameter or greater
- 4 foreign objects1 mm diameter or greater
- 5 Dust protected
- 6 Dust tight
The second digit (y) indicates water and moister protection as follows:
- 0 No protection against water
- 1 Vertical water drops falling
- 2 Vertical water drops falling when tilted at 15degrees
- 3 Water spray at an angle of up to 60degrees on either side
- 4 Water splashing from any direction
- 5 Water jets from any direction
- 6 Powerful water jets directed at the subject
- 7 Ingress of water when submerged in water under standard pressure and time (temporary immersion in water)
- 8 Ingress of water when submerged in water under longer periods of time (continuous immersion in water)
- 9 Water at high pressure and temperature from any direction
Example of protection for an IP camera:
- IP65, dust-tight and can tolerate water jets from any direction
- IP66, dust-tight and can tolerate high pressure water jets from any direction
- IP67, dust-tight and can be submerged in water temporarily
How to correctly protect your camera to adhere to the IP rating
In order for the camera to comply with its IP rating, you will need to follow the instructions in the manual to ensure that it has been sealed correctly.
- All washers (rubber, metal and plastic) needs to be installed in the correct positions
- All sealing rings needs to be in their correct places
- All screws and clips needs to be in place and tightened correctly
- If a seal or ring is compromised, you may replace the seal or ring, and you can use a quality silicon sealer, or preferably a hybrid polymer sealer if the rubber seal is not replaceable
The risk of lightning damage
Outdoor cameras are at risk of being damaged by a lightning strike. The power surge will travel through network and power cable, and will cause extensive damage to network devices connected to each other through those cables (all devices connected to a single router will be affected, including the NVR, other cameras, and other network routers connected to it).
It is good practice not to wire a security network to other network devices (such as servers, or other routers), but to use optical fiber, or a wireless connection to connect between the main network and security network.
To reduce the risk of lightning damage, a surge protector on both ends of the network cable is recommended. Surge protectors on power plugs are also recommended.
When installing a camera on a steel structures, such as under a carport or onto a metal pipe, a plastic box, such as a junction box, is recommended between the metal structure and the camera. This will reduce the risk of the the camera being used as a path to earth for the strike.
Vandal proof cameras
Vandal-proof cameras are designed with heavy-duty housings and an anti-ligature and no-grip design.
This makes it difficult for vandals to tamper with and damage the cameras.
The cameras will need to be installed correctly to prevent them from being compromised (such as placing the camera fully flat on surfaces).
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