Know your CCTV surveillance system



Shopping for shoes means you know want you want ? Brogues with a leather sole in black polished leather or English tan. You need an F fitting 6 > 11 shoe size. When the store clerk gives you the shoes, you get exactly what you need.

That should be the same with shopping for home surveillance. You should be ready with CCTV definitions to give out specs like you would order shoes because your security system should fit into your budget and specific needs. This is important. Surveillance gadgets are expensive items, and you can't end up buying an unsuitable system and cry over your purchase.

Where do you find these definitions?

Suppliers understanding your needs have online pages filled with CCTV definitions for your reference. You can bookmark this glossary or print it. Start getting acquainted with these and you'll find yourself an expert. You'll be giving advice to friends and family who are thinking of getting their own security system.

Using the video glossary is easy. Each glossary term has hyperlinks to all letters of the alphabet. You will see the 26 letters of the alphabet above the chart containing all the related words from A to Z. Click on the letter of the alphabet (A for Access Card) and you will be linked to a page for Access Card only, very easy.

What to look for when buying CCTV security

In your costume shop, you'll need real-time video. That will contain 24 or more frames per second so the image will appear continuous, no more gaps between actions. This is ideal for monitoring store activities.

If you travel a lot, you can still check on your store with the remote monitoring feature. The data from the camera is fed through the Ethernet or Internet. You'll have to bring your laptop along with you and anywhere as long as there is internet connection. It's amazing that despite the distance, the pictures will appear continuous and in real time.

In your absence, you can give your most trusted employee access to the system with an Access Card. These come in the size of credit cards, have magnetic strips. and are swiped for the device to read before any access is granted.

When going the rounds from security cameras, check your CCTV definitions for Angle of View. Ask the seller for the angular range of the camera for a particular image size. Always remember that when the focal length is small, the angle of view is wide.

Get the leverage from CCTV definitions

It's a liberating experience to learn CCTV speak. Study the glossary and pick out the features you'd want in your security system. The next step is looking around for different gadgets for home and office. The seller will be happy to oblige because he knows that you understand what you're looking for ? eliminating post purchase problems.

So get started with your CCTV definitions, and be surveillance technology savvy without the "pain".