CCTV Cable Lengths & Cuts: Crimpin’ Ain’t Easy
Filed under: Beginning CCTV, Cables, CCTV Articles, CCTV Camera, General Technology, Guides, Security Camera, Security Camera System
Most surveillance systems are wired, and therefore use a lot of CCTV cabling. Whether you’re using RG59 coax or UTP wiring, there are a couple of notes to keep in mind when building your system and selecting CCTV cable.
When purchasing CCTV cable for your surveillance system, you need to know your required lengths; for example: how far it is from your camera to your DVR? Once you figure out the length, you have a couple options: you can either purchase a pre-made cable that is already cut and ready at a specific length, or you can get a custom cable made.
If you buy a pre-made cable, you’ll want to purchase one that’s at least 1 or 2 feet longer than needed. The reasoning is that it’s best to avoid having a cable with a lot of tension in it, as it will put stress on the connectors and the cable itself. You also don’t want the cable to be too much longer than your run, because it will sit coiled up next to your DVR and potentially cause interference within your surveillance system.
If you can’t find a pre-made CCTV cable that fits within these parameters, you may consider getting a cable length cut by an expert. You can either get a trained professional to cut and crimp the cable for your system, or you can order the cable length and connectors, and attempt it yourself.
If you plan to do it yourself, you need to be absolutely sure you know what you’re doing; if you mess up the connection even slightly, you may end up with a bad connection with lower quality output or no output whatsoever. Furthermore, if you mess up the crimp, you will end up having to cut it off and start again, which means you’ll ultimately have less cable to work with. If you have any doubt about your crimping ability, it would be a wiser choice to pay the couple extra bucks and get a cable specifically made for your CCTV system.
Remember to also pay attention your camera’s cable type. As with knowing the required cable length, knowing the type of cable and connections required is a necessity. Since video signals will start to degrade after certain long distances, different cable types are available to remedy signal quality for long runs.
Knowing your cable requirements is one of the most important steps in CCTV installation. Remember to check out our helpful CCTV video tutorials if you’re approaching this from a DIY standpoint.
Shedding Some Light on Infrared Illumination
Filed under: CCTV Articles, CCTV Camera, General Technology, IP Cameras, Security Camera
Let’s talk a little bit about infrared (IR) lighting. When confronted with low to no-light situations, infrared cameras are the common go-to for a quick and easy fix. But peel the layers of the onion back, and understanding camera sensors and infrared lighting becomes a much more complex matter.
Camera sensors are made up of two main materials: germanium and silicon – the material used will factor how the lens will react to light. An interesting note – many of the sensors which CCTV cameras use are actually manufactured by camcorder makers. Camcorder makers invest a good deal of time and money to develop a sensor that operates within the spectrum of light that our eyes can see. The human eye can see light in the approximate wavelength spectrum of 380nm to 760nm. Infrared light is considered any light wave length above 715nm. This leaves approximately 45nm of IR light spectrum we can see, which is why you can see a red glow around the lens at night.
One interesting thing to note about camera sensors is that all sensors are monochrome (use the grey scale, or are in black and white). Color is achieved by inserting a red, blue, and green filter in front of the sensors. These filters lead to a drop in resolution and quality in image over the monochrome image. Also, with the filters in place, the camera cannot view IR lights. Despite this, there are dual-mode cameras that can do both color and monochrome. When the light sensor detects the light dropping below a certain lux, the camera will remove the filters and turn on the IR lights. The image will go from color to black and white.
Despite other technological advancements in night vision, like Sense-up, infrared lighting remains king when you need to see in the dark.
Three Simple Ways to Clean a Camera Lens
Filed under: CCTV Camera, General Technology, Guides, Security Camera, Tips n Tricks
Dust, rain, and bugs can have a great impact on the quality of your camera’s picture, but with the following easy tips, you can keep the image quality looking great throughout the life of your security camera.
- Distilled Water – Put some distilled water into a squeeze bottle with small tip. You’ll want to gently apply some water droplets, then blot gently with lens tissue or another clean, lint-free, scratch-free material.
- Baby Shampoo – A mild surfactant like Johnson’s baby shampoo (diluted with water) lightly applied to the glass and blotted dry is a great way to remove dust, spider webs, and oil compounds from areas that create steam from oil based foods.
- Hot Air – By using a hair dryer to a dry lens you are heating up the glass to a point where the molecules are now looser and easier to remove. The reason why waxing a car is such a chore is the effort needed to create heat by rubbing the surface to warm up the compounds so they can be removed. A simple hair dryer to a lint free cloth can do the trick for minor cleaning needs.
If You Liked It Then You Shoulda Put a Box On It
Filed under: CCTV Camera, General Technology, Security Camera, Security Camera Packages, Security DVR
Why would you buy a $1,500 camera system to monitor your home or business and not protect the recording device? If you have a DVR in your convenience store and you’re are either robbed or become a victim of internal theft, you know they’re going to take that DVR off the wall and throw it in the nearest trash can. All your data is gone – all that surveillance is only as good as the hard drive you stored it in. For a mere $100 you can secure your data in a lockable, fire proof and cricket proof safe designed for electronic equipment.
DVR lock boxes usually come in black but with a can of paint, you can make anything happen. The ability to hide your data is also made easier with a with side screws to mount the box up above the ceiling (typical for commercial use) or even in a closet (for home use). When you make the investment to buy a survillance system, make it a necessity to include a DVR lockbox as part of your purchase to keep your footage safe.
The Ever-Changing Face of the CCTV Industry
Filed under: CCTV Articles, General Technology, IP Cameras, Security Camera, Security Camera System
It’s been said that the CCTV industry has changed more in the last couple years than in the past decade. The main reason for this is the invasion of new technology. This can mainly be viewed as the changes occurring within security DVRs (digital video recorders) and security cameras. It is estimated that the CCTV industry was at 1.3 billion in revenue growth in the early 2000s, and this number has skyrocketed over the past few years. With the rising demand for remote access, higher resolution, and stronger connectivity overall, the face of the CCTV industry will continue to change.
Let’s take a look at security DVRs. Back in the day, they were limited to what they could do for the end user. The storage was decent but not so great for secondary purposes. Also, if you were not at the place of business where your DVR was located, you were sure to miss something. Now you can pretty much have it all, thanks to a jump in technical advancements. Standalone DVRs now allow you to have real-time viewing and on-the-fly recording. Standalone DVRs are also a better choice for applications that do not require as much scalability, and they’re ultimately more cost-effective. A single standalone DVRs can allow remote viewing via any PC, Android device, or iPhone. Also, secondary storage can easily be covered with the addition of USB and DVD burners. Some dealers are even offering standalones with Mac clients that will allow you to use your Mac PC /products as well.
PC-based DVRs are sometimes referred to as hybrid systems, as they allow you to utilize both analog cameras and IP cameras. This is a big plus for an end user who is looking for a large system with lots of flexibility. NVRs are compared to DVRs because they are similar, but they support only IP cameras. Within all these systems, technology is also enhancing analytics. Analytics is the application of computer technology, operational research, and statistics to solve problems in business and industry. A practical definition, however, would be that analytics is the process of obtaining an optimal or realistic decision based on existing data. Some examples of analytics include object detection, real-time alarm on missing objects, object tracking & zooming by PTZ cameras, and object counter.
Security cameras can’t hide from the invasion of technology either. Analog cameras are experiencing a major transformation right before our eyes. With so many options for analog cameras these days, it really just comes down to which one has the best technology. Let take a look at the image processing chips (CCD, CMOS). Some analog cameras come with the new Sony Effio technology on their CCD chips. “Effio” means enhanced features and fine image processor, and it is a Sony signal processor which realizes high resolution, high S/N ratio and high color reproduction for security cameras. As for night vision technology, we no longer have to rely on LEDs, thanks to Sense-up technology. The main purpose of Sense-up is to provide a camera technology that does not rely on artificial light to see in very low light conditions. This means that cameras with Sense-up are capable of seeing in near total darkness while retaining full color images. Security cameras equipped with this technology use an adjustable electronic shutter to vary the amount of light that enters the camera. IP cameras can be used on a small scale as their own security network and come with their own recording software. Technology has now taken IP cameras to 5 megapixels and above. And it is always a bonus to have a camera with two-way audio, a feature that many IP cameras now include by default.
In conclusion, technology is going take the CCTV industry to places never seen before and it will continue to change, thus making the CCTV world a recession-proof industry. So much excitement will continue to grow for integrators, installers, and of course, the end user. I know that my anticipation has grown to see what is going to be the next wave of CCTV products and services. So sit back and keep your eyes open and adjusted to the ever-changing face of the CCTV industry.
CCTV Camera Self-Installation Tips
Filed under: Beginning CCTV, CCTV Camera, General Technology, Guides, Security Camera, Security Camera System
In the market for a new surveillance system? Here are some quick tips to keep in mind when looking to install a new CCTV setup:
- When selecting a power supply unit that powers up several cameras from one source, pick a unit that has the fuseless design. This will greatly decrease the possibility of having fuses go out and cause your cameras to not function correctly.
- Keep in mind if you want to be able to view your DVR and cameras over the web but are installing the system yourself, look for a company that offers network support over the phone so you don’t have to be charged a substantial amount to have someone come out and set it up for you.
- Ask your sales rep if they have any installation tools – when you are working with items that are classified within the security industry, sometimes you may run across special items that require special tools to work on them; otherwise, you could damage or break a device or cable by using the wrong tools.
- When trying to focus your cameras to see the area or object you want to monitor, it may be helpful to have a device that allows you to view the actual image the camera is seeing. This device is called a portable monitor – ask your rep if they carry any devices like this, as it can make installation an ease and get the task done correctly and considerably faster.
Understanding CCTV Cables
Filed under: Cables, CCTV Articles, General Technology, Guides, Networking
Today I want to go over the differences between the two most commonly used cables in the CCTV industry. It’s important to use the right cabling for the right application, because even with the perfect camera setup and perfect DVR – without the right cabling, you’re hosed.
The first type of cable that I’m going to discuss is Cat5 cabling. Cat5 consists of 4 twisted pairs of cable for carrying signals. Two of the twisted pairs can be used for power, and the other two for video. It is also used to carry other signals such as telephony and video. Most Category 5 cables are unshielded, relying on the twisted pair design and differential signaling for noise rejection. Using a video balun, you can use Cat5 for none IP analog cameras. Naturally Cat5 is used for IP cameras, but as you can see, it is very versatile. Cat5 is great for hybrid IP/non IP systems simply because it gives you the option to convert your non-IP cameras to IP when you choose to do so. However, the one down side to Cat5 is the distance you can run the cable. Cat5 is only allowed to go up to 300ft. Using a POE switch will extend your runs, but without that, you’ll be limited.
The next cabling that I want to discuss is Coax or Siamese Cabling. This is still the most popular type of cabling that is being run, but its usage is slowing down. The Siamese Cable is strictly used for non-IP analog cameras. As you can see on the image below, there are two ends, hence the name Siamese Cable. Another common name in the industry for this cable is RG-59. One side of the cable is used for video that will run back to the DVR. On the other side are the positive and negative ends for power that will go to your power supply. The cable can support runs that can go up to 700ft without any extenders. The ease of use, quality, and flexibility it gives you makes this a very common choice among installers. The Coax cable comes in a spool, or you can get it precut as well. Precut options are better for your average residential DIY project. However, if you’re looking to add multiple cameras with long runs, then a spool is going to be the route you want to go.
All in all, each cable will bring different things to the table. What’s most important is that you do research on your project and find out which cable is for you! Remember, not all cables are created equally!
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