CCTV Evolution

Cameras have been a common fixture in shops, pubs, car parks, football grounds and other public places for years. Now, thanks to easier installation and falling prices, it’s becoming an increasingly popular choice for security-conscious home & business owners.

CCTV provides you with 24-hour surveillance that acts as a deterrent and peace of mind. If there is an attempted break-in or damage occurs around your property, you will have video footage to show the police, often resulting in a swift arrest.

At Town & Country Security Systems we have many years experience installing all types of CCTV systems for Domestic and Commercial situations.

All Camera types can be installed from discreet pin hole cameras hidden in objects and ceilings, mini internal dome cameras, external Vandal proof Dome & full size PTZ (Pan, Tilt & Zoom) manually operated or automatic tracking cameras. All of the above can be connected to a customers existing Internet connection for remote access via a PC, Laptop, Smart Phone or Tablet.

The latest IP Cameras offer People counting, thermal heat testing, mask wearing detection & facial recognition, we can also provide sanitiser stands and any kind of covid-19 signage for your premises via our partners at KM Signs, call us for more information.

CCTV Cameras
Whatever your application, whether it be a single home camera monitoring the driveway, or a multi-camera commercial site, we can advise you on the most appropriate solution.
Smart technology Alarm Solutions
‘SMART remote viewing’ comes as standard on all our systems, giving you the flexibility to view your CCTV system locally or from any computer, smart phone or tablet device with a 3G/4G or Wi-Fi connection – Please ask for more details.

CCTV Evolution

Cameras have been a common fixture in shops, pubs, car parks, football grounds and other public places for years. Now, thanks to easier installation and falling prices, it’s becoming an increasingly popular choice for security-conscious home & business owners.

CCTV provides you with 24-hour surveillance that acts as a deterrent and peace of mind. If there is an attempted break-in or damage occurs around your property, you will have video footage to show the police, often resulting in a swift arrest.

At Town & Country Security Systems we have many years experience installing all types of CCTV systems for Domestic and Commercial situations.

All Camera types can be installed from discreet pin hole cameras hidden in objects and ceilings, mini internal dome cameras, external Vandal proof Dome & full size PTZ (Pan, Tilt & Zoom) manually operated or automatic tracking cameras. All of the above can be connected to a customers existing Internet connection for remote access via a PC, Laptop, Smart Phone or Tablet.

The latest IP Cameras offer People counting, thermal heat testing, mask wearing detection & facial recognition, we can also provide sanitiser stands and any kind of covid-19 signage for your premises via our partners at KM Signs, call us for more information.

CCTV Cameras
Whatever your application, whether it be a single home camera monitoring the driveway, or a multi-camera commercial site, we can advise you on the most appropriate solution.
Smart technology Alarm Solutions
‘SMART remote viewing’ comes as standard on all our systems, giving you the flexibility to view your CCTV system locally or from any computer, smart phone or tablet device with a 3G/4G or Wi-Fi connection – Please ask for more details.

IP (Megapixel) or Analogue (Coax)

If you’re thinking about installing a new CCTV system, then you need to decide between an IP (megapixel) or analog (coax) video format. Here is some information that will help you make that choice.

What is an analog video security system?

Cameras on an analog CCTV system send their video in the traditional base band format over coax or UTP cabling back to a digital video recorder (DVR). Here, video is digitized and stored on hard drives. Most modern DVRs are a network device, and as such can be accessed locally on the customers PC or with the proper configuration, from a Smart phone/Tablet or the internet. There are no tapes to change. Video is kept on hard drives and live and recorded video is still available over the network.

What is an IP video security system?

IP video cameras transmit their video as a digital stream over an IP network. Like an analog system, video is recorded on hard drives, but since the video is an IP stream straight from the camera, there is more flexibility as to how and where that video is recorded. The DVR is replaced with an NVR (network video recorder), which in some cases is just software since it doesn’t need to convert analog to digital. Video footage can then be stored on new or existing network RAID drives as directed by the NVR software.

Why Choose an Analog System?

Large file sizes, limitations to the bandwidth, viruses or too many devices trying to use the network (congestion) are just some of the challenges facing the installation and ongoing maintenance of an IP system.

Low Light conditions; The CMOS image sensors normally used in IP cameras deliver great megapixel resolution but do not handle low light very well. Some IP cameras will produce a grainy picture at low light (which also uses up bandwidth and storage space because it is interpreted as motion). Many analogue cameras use a CCD image sensor which has much better low light performance.

IP video security systems are generally more expensive, but because the systems are designed differently from the ground up, there are situations where the cost difference between analog and IP video is minimal, and even scenarios where IP video is cheaper.

Why Choose an IP System?

Resolution, Resolution, Resolution!

The biggest advantage with an IP CCTV system is much higher resolution pictures. Today IP cameras range from 1.3 megapixels to 8 megapixels and this resolution is retained by the NVR. That means you will see the same level of detail when you play back your recorded footage and take stills from it. An analogue CCTV system can produce a maximum of a 700 TVL which is equivalent to around 0.4 megapixel.

Older technology DVRs record in CIF giving around a quarter of the detail you get from a typical non HD TV. Today’s DVRs record in D1 which gives about the same level of detail as that same non HD TV. To get resolution that is similar to a HD (high definition) TV you need a megapixel IP camera system.

Will a higher megapixel camera always deliver a better picture?

No, other factors come into choosing the correct camera for any given situation. There is no doubt that an IP or network CCTV system will give a much higher resolution picture with better detail than a standard analogue system and many businesses and homes with existing analogue systems are choosing to upgrade to megapixel IP.

Summary

IP Video will almost always be more expensive, but the availability of much higher resolution recorded images and ease of expansion makes it a much more powerful system. The ability to digitally zoom in on recorded video makes identification of suspects much more likely.

Analogue systems are reliable and offer good value for money. Plus specialised analogue cameras can offer advantages over IP in certain environments. With many factors to consider when choosing a CCTV system we recommend you talk to one of our CCTV experts who will come out and offer a free, no obligation survey of your property and discuss your exact requirements.