Surveillance Camera

A surveillance camera can be either analogue or digital, which means that they work on the basis of sending analogue or digital signals to a storage device such as a video tape recorder or desktop computer or laptop computer.

Analogue Surveillance Camera: Can record straight to a video tape recorder. If the analogue signals are recorded to tape, then the tape must run at a very slow speed in order to operate continuously. To allow a 3 hour tape to run for 24 hours, it must be set to run at 4 frames a second approximately. Analogue signals can also be converted into a digital signal to enable the recordings to be stored on a PC, with the use of a video capture card in the computer. Another way to store a non-analogue media is through the use of a digital video recorder (DVR). Such a device is similar in functionality to a PC with a video capture card and appropriate video recording software. But unlike PCs, most DVRs designed for CCTV purposes are embedded devices that require less maintenance and simpler setup than a PC-based solution.

Digital Surveillance Camera: These cameras do not require a video capture card because they work using a digital signal which can be saved directly to a computer. Saving uncompressed digital recordings takes up an enormous amount of disk space, and a few hours of uncompressed video could quickly fill up a hard drive. Therefore motion detection is sometimes needed.

With today's technology wireless surveillance is also possible.

Do you really need a business security camera system? Find the answer in this article.

Don't understand some technical words? Visit our glossary of CCTV and surveillance camera terms.