Types of CCTV Camera - What's Right For You?

Types_of_CCTV_CameraThere are hundreds of uses for CCTV surveillance cameras for both crime prevention and general monitoring purposes. There are basically 4 types of CCTV camera and, in order to maximise picture quality, it is essential that you choose the one that's right for you.

The key element in making this choice is lighting and listed below are the best options for every light condition. For other elements to be considered see our CCTV Camera Installation Tips.

  • Monochrome CCTV Cameras (Black and White)
    The original black and white CCTV camera format works best in locations where there is little light.
  • Colour CCTV Cameras
    Colour CCTV cameras are better for giving a clearer, more detailed picture in constantly well lit locations - therefore more suitable for internal use.
    If light conditions do change then there are two other options available to you:
  • Monochrome / Colour CCTV Cameras
    These dual format security cameras will show high quality colour pictures during good light conditions but will automatically switch over to black and white to optimise the picture when the light starts to deteriorate.
  • Infrared CCTV Cameras
    As they sound, these infrared security cameras utilise an invisible infrared light to allow the camera to capture images when dark without attracting attention to the camera. This can be utilised on colour CCTV cameras that will automatically switch to black and white to maximise the infrared picture quality at night.

Another area where you have a number of choices is with the recording system that you choose. There are 3 basic types here as well:

Analogue Video Recorders:  The original tape based system is, despite all the technological advances, still the most common format in use today.  It is cheap and ideal for simple CCTV installations but the quality of recording is usually very low.  They work by sending analogue camera images to a Time Lapse Video Player, capable of recording up to 960 hours of images on a three hour video cassette.

Digital Recorders:  This will soon replace analogue recorders in terms of sales and have a number of benefits, the main one being the far higher quality of image they capture. Digital CCTV Surveillance work by digitalising the CCTV camera images and compressing them into a PC friendly format. These digital images can then be stored on a PC's Hard Disk Drive for easy access.

IP-CCTV:  Even as digital recorders are starting to take the place of the analogue systems they are being attacked by this latest CCTV development.  IP-CCTV creates digitalised video streams which are transferred to a PC where it can then be access directly or remotely via secure Internet access.

Still in its infancy, the number of IP-CCTV products available and the companies capable of installing them are comparatively limited, resulting in a higher price tag.  However, the technology is rapidly developing and as long as the Internet becomes quick and stable enough to manage these high levels of data the price is sure to drop.

Other Uses for CCTV Cameras

Below are just a few of the many uses for CCTV cameras, each linking off to a list of relevant suppliers. If what you're looking is not listed below then select from the main Kellysearch results for a full list of CCTV equipment and software suppliers.

For more information, tips and quality CCTV suppliers see the following.

List of all companies: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
List of all products: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z