Questions to ask your home surveillance dealer

Here are 12 basic questions you should ask your surveillance system supplier.

1. What is the Warranty on the DVR/NVR, Hard Drive,Cameras and power supply? If they are giving anything less than a year forget it. I usually advise on getting a 2 year warranty to be safe.
2. What is the warranty on workmanship (installation,support)?At least a 1 year warranty should be given.
3. What is the usual call out fee after the support period has ended? Most times installers do not charge a flat call out fee. However you should ask what they would usually charge for labour to replace an existing camera that failed.
4. Does the DVR/NVR have an internal fan? If not, look for another option.
5. Can the DVR/NVR operate on temperatures of up to 50°C and is this stated in the product information? If the answer is no, not look for another seller.
6. Do I need a static IP for streaming footage to my Smartphone,Mac or PC? If they say yes look for another system. 
7. Does the DVR/NVR come with a free DNS name hosting service? If they say no run for the door.
8. Does the DVR/NVR have a built in Dynamic Update Client?If the response is no leave the building.
9. Does the system support Blackberry, Android,IOS and windows mobile phone operating systems?I have found that many do not support blackberry.
10. Does the DVR/NVR support 64bit operating systems?If you have laptop or PC with a 64bit Operating System this is an important question.I have discovered that many surveillance systems do not support streaming to 64 bit OS 
11. Do you include router configuration and DNS name hosting for dynamic IPs in your installation?If they say no look for a more knowledgeable installer.
12. Do you have any references from past customers I can call? This is very important, remember this person will have access to your entire house during the installation process. They will also be setting up your system for remote viewing! 

If you need help in getting a premium home surveillance solution please click here  to contact us.

Tax Relief given to CCTV Buyers????????????????????????????????????

Yay so the government has given tax relief to buyers of home surveillance systems. So I guess you're thinking great I already have a DVR or NVR and want to add a few more cameras. I'll just import them and the only charges I have to pay is my skybox shipping cost..........WRONG!!!!!! You will still be charged for vat and 20% customs duty.

You see the as with most things in Trinidad there is always a catch and the politicians seem to have this type of deception down to a science. You see the tax relief is only given on Surveillance Systems.  This means that to qualify for relief from vat and custom duty you must buy a system comprising of:

(a) CCTV camera(s);
(b) VCR or DVR;
(c) video monitor(s);
(d) cables; and
(e) a controller, switches, audio board/receivers.


Oh and all the components must be packaged together as a system!!!!!!!!

Here's a link to that nifty piece of legislation. Bogus CCTV Tax Relief

So good luck  finding a quality, professional grade surveillance system that comes packaged like this!!!!
Let's all give our Government a hearty round of applause for giving us a lot of nothing!!!

Viewing your home surveillance on a PC or Mobile Phone

Have you ever wondered what was going on at your home while you're away on vacation ?....Is my car still there?  .......Why is my front door open ? .....I want to see what my dog is up to :D!

 Have you ever had to manage a renovation at home while you were at work?........  Did the material get delivered?......Are the workers there ?.......Wait its suppose to be painted grey not white !!!!!!!

Well if you have a surveillance system you should be able to monitor your home remotely from your PC,Mac, Tablet or Smart Phone. It does give you some peace of mind to see your property at any given time.

Setting up your NVR/DVR for Streaming:

You  need your DVR or NVR to be connected to the internet to enable streaming.Many installers would tell you that you need a static IP for this. This is simply not true for any reputable modern DVRs .Static IPs are very expensive. For instance a basic home internet package from flow costs $200TT per month, the cost of having a ststic IP would cost an additional $100TT monthly. Just ensure you get a DVR or NVR that supports Dynamic Domain Name Service Updates (DDNS). Also the DVR manufacturer would include a Domain Name Service to link your ip to a Domain Name such as mydvr.myq-see.com. This would be typed into you browser's address bar to remotely view your cameras.

Every time your service provider (Blink, Flow, Green Dot) changes your IP, the DVR will detect this change and update your DVR's   domain name to associate it with the new IP address.

I have found that brands such as Q-See, Swann, Eclipse and Night Owl have this capability.In my experience brands such as Quaddrix and Provisual, though claiming to have this feature, it does not automatically update domain names from the DVR. They rely in a computer connected to the same router as the DVR to do the update. This is problematic in cases where the PC is turned off and the ip changes, or the computer is physically moved to another network such as a laptop being taken to work daily.

DUC:

A Dynamic Update Client (DUC) is the program that detects when your home's internet connection IP address changes.As mentioned above some DVR/NVR brands require a DUC program to be installed on a PC connected to your home network. I highly advise against this as it is better when the DVR has a built in DUC feature. Hence ask your surveillance retailers if their systems have a built in DUC. If they say yes ask for a demonstration. If they look confused........walk away!!!!!!


Router configuration:

Your DVR has to be connected to your home router for it to be connected to the internet. There is a level of configuration to be done to the router to enable you to view your cameras remotely. This entails getting into your router's configuration screen and forwarding ports  that the DVR manual specifies.

Here's a video on setting up your DVR with port forwarding.

Once again please ask your surveillance installer if they are able to to this.

Remote Viewing Example:

Do it yourself kits

Get your overalls and tool belt on!!! We're going to be looking at some do it yourself (DIY) surveillance kits.


There are several DIY kits on the the market today to suit almost any budget. The cheapest are the Analogue systems, followed by the HD-SDI and then the most expensive are IP systems.

They all come with every component you need to get your system up and running with the exception of the monitor in some cases.

I have found that IP DIY systems are slightly easier to set up than analog or HD-SDI systems due to their wiring simplicity but generally take about the same amount of effort.

Here's a list of the tools and equipment you'll need :

1. Ladder (Lenght depending on the height of your highest camera)
2. A cordless screwdriver/drill 
3. A hammer or impact drill (only for houses with concrete walls)
4. 1 1/2" hole saw (Important for use on cables with pre-made ends !!!!!!) 
5. Trunking (For surface mount wiring)
6. Drill bits (Wood,Metal and Concrete)

Analogue and HD-SDI

As mentioned in my earlier posts both Analogue and HD-SDI use the same type of wiring , this is why I grouped them together.

The following video shows the various components that make up a CCTV/HD-SDI kit and how they work.

IP 

As we can see from the above video, for Analogue and HD-SDI systems there are separate power supplies to be connected to power the cameras which at times can look messy to the back of the DVR.However with most DIY IP systems the cameras are powered directly from the NVR through Cat 5 network cable. It is usually a neater and easier installation as seen in the video below.

Mounting cameras

The following video looks at selecting your camera locations and mounting on a concrete wall. Concrete wall mounting is most common for outdoor cameras in Trinidad and Tobago.

If you're installing on dry wall (gypsum) please take a look at the following video if you don't want your cameras falling off!!

Where to begin?

1.Buy a DVR / NVR kit which can safely operate at 50 degrees Celsius !!!!!!!!! . I cannot stress this enough. If you see a DVR or NVR without a built in fan please walk away.Pricesmart Qsee DVR kits often fail due to this as i have personally learned the hard way. We live in a tropical climate where temperatures can easily reach over 40 degees Celsius in an un-ventilated room in the dry season.Unless you're going to leave the AC on or open a few windows when you leave the house for the day get an NVR/DVR that can operate in high temperature ranges. 

2. Power protection....get it. A 500va  Uninterruptible Power Supply will cost less than $600TT and will save your surveillance equipment from both high  and low voltage fluctuations. 

2. Identify where you will be placing your NVR/DVR. Remember to keep it in an easily accessible location you can get to quickly. I usually recommend the master bedroom.

3.Identify areas you would like to mount the cameras.

4. Look for a wiring path back to the DVR. During this exercise you should be able to estimate how much trunking and what drill bits (concrete/ masonry) are required for surface mounting.

5. Go for it.

Streaming   

See our next post!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Selecting The Right Camera

So you've chosen either an Analogue (also HD-SDI) or IP solution based on your budget and other requirements.  What does 500 TVL, 3MP, Varifocal, Wide Dynamic Range and PTZ mean in choosing camera. Stick around and we'll shed some light on these terms.

Analog Cameras

If you bought a packaged DIY system with cameras included you are limited to what cameras are included in the system unless you expense yourself further and buy cameras that actually suit your needs.

How is a camera's image  quality measured? TVL and MP Explained!!

Analog Cameras

Analogue cameras use TV Lines (TVL). The higher the TVL the better the picture quality so pay attention to this when purchasing DIY kits. Also I personally recommend to go with 600 TVL or higher cameras.

The following video summarizes TVL as well as other aspects such as night vision and weather proof requirements in selecting analogue cameras.

IP Cameras

IP cameras quality is measured by megapixels (MP). The higher the MP count the higher the quality.

See the video below for a comparison between a 1.3MP, 3MP and 5MP

Lenses

Choosing the camera with the right lens is of particular importance with Analogue cameras. Generally IP cameras can cover a larger area in fine detail. For instance a small parking lot with 10 cars can be covered with 1 IP camera. Due to the high quality of the recording you are able to digitally zoom into any one of the cars and see the registration number on a license plate clearly.See the video below for an example

Cameras will come with a lens description such as 2.8mm ,5mm or 3mm-5mm varifocal. The smaller the millimeter (mm) measurement, the wider the lower the zoom.This is explained in the video below.

Varifocal lenses mean that the zoom of the camera can be adjusted manually to suit the application as seen below.

The following link  explains what is Wide Dynamic Range and when it should be used.

Anlogue vs HD-SDI vs IP

A common question always asked is which is best between Analogue, HD-SDI and IP.

IP Systems

The overall answer is IP for its image quality,scale-ability and potential for future product development . That being said it is by far the most expensive and the set up has been traditionally more difficult for DIYers withou an IT background as some knowledge of networking is required. However, there are some plug and play IP camera systems available as seen in the video clip below. It must be noted that such systems are not scaleable and does not have a high build quality.If you're on a budget or live in a small apartment or townhouse a DIY package may be sufficient.Alternatively for larger applications a scaleable, Onvif compliant system. If you can afford it .....go for it!!!!!

HD-SDI

As mentioned in my earlier post HD-SDI falls between Analogue and IP systems. It main benefits is that it is easier to upgrade to a HD-SDI from an Analogue system as any existing analogue wiring can be re-used. The image quality is also quite comparable to lower quality IP cameras. This is a cost effective option if you require an entire analogue chang eout but please note that IP will still out perform HD-SDI. A better option may be a Hybrid NVR.




Here's a little more on HD-SDI Systems

Analogue

Cheapo, outdated and poor image quality are usually used to describe these systems!! Yes that may be true but these are the most sold DIY systems currently. They are easy to set up and very cheap.The highest quality analogue quality analogue camera will be out performed by the lowest quality IP camera. This is for the budget minded  first time consumer. The following video link looks at some of the short comings of an Analogue system versus an HD-SDI system.

Image quality compared IP vs Analog

Hybrid CCTV Systems

Hybrid CCTV  basically a recording system that would allow recordings from both Analogue and IP cameras to be captured.


This is usually recommended to customers who already have an Analogue CCTV system but would like to upgrade to an IP solution without having to replace all their existing cameras.The recording device is referred to as a Hybrid NVR which will have  input jacks at the back for the analog cameras as shown below.

The following video clip explains the difference between DVRs ,NVR and Hybrid NVRs.

IP Surveillance Systems

What is an IP Camera?

An IP camera, often also called a network camera, can be described as a camera and computer combined in one unit. The main components of a network camera include a lens, an image sensor, one or several processors, and memory. The processors are used for image processing, compression, video analysis and networking functionalities. The memory is used for storing the network camera’s firmware (computer program) and for local recording of video sequences.

Like a computer, the network camera has its own IP address, is connected directly to a network and can be placed wherever there is a network connection. This differs from a web camera, which can only operate when it is connected to a personal computer (PC) An IP camera provides web server, FTP (File Transfer Protocol), and e-mail functionalities, and includes many other IP network and security protocols.

Why choose an IP Camera over a standard camera?

An IP Camera allows you to view images on your local computer and from remote locations without needing a dedicated Observation System or DVR. These cameras are easy to install and configure, and can be located anywhere that a network cable can be run.

Also the images are digitally processed by the IP camera whereas analogue transmits the raw analogue video signal to the DVR where it is processed into a digital form. IP cameras usually have a much higher image quality as a result.

How Does an IP Surveillance System Work?

IP Surveillance System Components

For the purpose of this blog we will be focusing on IP Camera solutions for home owners. These are simplified systems which utilize a Network Video Recorder( NVR) , Cameras , Monitor and Cat 5 ethernet cabling.

Onvif Compliancy !!!!!!!!!!!!

The most important thing in considering an NVR or IP surveillance system is if it is Onvif compliant. ONVIF is an open industry forum for the development of a global standard for the interface of IP-based physical security products. The ONVIF specification will ensure interoperability between products regardless of manufacturer.

·         Increased flexibility and greater freedom of choice. 
The standard enables end users to select interoperable products from a variety of different brands that comply with the ONVIF standard

·         Future-proof systems and more secure investments. 
The standard will ensure that interoperable products are available from a large variety of vendors, no matter how the market develops

·         Reduced total cost of ownership. 
Interoperable products result in less integration costs, and enable end-users to choose the most suitable combination of IP-based physical security products for their specific needs, regardless of vendor.

HD-SDI CCTV Systems

Up until recent times the choice of CCTV System situation was relatively simple; Low budget = (outdated) DVR based Analogue CCTV versus higher budget = HD IP CCTV. It was still relatively simple to outline the principal advantages and operational key attributes of either solution. 

·         Analogue CCTV  utilises Coaxial cabling and is recorded on Hard Drives on a DVR (Digital Video Recorder as described in our last post

·         HD IP CCTV  utilises standard Network Infrastructure and Cat 5 cabling which streams to IP NVRs  and has high quality megapixel resolution

With the introduction of HD SDI CCTV Technology, the clear borders of obvious distinction have somewhat blurred. Before we delve into technical depths, let us outline the basic structure as with the alternative technologies above:

·         HD SDI CCTV > utilises Coaxial cabling > records to HD SDI DVRs > enables Full HD and beyond (typically 3 MP) resolution

HD SDI Installation Cost Comparison

Typically and generally quotations received for the installation of analogue systems should be the most affordable > followed by HD SDI in the middle ground > followed by HD IP CCTV. If your budget allows,  It is the author's opinion that IP CCTV is the best ROI option for most applications unless the project is an upgrade from analogue, providing an existing coaxial cabling structure and camera positions are not going to be altered much.

Basically HD SDI gives you almost an IP quality video image utilizing analogue Coaxial Cabling.

Stay tuned for our next post on IP Surveillance Systems.

Different types of home surveillance - Analogue Systems

There are basically 4 types of home surveillance systems:

1. Analogue
2. HD-SDI - High Definition Serial Digital Interface 
3. IP -Internet Protocol
4. Hybrid 

Understanding these 4 would help in selecting an appropriate surveillance system to meet both your needs and budget.

Analogue - This is the cheapest of all three and is the most readily available in do it yourself (DIY) kits from manufacturers such as Swann, Q-See, Night Owl and Lorex. There are also many cheap generic unbranded options available.More than likely you would see these being advertised in newspapers, electronic retail stores and even some groceries.

  The main components of an analogue CCTV system consists of a Digital Video Recorder (DVR),                    Analogue cameras, Power supply and a monitor. The amount of cameras that can be accommodated               depends  on how many channels or BNC camera inputs are on the DVR. The picture below shows             an analogue  DVR with 16 channels

 For instance a 16 Channel DVR can accommodate up to 16 cameras.You may see DIY kits being               sold with 4 cameras and an 8  channel DVR. This simply means that the DVR can accommodate  8               cameras in total.

           

The diagram above shows the various components being connected to the internet via a router and a               modem for remote monitoring.

The cable usually used for hooking up the cameras to the DVR is siamese cable which consists of                 coaxial  for video transmission and a 2 conductor 18 gauge cable for power. The video below                        explains  a bit more on cabling.

   

These CCTV systems, though very budget friendly provides the  lowest picture quality as video recordings are captured in   an analogue format and then processed by the DVR into a digital format for storage and transmission. If high video quality  is required please see our subsequent posts on HD-SDI and IP  systems.

Common features available on Analogue Systems:

1. Remote Viewing on PCs and Smart Phones.
2. Motion Detection with email alerts.
3. Alarm features.

The following are links to local suppliers of DIY CCTV AnalogueSystems:

PriceSmart


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