Comprehensive Guide To Whole Home Video Security Options

Home video security can seem like a simple thing from the outside, but in order to find a quality system that performs as you expect, it’s helpful to treat your home like a small business and its contents just as valuable if not more so by protecting and securing it with a video surveillance camera system. Also with help in the form of our comprehensive guide to whole house video security options.

Lights, Camera, and More Cameras

To start, we will work from the inside out and make a few small assumptions in regards to size and rule out all the mega mansions and palaces for more normal homes that the average person would live in between 1 and 3 thousand square feet and general property layout. (larger and or more complex properties with various odd angles and lines of sight may require more cameras)

Pan, Tilt, Zoom From Anywhere

For the sake of our example, we will be working with approximately 3 cameras, as I said before though that can change depending on your specific needs and layout. The indoor camera should be a Pan Tilt Zoom (Axis M5065 is a great choice!) in order to cover large amounts of space and be placed centrally in the home where you can ideally see the front entry as well as living area and any possible back entry if not obstructed. All the areas that may be most vulnerable or likely to have someone break in. PTZ cameras will be ideal for the money and the layout as it will require fewer cameras to cover a larger space. If you would like to see our full line of indoor cameras, we have many other options to choose from as well.

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Home Video Security That Keeps Watch Outdoors – Day & Night

The same reason we love the PTZ for the inside of the home is the same reason it works so well in home video security for outdoors as well. PTZ cameras are more vandal and weather resistant versions of the indoor models and cover large areas with 180-degree angle coverage that span both front and back yards as well as the side with good positioning.

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Most of our outdoor cameras come with some kind of low light or Infrared lens and/or removable infrared-cut filter as well for making sure you have HD imaging even at night or in low light conditions, but if you find the conditions to be too low light or outright dark we also carry short, medium and long-range IR Illuminators to make that camera even better at capturing in the dark no matter the distance. We have many fine choices for outdoor home video security cameras, the Axis M3025-VE is chosen here for its blend of affordability and technology though we have many more pricing and feature options for whatever your budget may be.

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Infrared Enhanced vs Low Light

For small business and especially home security, it would be a disservice to recommend anything other than IR for outdoor camera security or surveillance especially with the low-cost technology available in today’s camera market. Even compared to low light cameras it is miles ahead in clarity and visibility.

See image below for a general comparison between infrared enhanced (left) and low light (right).

AXIS home video security blog banner low light vs ir enhanced

The comparison image is in black and white, to give you an idea, and for color cameras, the detail is even more obvious.

Details mean a lot when it comes to solving crimes and the more you can capture the better off your system will perform for you.

Home Video Security Recording In Progress

Now that we have cameras in place we need something to record all the footage we are amassing, and for network cameras, you will need an NVR or Network Video Recorder. It does far more than just record video, it allows you to switch between viewing channels, compresses video to make saving it more space friendly. This is also the case for HD video as well as backing everything up in the case of loss of power.

NVR Ganz NR8H-3TB for home video security

Some of our NVR’s are equipped with external storage options as well for expanded space and this particular Ganz NR8H-3TB has HDD failure notification and smartphone and web-based software applications to run and view your footage streaming to your phone, potentially saving you from the purchase of a monitor and or controller should you decide to use a smartphone or tablet for control.

Keeping A Eye On Things

Once cameras are in place and prepared to record, to fully complete the video surveillance we need some display/security monitors.

The Tatung TME19WA LED Display is a great example.

This monitor provides HD picture with brightness at any angle while consuming low power with LED backlights.

Tatung TME19WA LED Front home video security blog accessories

At the end of the day, it all can seem like an overwhelming task with all the different choices and options but we are confident we have everything you need to build a great home or small business security system and we are always here to assist if you should run into questions or problems.

Contact us today to find out even more in-depth info on this and other great audio video products at usasecuritysystems.com.

You can also give call us at 888-875-6091 we would be glad to help with any and all questions.