Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the difference between a wired and a wireless camera?
2. What is the difference between a DVR and a VCR?
3. How do hidden cameras work?
4. How many hours will a DVR record?
5. To view our return and privacy policy
6. What is CCD?
7. What is the PIR Motion Sensor on the camera and when is it used?
8. What is a Camera LUX Rating?
9. What is a camera's format?

1. Wired cameras have a video cable that runs from the camera to your recording or viewing device such as a DVR, VCR or monitor. Wireless cameras have a built-in transmitter that sends the video signal to a receiver. The receiver connects to your recording or viewing device.

2. A Digital Video Recorder (DVR) system records high resolution digital images to a hard disk drive (HDD) and eliminates are stored digitally, the image quality will not degrade overtime, as would a VHS tape when recorded over multiple times. The time-saving search capabilities of a DVR will enable the user to locate the desired video clips via user defined parameters (camera, time, date, etc.) versus the fast forward and rewind functions of a VCR. A DVR can be accessed remotely from anywhere in the world using the Internet..

3. A small board camera is built into an everyday item. The camera can be wired which means it is connected to the DVR or VCR using a cable. The camera can also be wireless, in this case the camera transmits a signal to a receiver that is connected to the DVR or VCR.

4. The amount of time a DVR will record for is based on the size of the DVRs hard drive, the number of cameras recording and the number of frames per second it is recording at. One camera recording in Real Time uses 1 GB per day. So a 16 camera system will use 16 GB in one day.

5. To view our return and privacy policy Click Here

6. CCD is used in professional cameras because of it's high resolution quality and it's ability to record in low-light situations. CCD is basically a small silicon chip that receives light and turns it into voltage variations which makes up an image. It's usually measured in inches with 1/3" CCD being the standard. They are higher priced but are great for cameras that may require vision in near darkness.

7. The small item mounted to the top of the camera is a PIR (Passive Infrared Sensor). It's a sensor that looks for and detects the movement of objects by sensing heat sources. The PIR detection feature is a user option. When the feature is active the sensor will detect anything moving in front of the camera and the monitor will chime and bring that camera to full screen while, at the same time, triggering an ouput relay that can activate a professional VCR to start recording. This feature is great if you want notification and a recording of activity in front of any camera, saving tape, as well as minimizing wasted playback of video. Typical appications include unmanned lobby areas, receiving doors, back doors, retricted areas and during the time the business is closed.

8. The LUX Rating is the measurement used to indicate how sensitive a camera is to light. It represents the level of light reflected off a piece of paper by a candle from one meter away. For example, a sensitivity of '3 Lux' would mean a camera could generate an acceptable picture of a piece-of-paper sized object that was illuminated by the equivalent of 3 candles from one meter away. The important thing to remember is that the lower the lux level, the better the camera's ability to work in low-light conditions.

The following are examples of natural light expressed in LUX ratings: Full Daylight = 10,000 LUX, Very Dark Day = 100 LUX Twilight = 10 LUX, Deep Twilight = 1 LUX, Full Moon = 0.1 LUX, Quarter Moon = 0.01 LUX

9. Camera formats are measured in inches: most surveillance cameras fall between 1/4" and 1". This refers to the usable image size created inside the camera. For most security systems, a small size is fine - 1/4" or 1/3" surveillance cameras dominate CCTV sales. Larger formats do not necessarily result in better images, but can be advantageous in dimly lit situations since they are able to gather more light.