1. What are the most important features to look while purchasing home security camera?

You can read our buying guide to know exactly which factors to choose. However, if you a short summary, then read further. The first thing to check whether you need an indoor or outdoor camera. Choose a home security camera with highest resolution you can afford with your budget. HD, wide angle lens, night vision, PTZ, storage and other features.

2. Is there any difference between weather resistance and waterproof home security camera?

Weather resistant cameras are suitable for areas with protected area because they cannot withstand direct contact with sprinkler systems or direct water contact like sprinklers or rain. But a water resistant camera can withstand direct contact with snow, ice, rain and others. IP rating lets you decide whether security camera is capable or not. Standard IP rating is less than 44. For a weather resistant camera, 44 to 65 is the ideal IP rating. For waterproof home surveillance camera is between 66 and 67.

3. Security camera or surveillance camera, which one to choose?

There is a very slight difference between the security camera and surveillance camera. The security cameras are active throughout and send you alerts or notifications in case of any unexpected situations. The surveillance cameras work in a passive manner. It just observes and records whatever is happening in the area of activity. It is always suggested to use a security camera for the safety of your house.

4. which cctv camera is best for home in India?

If you want to secure inside the home, then Mi MJSXJ02CM is the best indoor security camera for home in India. However, if you want to secure outdoor areas, then Sricam SP007 is the best outdoor camera for home in India.

5. What is the best cctv camera brand in India?

Mi, Hikvision, Zicom, Sony, Samsung, CP plus are some of the best cctv cameras in India.

6. How does a home security camera work?

Home security camera lets you monitor your house and track all the activities that are happening around your home. You can check the live streaming through an app. Depending on the features of the camera; you can even talk with people or play automated messages. You can even archive a few videos.

7. Can a pet trigger an alert through motion detection?

Cameras with motion detection feature generally have a limitation based on different weight settings. A basic motion sensor won’t be able to detect small animals or an infant. On the other hand, a modern motion detector can distinguish between different objects of interest through facial recognition. In addition to the weight, speed and movement patterns also play key roles in activating a motion detection alarm.

8. Do wireless home security cameras work during power outages?

It is vital to keep your cameras connected to the wireless connections all along. This ensures your recordings are saved and stored in your hard drive or cloud. However, most wireless security cameras scan and record even without the internet but only saves the images when the power is back on. If you need to use the two-way audio feature on the camera during a power failure, make sure your camera is in the vicinity of your cellular signals.

9. Will the companies that sell the security cameras have any access to my videos and images?

Privacy is of utmost priority to many of the security companies. They respect consumers’ privacy when you buy a self-monitoring camera. The companies will not have any kind of access to your images and videos. But the companies do offer video monitoring if you hire them to keep a check on larger properties such as parks, malls, and other buildings.

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How to Choose a Good Security Camera

Updated by

Vineetha K

on Dec 21, 2020

Before analyzing options for purchasing a security camera, first thing to do is understand your requirements. For that, you have to ask three important questions mentioned below…

1. What is your requirement – indoor or outdoor??

Indoor and outdoor security cameras have different features and functionalities. We have mentioned them below. Read them carefully to understand which one suits best for your requirements.

Indoor Security camera:

As the name suggests, the indoor cameras are used to set up inside the home or in a room to monitor all the activities. It can also be a part of the entire home security system.

Unlike their old version, the new and advanced indoor security cameras deliver a lot more functionalities than only recording video footages. These cameras feature many options such as live video streaming and two-way communication which will let to check the safety of your kids after returning to home or check if someone who doesn’t belong is in your home.

However, indoor cameras are only suitable for inside surveillance. You cannot place them outdoor or point to face street or yard for surveillance. Choose an indoor security camera that suits your requirements.

Outdoor camera:

Outdoor surveillance cameras are helpful in checking out exterior areas of your home. Just like indoor security cameras, they can be used individually or as a combined security system. Be it to secure outdoor areas or make sure nothing uncommon is happening, you can find any outdoor camera suitable to your requirements.

Main factors to check out while purchasing an outdoor camera is weatherproof rating. It ensures the camera can withstand harsh temperatures and drastic changes. If you live in a locality with extreme cold or cold temperatures, then make sure the outdoor camera can withstand to them.

Another main feature to look out is night vision which helps you see the surroundings clearly even dim lighting conditions or during nights.

2. Which one is better – Wired or Wireless?

Wired ones are the traditional cameras. Though they are a bit difficult to install, wired security cameras are ultra-reliable. As the name implies, these cameras are connected to recorder, router, power and internet connection through cables or wires. They are perfect for people who don’t require to move the cameras around. They are also suitable for people who want to keep an eye on the premises continuously.

No signal drops which means you don’t have to worry about connectivity issues or unclear video transmissions. But there are downsides for wired ones – with all those cords, you may have to hire a professional in order to install the camera. Or else, you may end with improper connections. If you live in a locality with regular power blackouts, then wired cctv cameras may not the best choice. Because even a single cut in the wire somewhere can stop the security feed.

Wireless security cameras only work for homes with strong WiFi network. They are easy the install but they have to be close to power source. They are suitable for tenants and home owners because they are easy to setup and take down and re-install them wherever you want. Downside of wireless cctv cameras is that they are susceptible to interference. And signal strength and coverage scope is based on several factors like router, presence of interference, WiFi range and others.

So, analyze your requirements carefully and choose the right one accordingly

3. Can Your Internet Bandwidth Support the Camera?

CCTV cameras that send alerts and stream live video through text or email usually take up a lot of internet data. The amount of bandwidth they require depends on image resolution, motion records, sound and other factors. So, make sure the internet bandwidth you have can handle the number of cameras you are going to install.

4. Types of Home Security Camera/CCTV Cameras

There are different types of surveillance cameras. We have mentioned each one of them below. Read them carefully and choose a type that suits your requirements

Bullet Camera

These are the most common type of security cameras. They are shaped in a cylindrical form. They are typically an outdoor security camera that has a reliable high power optical zoom in feature and a strong night vision function. Bullet cameras have low maintenance compared to the other kinds. The wires involved in the installation of the camera run through the 3-axis bracket giving it a clean look. Bullet cameras can focus on a long distance outlook and store image and video feeds of larger sizes when supported by a suitable memory storage device.

Dome Camera

Dome cameras are also familiar to most of the people. When it comes to size, they are a littler larger than bullet cameras. They are usually installed on ceilings. Some of them can be fixed while other can have other features like tilt, pan, zoom and offer wide coverage.

The discreet design of the motor heads on dome cameras makes it impossible for a person to predict the direction of its focus. This alone stands as an advantage to outsmart any intruder making it an ideal choice for a home/work space. Dome cameras usually have wide angle lenses allowing it to capture a larger field of view. Dome camera installations are a bit bothersome as it requires quite an amount of expertise.

Pan, Tilt and Zoom Cameras

Also known as PTZ cameras, they are usually used for monitoring large spaces like common areas, parking lots, convention center, and business centers. It not only allows you to monitor the area but also focus on suspicious activity.

Working of Each Feature of PTZ camera:

Panning – With feature, cctv camera can move left and right to cover wide areas. some of them also come with 360-degree circle coverage.

Titling – This feature helps the camera tilt up or down to cover vertical angle. Titling angle range is different from one model to another. But the highest angle range is 180 degrees.

Zooming – This feature adjusts the camera lens physically and changes the focal length of the lens to zoom in or zoom out. By doing this, it does not affect the picture quality but, it again depends on the quality of camera that you are using. Some cameras end up showing pixelated images or videos that are not very helpful. Thus, it is recommended to check the optical zoom capability of the camera and then select

Turret Camera

This is a combination of dome and bullet camera. So it has a discreet design like dome and angle flexibility like bullet. As the camera is small in size, it is also called can eyeball camera. They can be used an indoor or outdoor camera system.

Features to Consider While Purchasing a CCTV/Security Camera

Now that we aware of your exact requirements and types of security cameras, we have mentioned factors that will refine your search and help you choose the right one.

1. Image Quality and Resolution

The first important feature of a security camera because without you will not be able to identify the intruder. A security camera should always have good image and recording quality.

Resolution of a security camera is represented in total number of pixels (both in width and height).

For example – 2MP image has 1920 (width) and 1080 (height). When multiply these two numbers you will get the total number of pixels i.e., 1920 x 1080 = 2,072,600.

Apart from that, height of an image is also considered as resolution. In that case, 1080p resolution represents image with 2 million pixels.

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