Do you want to gain more peace of mind while you’re at home or away? Then, now is a great time to start considering a surveillance system!
Naturally, when many people first think about this sort of project, the very thought of having to make holes in your home to run wiring for a security camera system might seem like it’s too much to learn about or maybe it seems too expensive. But, times have changed since security cameras were first available to the public, and with the right information, tools and products it can actually turn out to be a very rewarding project for the safety and security of your family.
To start off, I would recommend that you locate areas up high near your roof where there is an overhang. This will be ideal for your cameras because it will protect them from all of what mother nature dishes out. When you choose this location for your cameras, it will give you a great viewing coverage for your security cameras and also help to eliminate the possibility of anyone trying to vandalize your new surveillance system.
One great reason for the roof being the best possible location for security cameras is there is normally a separation big enough for cables to be run through which means you don’t have to drill any more holes than is really necessary. Another reason is that with the cameras up high, you have a much better view and coverage for each camera.
After you have located an optimal location for your cameras, and after you have them situated, you will want to make sure that each camera gives you the best viewing coverage of the area they are located. There are Closed Circuit Television software available which will really assist when it comes to determining the proper setup and installation of your cameras. There are even free versions available to you that you can do a lot with. If you plan out the installation of your new security camera system it will ultimately save you a lot of time and frustration as well as make the end result be more of what you were wanting and expecting.
There is another thing that is very important to consider when choosing the right equipment for your new security camera system and that is the Cabling. The best idea is to use the industry standard which is RG59 Siamese cable. This cable has been widely used for the installation of CCTV systems. The RG59 cable has one video cable and one power cable (a positive and a negative) which is what gives it the name Siamese.
At this point you will have an idea of where to run your cables from the outside in. More often than not, your home will have some sort of attic or crawl space which is a great location to run your RG59 cables.
Once you have the location figured out you will also need to designate where the Digital Video Recorder (DVR) will be located and this is also where your monitor will go. The DVR is another very important item that you will need to do your research on when it comes to Analog or Digital. This will be determined with the kind of cameras that you plan on using, and also the type of recording and quality that you want achieve with your new system.
Once you have all of this groundwork laid out it is now time to start bringing the cables into this room. If your cables already have BNC connectors attached to them you are ready to connect it directly to your new video recorder. If the cables didn’t come with connections already in place it’s fairly simple to learn how you can connect them on your own.
So now when choosing the power options for your new system you have a few options available to you. There are options which make the install very clean looking or options that seem to have a little more wires which could provide more options later on if you chose to add on to your system later on. A great method is to get a power supply box and then plug all of the power lines into here which makes it great because now you’d only have one line needing to go to an outlet, which makes for a much cleaner looking installation as well. Do not forget about your monitor which will need power as well. Once you have completed this task the next thing to do would be to power up these components.
Utilizing a power supply box as mentioned above can save you in the long run a lot of time and possible frustration, because all of your power is centralized to only one outlet versus many. And, if there was an issue it is easier and quicker to diagnose and correct the issue.
If you now have your cabling run and the power connected you can power up your monitor and DVR and start playing around with the many functions and options available to you. One of the best options is being able to set your DVR to start recording when it detects motion, which can save you valuable recording space on your hard drive(s). You can also set up your recorder to continuously record during specific times of the day or night, and most DVRs have the ability to send you email or text message alerts when it detects motion. There are Apps available to you that make most all of these options simple and easy for you.
These days most people have smartphones, a computer or a laptop which makes it easy for you to be able to remotely view your new camera system from anywhere in the world that your phone or computer has an internet connection.
This makes for a better vacation away from home with the family or if you have to be away on business, but your family is at home. You now have more peace of mind being able to remotely view your new security camera system from anywhere.
If installing your own security camera surveillance system is not for you, then hire a professional. You can find out more about our professional security camera installations here.
