CCTV System

How to design cctv system :

How To Design The Perfect CCTV System
By Steven Williams
Table Of Contents
Introduction
About The Author
What Do You Want To Protect
Selecting A Camera For Your Needs
Color vs. Black & White Cameras
Proper Camera Placement
Choosing The Proper Lens
How To Choose A Monitor
Recording Devices
Installation Tools & Techniques
Introduction
With the serious changes that have taken place in society, the need for
security related products has risen to unheard of levels. Among the
strongest demand is for CCTV Security Camera Systems. Large and
small manufacturers have flooded the market with products to meet
this demand.
In the past installation of security camera systems was relatively
limited to professional installers. Now with the influx of products both
in the retail market and through Internet sales, the use of a
professional installer is less common.
More and more you see the “Do-it-yourselfer” installing their own
camera systems. The appeal is the potential savings they could realize.
However the reality is that many consumers end up choosing a camera
system that doesn’t meet their needs.
Worse yet, even if they do catch a criminal in the act, the video image
is so poor that it can’t be used for prosecutable evidence.
What was originally thought to be a good idea can turn into a total
waste of your time and money.About The Author
With more that 15 years in the security industry Steven Williams has
seen the business from both ends. As an installer as well as the owner
of his own burglar alarm company.
This experience has led him to help commercial and residential clients
seeking to protect their property and peace of mind.
The onslaught of CCTV cameras on the market has had both good and
bad consequences for the consumer. The cost of owning a high quality
camera system has gone down but without the proper knowledge
consumers are spending too much money on systems that don’t meet
their needs.
With this in mind he has put together this Guide so that you can
design the perfect CCTV system. You can apply this knowledge
whether you install it yourself or choose to use a professional installer.
Just imagine the look in their face when they try to sell you something
you don’t need.
I am confident by the time you finish reading this guide you'll be able
to design the perfect camera system.What Do I Want To See?
One of the first things you need to decide before designing a camera
system is "What do I want to see” It may seem obvious or even silly to
ask but not having an answer will cost you money and cause hours of
frustration.
The biggest mistake consumers make is to purchase their camera
system from one of those wholesale clubs or from a "security
company" that doesn't know what they’re doing!
What ends up happening is that the system is designed around the
number of cameras you want versus the number and types of
cameras you need!
For example: Your car’s being vandalized (50ft away) so you may
think that you need only one camera to cover the whole front yard and
to see your car.
This application actually needs 2 cameras. Here's why: To see the
whole yard you need a camera with a wide-angle lens. This produces a
large field of view left to right but at distances beyond around 14 feet
you won't be able to identify the vandals face
The proper lens would for the second camera is a 16mm lens. This
produces a close up view of the car but only a few feet to the left or
right of the car.
This simple example gives you an idea of how important it is know
what you want to see before you determine the number of cameras
you need.Here is a list of other questions you'll need to answer
 How many cameras will be used indoor and how many used
outdoor?
 How much light is available during the day and nighttime hours?
 Color or Black/White
 What will you be mounting the cameras to?
Ok so now that you have a general idea of what you want let's go into
more specific detail. All cameras need light to operate properly. It can
come in the form of sunlight or artificial light such as light poles or
infrared light
If you look at the specifications of cameras you will notice a lux rating
like .05 lux etc. Lux without getting to technical is used to measure
available light.
Here are some common examples of Lux ratings
 Direct sunlight 100,000 - 130,000 Lux
 Overcast day 1,000 Lux
 Deep twilight 1 Lux
 Full moon 0.1 Lux
 Quarter moon 0.01 LuxSelecting a Camera for your Needs
Security cameras can be organized into 4 major types
1. Bank Style cameras are rectangular. They can be used indoors
or outside, if used with a camera housing. Features such as back
light compensation (BLC) are included. This is probably the most
versatile camera style because of it's ability to change lenses
and adapt to most lighting conditions.
2. Color Day/Night Mainly used for outdoor applications. Is color
by day and automatically switches to B/W at night using infrared
illuminators? Some do not use illuminators but switch to low Lux
B/W mode at certain light levels. Produces clean clear picture
3. Bullet Cameras Can be used indoors or outdoor. Has built-in
weatherproof housing. General-purpose camera with few bells
and whistles. Cannot change lenses
4. Miniature & Hidden Cameras. Mainly for indoors use.
Disguised in ordinary items such as alarm clock radiosColor Vs Black/White Cameras
Most consumers choose a Color or B/W camera based on cost alone.
This is another area where a big mistake can be made. Although it’s
easy to understand trying to stay within a set budget, the choice of
camera should be made based on the available lighting level and what
you want to "see"
Color cameras need more light to work than do black and white
cameras. That's why you'll see the B/W camera with generally lower
lux ratings.
In this next example a clerk is getting ready to close his store for the
night. The parking lot is dimly lit and he is concerned about his safety
while walking to his car. Since his main concern is whether or not
someone is lurking around versus who it is, the B/W camera is better
suited for this situation.
Using a low lux B/W camera will not only save him money but the
video will be clearer than a color camera. If the parking lot is well lit
then you may consider using color. You would still need to match the
proper lens to take advantage of the details a color camera would
provide
Another option is to use a color day/night camera. This type of camera
is color when there is adequate light available and produces a B/W
image at night using infrared illuminators. These cameras are ideal
when there is no light available
They do have a down side though, infrared illuminators produce a light
that is invisible to the naked eye but to a camera it's like shinning a
spotlight in the area the camera is looking in. This spot light effect
tends to "ghost" objects that get close to the camera.
So the bottom line is, it is better to use B/W cameras outside such as
a super low lux .0003 camera if the primary application is for night
time use. Use color cameras for indoor use or where you have good
lighting conditions.Proper Camera Placement
This is an often looked but very important element of CCTV design. If
you are installing outside security cameras keep in mind where the sun
rises and sets. The sun can create glare on the lens that would make
your video image useless during these times.
If at all possible avoid positioning you camera in the direct path of the
sun and choose a mounting height that will let you look slightly
downward at your viewing area. In addition look for cameras that have
built-in sun shields. The combination of preplanning and mounting
height will eliminate most of the problems you will face but sometimes
there is nothing you can do.
There is a different set of problems for interior cameras. Because
ceiling heights avera around 8 feet high there is a limited amount of
angle you can create to avoid direct sunlight. This is especially
problematic for cameras facing windows.
The sun creates an excessive amount of background light, which
causes a silhouetting effect. A person standing in front of the window
would very hard to recognize. To combat the sun in this situation look
for a camera with a feature called backlight compensation and use an
auto iris lens.
For the most part you don't have to worry about the size of outside
cameras but with interior cameras this can be a major concern. No one
wants a huge camera hanging on his or her living room wall.
Here you have a couple of options. You could use a miniature pinhole
lens camera or even a hidden camera such as a motion detector
camera. These discrete cameras can easily blend in with the
surroundings. Since a standard wide-angle lens has about a 90-degree
field of view you should place most interior cameras in the corner of
the room. This placement will give you the maximum viewing area.Choosing The Proper Lens
The one size fits all approach to lens selection leads to big mistake #3.
Most out of the box camera systems that are sold by "wholesale clubs"
use wide-angle lenses. Usually a 3.6mm or 4mm lens. Don't get me
wrong there are many times that these lenses will work for your
application. The problem is that when you need application specific
lenses they either won't know what you'll need or it's simply not sold
that way.
There are several styles of CCTV lenses available on the market such
as fixed focus, manual iris lens, vari-focal, DC auto iris and zoom lens
to name a few. They can be further divided into 2 categories.
C mount lens and CS mount lenses. To the naked eye a C and CS
mount lens look identical. The only real difference between them is
how far the lens is from the camera chip. There aren't any
performance differences. A CS mount lens is 5mm closer than a C
mount. You can use a C mount lens using an adapter ring on a CS
mount camera but not the other way around.
Don't worry too much about CS and C mount lenses. CS mount lenses
are pretty much the standard used today, but just double check the
camera specs to see which one it requires.
The best way to determine the lens size you need is to use a
viewfinder. You simply look through it; adjust the viewing ring until
you are satisfied with the view. Then read off the number on the side
to get the size lens you need. These viewfinders are a bit pricey but
well worth it if you have a large number of cameras to purchase.
If you are looking for prosecutable evidence then a good rule of thumb
to use is for every mm of lens multiply that by 4. So a 4mm lens will
give you facial features of someone about 16 feet away.If you can't justify spending the money on a viewfinder then there are
many online lens calculators available. I like using this free one on the
Silent Witness website.
It not only gives you a numerical value for your field of view but also
some example pictures to visualize what each lens size will look like
Next we'll determine the type of lens you need. If your camera
location has adequate and constant light then a fixed iris lens will
work. For placements that will be subject to variable lighting
conditions you'll want to use auto iris lenses. These types of lenses
automatically adjust the opening and closing of the cameras iris and
lighting conditions change This keeps your images from being to bright
or too dark.
One way to take all the guesswork out of selecting a lens is to use
vari-focal auto iris lenses. This saves you time and hassle because the
lens does all the work. Once the camera is installed simply adjust the
field of view to what you want. The auto iris is good in all lighting
conditions
Monitors
When choosing a monitor for your system you should try to purchase
one that has at a minimum the same lines of resolution as your
cameras. A line of resolution is the total number of horizontal lines a
camera or monitor produces. The more lines of resolution the clearer
the picture will be.
In an attempt to save money many people will try to use a regular TV.
A TV will work using the right video connectors but you'll actually be
wasting money if you purchase high resolutions cameras. CCTV
monitors can provide up to 1000 lines of resolution compared to about
300 lines on a TV. Why buy 480 line cameras if you can only see 300
lines?Many low-end camera systems use a "Quad Monitor". They combine a
quad processor and a CCTV monitor. A quad processor let's you
display 1 camera at a time, switch between cameras on a timed
interval or display all 4 cameras at once. In theory this sounds like a
good idea. In reality there are multiple problems associated with these
systems.
1. With multifunction products the manufacturer combines two
middle of the road quality products. Instead of you choosing the
level of quality for each component.
2. If one of the products goes bad the entire system is down.
3. You can't expand the system. You only would have to replace the
quad processor to accommodate more cameras
4. They use "telephone type" wire and connectors instead of the
industry standard BNC connector or RCA connectors. This really
limits the type and quality cameras that can be used.
Monitor Size
The size of your monitor is not only a matter of preference but will
determine how well you see your video images. For a single camera
system, a 12" or 14" monitor is recommended.
You will want to use a larger monitor for 4 or more cameras. This is
because you'll be looking at more than one camera at once. Your
screen will be divided in to smaller sections. The more cameras you
have the smaller each section is.
You still can pull up an individual camera in full screen in live mode.
The type of video processor will determine if you can pull up an
individual camera to full screen of recorded images.Recording Devices
In most cases you will need to record for more than 6-8 hours a day.
The amount of hours a standard VCR will record is dictated by the size
of the tape you use.
Basically there are 2 choices for long-term recording.
The time lapse VCR or a Digital Video Recorder
A T-120 VHS tape will record up to 6 hours on a standard VCR but on
a time-lapse recorder you could record up to 30 days.
A standard VCR has a continually moving recording head where as a
time lapse recorder incrementally moves the recording head every
fraction of a second.
Time lapse VCR's have been around for many years and are very
reliable. It's 2 main drawbacks are recording resolution and that
motion is not as fluid at extended recording times.
B/W cameras display 420 lines of resolution, Color 380 lines but the
recorder only records 350 & 300 lines respectively. This is acceptable
but a digital video recorder is much better.
Digital video recorders combine the reliability of time-lapse recorders;
add advanced features such as motion detection recording and the
ability to remotely view your property.
The incredible remote feature allows you to view your surveillance
system from anywhere in the world via the Internet. This is an
absolute must for any business owner.There are 2 basic types of "DVR's". The first is a PC based system with
a special video capture card and the second type is a stand-alone non-
PC based systems
PC Based Systems offer the most features but require an enormous
amount of processing power, memory, and operating system
resources. PC based DVR's are much more expensive than stand alone
DVR’s so be sure that your needs merit the extra cost.
Stand Alone Systems offer many of the same feature of it’s PC
based cousin like motion activated recording and remote viewing but
at a much more reasonable price.
Shop diligently. Lower cost DVR’s exclude full multiplexing, which does
not allow you to view an image in full screen mode after a recording in
its original quality. They take a quad recorded image and "digitally"
zoom one of the cameras to give you the illusion it is multiplexed.
As with any digitally zoomed image, you lose image quality. You can
identify a DVR that does full multiplexing by checking to see if it offers
both "quad" and "field" modes.Installation Tools & Techniques
All cameras need to be powered and have a way to get the video
signal back to the monitor and recorder. The most reliable way to
achieve this is to "hardwire" your camera system. Some camera
locations may require wireless transmission of the video signal but you
should avoid using wireless if possible. Wireless is best suited for
temporary surveillance applications.
Video/power cable can be purchase pre-made in specific lengths
like 25', 50' etc. It can also be purchased in bulk rolls of 500’ or 1000’
that can be made to custom lengths.
Although using pre made cables is perfectly acceptable there are
drawbacks over making your own. With pre made cables, the
connectors are already on the wire so you have to drill a larger hole to
pull the wire through an opening.
You may also have excess wire to deal with. This is especially bad
when it's on the monitor end. Making custom cables makes for a
neater installation and costs less per foot.
If you decide to make your own cables you will need some specialized
tools. One is a wire stripper, the other is a crimper
You will use these to prepare your cable for "BNC" connectors. Using
these industry standard connectors will insure that your wiring is
compatible with most cameras on the market. It also allows you to
replace or upgrade your cameras at a later date with out having to re-
wire your system.
Most installations require that you hide your wiring as much as
possible. You can do so by "fishing" the wire through your walls and
ceilings. We first drill a 3/4 inch hole in the top wall plate as well as
where you will be mounting the camera.This size hole will allow you to use the pre-made cables or the custom
made cables. We insert small flexible fiberglass rods into one hole and
try to push it out the other end.
They come in 6' lengths and can be combined with other rods. This is
especially helpful when pulling wire over long distances like a drop
ceiling.
Once the rod is sticking out the other end, attach your video cable to it
and pull the wire out until about 18" is sticking out. You'll have plenty
of wire to work with.
Another type of wall fishing tool is called a fish tape. It is a long metal
wire that is wrap onto a spool. You simply pull out a small amount and
feed it into your hole. Keep pulling and feeding it until you can attach
your video cable to it.
Power Supplies
Individual transformers or a power distribution panel can power you camera
system. For neater installations especially for systems with more than
4 for cameras, use a power distribution panel. A power strip with 8
outlets fills up rather quickly when you also plug in the monitor,
recorder and 4 transformers.Special Offer!
I hope that you have enjoyed this report. The knowledge you have
learned will save you money and hours of aggravation.
To make absolute sure you will save money I am going to offer you a
25% discount on any purchase you make through my website
Simply type in the discount code below during the checkout procedure
and it will be automatically applied
CCTV-Report
Best of Luck
Steven Williams

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