protecting the things on your property outside of the home

4 Features All Cameras Should Have For Security Purposes

17 June 2022 by Louise Gomez

When people choose cameras for security purposes, they often focus on a handful of capabilities such as night vision and quality. However, you need to think about commercial and residential camera systems as a whole rather than focusing purely on optical capabilities. If you're buying security cameras, the system should include these four features.

Backup Power

Security often ends up at its worst when the circumstances also get bad. If you're in a hurricane-prone region, for example, the power might go out for days or even weeks at a time. You need to have a good sense of what the likely longest period without power will be. Invest in systems that provide sufficient backup power to ride these periods out. Even if you have a generator, you may need the backup power to sustain coverage while you refuel or perform maintenance.

Redundant Connections

Many people will want their setups, especially commercial camera systems, to connect remotely. This allows them to view footage or even send it to a security company or the police department.

Bad guys know this, and they may target the connections if they're trying to steal high-value items. For example, they might follow the exterior wiring diagram for the cable or telephone lines to identify where to cut the feed. Ideally, your system should have access to modern 4G or 5G cellular networks. This allows them to fall over to those connections if someone cuts the line. The system can then also send you an alert about the disconnection so you can determine what to do.

Encrypted Video

While analog cameras are slowly fading into history, they do still exist. Likewise, a cheap digital system may transmit video in an unencrypted format. Both scenarios are bad because a criminal might tap into the feeds to see what's going on at the location, especially if the cameras operate wirelessly. Rather than keeping criminals out, the cameras become assets that allow them to have eyes inside the location.

Encryption is a digital technology that requires a key. If the video is encrypted, you have to have the decryption key to see the contents. Residential and commercial camera systems with encryption are now common, so make the investment to protect your feeds.

Apps

Most people will want some ability to see the security feeds on their phones and TVs. If you have residential camera systems, for example, an app would allow you to check the feed while you're at work. Even if you just want to see whether the postal carrier dropped off a package without getting up from watching TV, an app can be very convenient.

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