At a back door or other entry points around your home that can’t be seen from the street and are vulnerable to unauthorized entry.At the front door so you can identify people approaching and/or calling on you.Once you’ve verified that all the components can be connected and all are working properly, mount the cameras in locations that you want to keep an eye on. Repeat the test with each camera, pigtail and cable set.Power on the DVR and check the monitor to see that you have an image.Connect the Siamese cable to the pigtail, and then plug the other end into the DVR.
Unpack a camera and find the pigtails with BNC or RCA connectors that match the ports on the camera.Unpack the DVR and plug it into the power supply if you’re using one or more DVR-cards in place of a standalone DVR, install the card(s) in the PCI slots in the CPU.Once you have items from your system kit unpacked, it’s a good idea to test the DVR, cameras and cables before mounting the cameras. If you find mismatched connectors as you work to wire the system components, you can always correct the issue with an adapter, such as the BNC to RCA adapter shown. If you choose to acquire components separately or don’t find everything you need in the kit, you may need to acquire cables and connectors to get the job done.īNC Connector Michael Chotiner RCA Connectors Michael ChotinerĪdapters. If you work with a kit, all of the cables should be included and the connections should be compatible with the components to which they must be joined. Box security cameras-fairly large good deterrent when mounted in the open.ĭepending on the number of cameras and channels in the DVR, a complete package would range from about $200 (2 channels) to about $600 (8 channels).Bullet security cameras-about the size of a finger unobtrusive.Dome security cameras-used most often for indoor applications.Those most often used in home security applications include: Generally speaking, one DVR card can monitor up to four cameras most desktop PCs have PCI slots for two cards.Ĭameras are available in a number of styles. Note that in some systems, the standalone DVR can be replaced with a PC-based DVR card, which plugs into the PCI slot of your computer and uses it to record and monitor images from the cameras. Applications for the types of phones and computers that you own, email alerts and incident snapshots.H960 cameras with 700TVL resolution, night vision, weatherproof bodies and mounting hardware.Most DVRs can be connected to a TV via a high-speed Internet connection for monitoring. A DVR with H960 compression, remote viewing via WiFi, motion detection, and a 1 TB hard drive.Cables and connectors are also included in the kit. This Q-See 4-channel video surveillance system provides a DVR, two bullet-style cameras and two dome cameras. So, there’s another reason, I suspect, that professional security installers recommend wired over wireless systems: They think that most civilians can’t or are unwilling to take on the wiring themselves, and therein lies their paycheck. Saknakorn | Shutterstockīut, wireless systems are fast improving, and for homeowners either on a budget or attracted to the smartphone surveillance opportunities they offer, wireless may indeed be the right answer. Wireless signals have limited range and cannot penetrate masonry materials to feed the DVR that records the images. Wireless systems are prone to intermittent performance issues related to poor signal strength and radio interference. Wired camera systems protect your property 24/7.Wireless camera systems can be hacked-meaning that some digital 16-year-old computer whiz neighbor, or maybe some more malicious hacker, could potentially steal your video signals to learn about your household routines and property hard-wired systems can’t be hacked and are therefore more secure.If you want to use your cameras to find out whose dog is pooping on your lawn and who’s not cleaning it up, for example, go hardwired. Wired security cameras provide high-definition video-good enough to read license plates and recognize faces, while many wireless systems still deliver lower resolution images.