Digital and IP CCTV Systems
You may be looking for a CCTV system in order to protect your business premises or home.
Many varying factors need to be taken into account when designing a CCTV system, such as ground layout, environmental conditions and ambient light levels.
In order to take all of the above into account, ADR will be happy to provide a full on-site survey at no cost to you.
Surveys can usually be arranged within 3 days of request subject to availability.
CCTV systems tend to fall into two type categories, Digital and IP.
Digital CCTV
This is the traditional method of CCTV which has been used in many applications since tape based (VCR) recording was phased out some years ago.
Digital CCTV Systems comprise of a series of external/internal cameras that are linked to a Digital Video Recorder (DVR). Coaxial video cable or UTP cable can be used to carry the video signal. Images are recorded onto hard disk drive and can be exported onto DVD for evidence or archiving purposes.
The quality achieved by digital CCTV can vary immensely depending on the type of equipment that is used. Some recorders save images in H264 format, others in MPEG4 and others in MJPEG. The length of time that recordings can be saved is dependant upon the size of hard drive that is fitted, the number of cameras that are connected and the recording resolution and frame-rate that is specified.
Please bear in mind that the data protection act requires that CCTV recordings of members of the public are not held for longer than is reasonably necessary (usually no longer than 14 days).
IP CCTV
An alternative to Digital CCTV is IP (Internet Protocol)
IP CCTV systems may look exactly like ordinary digital CCTV systems at face value, but they are actually quite more complex.
IP cameras convert the digital image into a bit-stream and transmit this over an ethernet network in pretty much the same way that computers transmit data to each-other over the internet.
Images are received by a Network Video Recorder (NVR) which decodes the bitstream and stores the footage onto it's hard drives.
IP CCTV integrates well with existing IT infrastructure and can run over the same structured cabling that normal computers use. Meaning that if a new building has been flood-wired with Cat.5 or Cat.6 UTP cable outlets, no new cabling has to be installed.
IP CCTV cameras are normally powered by Power over Ethernet (POE) devices, meaning one cable can be used to transmit the video data and also power the camera.
The cameras themselves can record images at extremely high resolution, much like a hand-held digital camera. For this, mega-pixel cameras are used. These are often a good investment when the client needs to record images in fine detail.
IP CCTV systems have to be implemented professionally and often have to be segregated onto a unique network due to the bandwidth involved.
Equipment and Workmanship Warranty
Whether you chose Digital or IP for your CCTV, ADR aim to ensure that all supplied equipment is backed by a minimum of 12 months manufacturer warranty. Some of our high-end systems boast extended warranty periods of upto 3yrs, please ask for details.
For this reason we may not always be able to quote like for like against our competitors systems, as we are increasingly finding that others are specifying low-grade, imported equipment in order to win business.
Unfortunately for the buyer this sub-standard equipment often tends to be extremely unreliable, failing either before or shortly after the 12 month warranty period has lapsed.
A selection of manufacturers we are happy to recommend include; Samsung, Dedicated Micros, Pelco, Vista and Concept Pro (amongst others).
Phone us for further information: 0800 043 1570
