Common CCTV DVR DIY Errors

In this article we will try to identify some of the most common mistakes that should be avoided when creating your own DVR.

1. Budget: Many DIY devices simply do not allocate enough funds for such projects. Looking at the cameras, look at the specs. A protective camera costing $ 200 and a camera with protection from $ 50 will differ in image quality and easy response. See also DVR CCTV features. Places like Costco offer video surveillance systems worth less than $ 500, but these surveillance systems do not have any special features in professional systems like Video Insight. These systems can even skip basic functions, such as video motion detection. You may want to find video surveillance packages that integrate everything you need to integrate a system, including a video recorder, video surveillance cameras, security camera lenses, mounts, power supplies, and cable. Such packages can start at about $ 2,000 and go up to $ 10,000, depending on the number of security cameras needed.
2. CCTV camera placement: The location of the surveillance camera is one of the most important factors in an effective CCTV system. Ask yourself the questions that professionals ask: how is the light going? How will this change at night? What am I trying to see? How do people move around? What blind spots will there be? What camera cctv lens do i need to use? Do I need to use multiple surveillance cameras to cover this area? Would a side view be better for this than a straight line?
3. Choosing the right security cameras: When you look at security cameras, understand what you are trying to do. Are you looking for license plate recognition? If this is the case, then you need to choose a camera lens that will allow the plate to be at least 1/3 of the image. This means that a surveillance camera with a wider field of view cannot recognize a license plate. The same goes for face recognition. If you are trying to cover parking with a narrow entrance, you will have to use two surveillance cameras. Very wide entrances can make it very, very difficult.
4. Choosing the right camera lens: Choosing the right camera lens is pretty simple. Pay attention to where you are going to place the camera and select the point where you want to get the best image. Measure from there to the camera. This is your focal length. Then measure the width of the image you want to see. After you have these numbers, you can send them to the lens calculator for video surveillance. Looking at the F-stop, you will find out how well this lens will work at night.
5. Infrared or Not ?: Infrared cameras are great for covering areas of total darkness. But many of the all-in-one / emitter devices are quite limited in range. This chart can help you decide whether you should take the intended route or not.
   • Direct sunlight: 100,000-130,000 lux
   • Full daylight, indirect sunlight: 10,000–20,000 lux
   • Cloudy day: 1000 lux
   • Internal office: 200 - 400 lux
   • Very dark day: 100 lux
   • Twilight: 10 lux
   • Deep twilight: 1 suite
   • Full moon: 0.1 lux
   • Quarter Moon: 0.01 lux
   • Perfect clear night sky: 0.001 lux
   • Brainless cloudy night sky: 0.0001 lux
6. Focusing camcorder: This is a simple and simple trick that will help focus the camcorder. Use the BNC connector for RCA and a small TV to focus the camcorder. The ideal time to focus camcorders is at dusk, because it will give the best compromise between the light and dark settings of the auto-iris lens.
7. Cable types: There are several types of cables called RG-59. Copper versus aluminum sheet and 75% braid versus 95% braid. For the video surveillance system to work, you should always use protection from copper screens. Aluminum protection is designed for modulated signals, such as cable, and allows too much interference to video surveillance systems. 75% of the braid and 95% of the braid measure how tightly and how much copper is used in the copper sheath. 95% copper braided cable is more expensive, but worth the extra cost. It is much more effective in preventing interference and more forgiving mistakes. We sell only 95% copper shielded RG-59 rubber
8. Cable tracks and ground loops: Coaxial cable should be at least 12 inches from any power lines and power cables. AC power creates a noise field that looks like snow on the screen. Loops can be caused by fixing the cameras on metal structures with different electrical grounding, then power. This will cause the bars to move around the screen.
9. Sony cameras: Sony has a line of surveillance cameras, but they are all clearly labeled by Sony. You will find that many sites offer Sony cameras when they don’t talk about Sony. The reason for this is that Sony accounts for about 75% of CCD chips in the world, which are used in everything from cameras to digital cameras to surveillance cameras. A CCD is an important part of a security camera and influences resolution, but the electronics underlying the CCD also play a big role in how good your image is.
10. What determines how good my image is ?: How good your image is depends on several things. It depends on how good your lens is, how focused it is, what the resolution is and how good the S / N ratio is (signal to noise). When you look at a camera, you usually want both the high resolution and the highest signal-to-noise ratio you can find. The signal-to-noise ratio is a logarithmic scale, so the difference between 46 dB and 48 dB is a rather large difference. If you are forced to choose between a camera with a slightly lower resolution and a high signal-to-noise ratio or a camera with a higher resolution and a lower signal-to-noise ratio, try choosing one that has the best signal-to-noise ratio if you are doing more (500 feet +). For shooters, going with a higher resolution, everything is in order.
11. How many FPS do I need ?: Many manufacturers and distributors will try to pull the highest DVR-cards and cards onto you, because these products have the maximum profit. But a high frame rate may not be in your interest, both in terms of storage and in terms of budget. For most applications from 3 to 7 frames per second. If your goal is to identify theft or vandals, then 3 fps is almost always enough. The only time you need to consider more than 15 frames per second, you need to follow the sleight of hand, like viewing the register. The reason for avoiding higher frame rates is that they take up more disk space, reducing the overall system storage time. It can also divert the budget from choosing the right cameras, which are much more important and, most likely, generate useful evidence, and then higher frame rates.
12. Audio recording: Do not do this! In many states it is illegal, period. It doesn't matter if it is your home or other private property. The law only cares about whether people are recording that they are being recorded. A number of people tend to think: “Well, I’ll put it anyway, it’s not like someone tells me.” The problem with this logic is that if you ever send a video as evidence to a court, and you violate state or federal laws, you have just given evidence to the courts that you are also a crime. The best solution is that the court throws the record, and you do not go to prison. But if you can't use your notes to help convict the person who offended you, how much money did you spend?
13. CSI: As a rule, everything that you have seen on television or in movies with improved video is simply impossible in the real world. You cannot output data where there is none. There is no magic tricks to make this work.