Pro and Cons of Wireless Cameras

Should I choose Wireless or Wired Cameras for my security system?

There are many retailers offering wireless cameras these days, and boasting about the range, and quality as well as the ease of installation of these cameras...However, they neglect to inform you of the MAJOR FLAWS of a wireless camera system!

Wireless cameras are not secure! These cameras are easy to install, but they can allow a professional, or even an amateur who has a few dollars and access to a Radio Shack® store, to see inside your house or business, and case the robbery from the outside.

This defeats the purpose of a Security Surveillance System!!! Now you never know who is watching you on your own cameras!

These cameras operate on very crowded frequency bands which can be interfered with by a Mobile Phone, Wireless Access-Point, Wireless Network Card, or many other wireless devices. This also demonstrates how easy it is to disable the camera system from outside of your home or business.

Wireless cameras are not stable. The pictures flip, and the least disturbance in the area, such as a person walking by the receiver can disturb the picture.

Finally, the wireless cameras broadcast on the same frequency. You can only have one wireless camera in an area. There are multiple frequency cameras that come with multiple frequency receivers, but not only do the cost 3-4 times more, they are also not reliable, and suffer from channel drift as the video from one channels drifts into the next.

In our experience a Wired Surveillance System is the only solution!.

CAUTION - You can only have ONE WIRELESS CAMERA in an area, as they broadcast on the same frequency. If you have two or more, all you will get is noise when you go to view them on your monitor.

There are cameras that are multiple frequency cameras, and they require multiple frequency receivers. The start in price at $120.00 US each. They are limited to 4 channels, Unfortunately, apart from being expensive, they also suffer from channel drift, as the signal from one channel drifts into the other channels. Not an ideal set-up at all.

There is one really good reason to purchase a wireless camera. That is for its ability to be set up quickly without stringing wires. So we suggest you consider if you do ant a wireless camera , 3 wired cameras and one wireless camera to take advantage of this capability to move one camera around easily, without compromising the entire set-up.

Frames per Second

Most DVR capture cards are 30 frames per second cards. (NTSC - North American Video Standard) When they are being used to run PAL cameras (European Video Standard) the frames per second rate is 25.

If you attach one camera to the card then it will view and record at 30 frames per second. If you attach two cameras, that resource is shared between the two cameras, and you can view and record at 15 frames per second. If you attach four cameras, then you can view and record at 7.5 frames per second.

Why frames per second is NOT THAT IMPORTANT!!!!

Well, it is, if you are using the card to study the mating habits of hummingbirds!

But we believe that the object in good surveillance is to be able to obtain high quality images that you can email to the police, print out on your color inkjet, and that can be used to prosecute an offender.

When you are running four cameras on a 30 fps card, an illegal act that takes 1-2 seconds, will produce 7 - 15 pictures that you can use to prove your case to the police!!!

A 30 fps card is by far your most cost effective choice for professional surveillance. If you absolutely need higher frame rates, consider buying more than one card, and then you could have up to 4 cards in one machine, driving 4 cameras, each with 30 frames per second viewing and recording.

As soon as you go to the internet viewing, however, your frame rate will drop again, because the internet slows down the process.

Bottom line, 30 frames per second total resource is most likely all you need in 95% of the time you need surveillance.

Want to drive   8 cameras - Purchase 2 cards - you need 2 PCI slots
Want to drive 12 cameras - Purchase 3 cards - you need 3 PCI slots
Want to drive 16 cameras - Purchase 4 cards- you need 4 PCI slots

What are the minimum computer specifications for running a DVR system on my PC?

This Section is Under Construction

Each card we sell has its own minimum system requirements

Our Security Eyes or Alnet Professional 30 frames per second card’s PII 233, 64MB RAM, 5GB HDD, Network Card/Modem

Our 60 frames per second card

Our 120 frames per second card

Our USB DVR adaptor

Our USB 2.0 adaptor

What is a Dedicated PC?

A Dedicated PC, is a PC that is not used for any other purpose. A DVR PC constantly needs access to all of the PC's resources. Because of this, operation of any other programs, surfing the internet, or any other activity aside from running the DVR program, can cause poor performance, failure to record video properly, or system failure.

What is the difference between a CMOS and a CCD Camera?

To put it simply, the difference is in the quality of the image sensor.

A CMOS camera has a less-expensive image sensor. The other benefits of CMOS are size, and low-power consumption. Most CMOS cameras can even be operated for several hours on a single 9-volt battery! The low-power consumption comes at a price however. CMOS cameras have a lower resolution and less color quality than the CCD cameras.

However, the CCD Cameras are much more sensitive to power fluctuations, due to the fact that the CCD Sensors have 4 integrated processors compared to the one processor found on a CMOS sensor. CCD cameras usually have much better picture quality, resolution and color balance. The drawback of a CCD camera is high-power consumption and sensitivity to minute voltage changes It is highly recommended to use a AVS battery backup unit for the CCD Camera Power adapters and DVR PC.

How should I place my cameras in order to ensure I catch video that will capture the most relevant shots?

While this is a very broad question, here are some tips at placing your cameras...

 I don't see any 12-16 camera kits...are they available?

YES, simply add together any 2, 4 or 8 camera systems in order to build a 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, or 24 camera system.

 What is the benefit of a DVR system as opposed to a traditional time-lapse VCR CCTV (Closed Circuit Television) system?

A DVR (computer-based) system gives several benefits over a standard VCR-based system.

First and foremost, the DVR takes the majority of human error out of the equation. With a traditional system, a staff member or person in charge of the security system would have to remember and be present at the same time each day, to change the tape in the VCR. Commonly, due to unforeseen circumstances, or neglect or even simply the fact that a tape is currently being reviewed, the tapes in a traditional system do not get changed or are not always recording (due to the limitation of a VCR). Without a tape in the system, it cannot record, and therefore, anything that would happen at your home or business would not be recorded!

A surveillance system is in place to constantly monitor, and keep record of all occurrences. If there are gaping holes in the actual recorded time, then this leaves great chances that important information, such as cars entering or leaving the gas station, or customers walking out of your store with items they did not pay for, or an employee reaching in their pocket would not be on the tape.

In the case of a DVR System, it is always running, and always recording (if configured properly). Even while you are reviewing the previously recorded video, it still continues to record the data! This provides a great advantage, as your employees, family members or customers may be able to see, while you are reviewing a pre-recorded cassette in a traditional system, and may take advantage of the momentary lapse in security.

Why would I need a Surveillance System?

Surveillance systems are used for many purposes.

For businesses, a surveillance system may be used for monitoring employees and productivity, safety of employees, documenting customer visits, preventing fraud and theft, and providing court documentation if theft were to occur.

For homes, a surveillance system may be used for watching your children while you are at work or inside the house, watching your pets (for extreme pet lovers), monitoring your home while you are away on a trip, watching for delivery of packages, monitor a philandering spouse, or making home videos of those times when you just don't have a camera handy.

In the world today, the need for a CCTV Surveillance System is increasing. Suspicious activity can be recorded and reported immediately to the authorities. Cameras also help us catch the perpetrator or save ourselves from embarrassment of false accusations.

What is a LUX in the camera rating?

To see properly, a CCTV camera requires a certain amount of light produced by natural or artificial illumination. B/W cameras work with any type of light sources, but color cameras need lights that contain all the colors in the visible spectrum for best color imaging.

The amount of light is defined by LUX (Lumens per Square Meter). One LUX is one candle light volume at one meter distance. Followings are some examples of natural lights expressed in LUX.

View the LUX ratings of your camera to determine the LUX necessary for your application.

How do I select a Camera?

Selection of the best camera to suit your needs should be based on where the camera is to be located, and the light conditions of the location.

What if I don't see the camera I want?

Surveillance Solutions is constantly expanding our line of products. We are listing them as fast as we can on our new web site. Please check back to our web site often to discover our new products and review our older ones.

What is the difference between wired and wireless cameras?

Wired cameras have a video cable that runs from the camera to the video input jack on your recording or viewing device. Wireless cameras have a built-in transmitter that sends the video signal to a receiver. The receiver connects to the video input jack on your recording or viewing device.


What is the range of the wireless cameras?

The standard wireless cameras have a range up to 500 feet, depending on the number and type of objects you are transmitting through. The commercial grade transmitter has a 15 mile line of sight range (500-700 foot indoor range). Line of sight means there is nothing between the transmitter and receiver, for example building top to building top.


Is a special recorder or monitor needed?

Any recording or viewing device with video input capabilities can be used, for example, a VCR, TV, camcorder or computerw ith our DVR Systems or use a web page with our Alnet and network enabled DVR units .


How long can the cameras record?

The amount of recording time is dictated by your recording device. A standard VCR can record for up to 10 hours if a T-200 tape is used. We also offer long play recorders that will record for 24 to 960 hours on one tape.


What do resolution & lux mean?

Resolution measures the cameras ability to reproduce an image. The higher the resolution, the better the picture quality. Lux is the measure of light the camera requires to reproduce an image. The lower the number the less light the camera requires to reproduce an image.


Do the covert cameras have audio?

Audio is only available to law enforcement agencies due to federal law Title 18, Section 2512.


Will cordless phones interfere with the wireless cameras?

Cordless phones that operate in the 900MHz frequency can cause interference with our wireless cameras. Cordless phones that operate in the 900 to 2.4GHz frequency will cause interference with wireless cameras. Plus usually if you use more than one camera they can interfere with each other


What is the difference between a Digital Video Recorder (DVR) vs. an Analog VCR based video surveillance system?

The Digital Video Recorder (DVR) system records high resolution digital images to a hard disk drive (HDD) and eliminates the requirement of maintaining VHS tapes. Since the video images are stored digitally, the image quality will not degrade overtime, as would a VHS tape when recorded over multiple times. The time saving intelligent search capabilities of a DVR will enable the user to locate the desired video clips via user defined parameters (camera, time, date, etc.) vs. Fast Forward and Rewind functions of a VCR.


What is a DVR Card?

DVR Cards enable the user to convert their computer into a Digital Video Recorder. The DVR Card(s) is typically installed in an available PCI slot of a computer. DVR cards are bundled with video surveillance software which allows the user to record and display multiple cameras simultaneously from the camera site or a remote location.


How long will a DVR record for?

Can a DVR record upon detecting motion or via a schedule?

Yes. Each camera can be configured independently to record upon video motion detection or via a schedule.



How do I access my video from a remote location?

The user may access the video from a remote location via a standard modem connection or a high speed internet/intranet connection, with our client software, or with Alnet or standalone you can set a web page, also you can use a  PDA or PDA Smart Phone using Windows or Java based with our systems 


What is the viewable area for your cameras?

The viewable area is determined by the camera’s lens size (see lens chart below). Our covert cameras incorporate a 3.6mm lens.