What I love about the security industry is that the makers of security products are constantly advancing the technology to meet market desire. One such technology that really caught my eye and it’s something I’m personally interested in is the new IP home CCTV kits coming onto the market.
Vacation Security Drill
Many people have a security drill they follow before heading off for a weekend or extended vacation. That will include activating burglar alarms and time lights, letting neighbors know they will be away and so on. That drill now includes setting IP security cameras to not only record activity around your home, but also to let us actually view our home from hand held mobile devices like iphones and many other Smart Phones (I prefer Androids!).
Why Choose IP CCTV Kits?
CCTV IP camera systems give us that extra peace of mind, that stops us wondering what is going on at home while we are away. Irrespective of were we are in the world, we can now log into our home CCTV kit and view live images of our homes. This works equally well if you want to view from a PC.
How They Work
Wireless IP cameras can be placed anywhere in the home as they connect to home broadband wireless routers. The cameras are generally inexpensive, and considerably less expensive than traditional wired CCTV cameras. Not only that, they can easily be hidden and many devices are incognito as common household items, which means you can position them in the best places to record intruder activity. Many of these cameras can be plugged in or just run off batteries, and their low power requirements means you won’t have to replace their batteries that often.
Despite the low ticket price and simplicity of these IP home CCTV kits, they feature high definition video, night vision and many have motion tracking. Systems like the UK based EyeSpy247 will alert homeowners of an intrusion by automatically sending them a text message or email with an image attached. There are many similar versions of this IP CCTV system available in the US. The recorded activity is stored in to a remote server which can be played back for viewing from anywhere, and the recordings can be used as evidence of a crime.
Prices for these systems start from around $100 and all the equipment is usually provided.
Setting Up Your Home IP CCTV Kit
Ok, I won’t go into the nitty-gritty details here, as they are better explained with visuals. Basically how it works, your wireless cameras connect to a router in your home. The router connects to a server. Your PC or Smartphone can then access the files online via a broadband connection. This is achieved by logging into an account with a username and password, which will give you access to your files. Your files will be recordings from the security camera in your home. Simple enough. It does get a little techie when it we get down to talking about IP addresses and so on.
To reduce confusion I’ve sourced this YouTube video for your to review a typical IP camera remote viewing set-up. This guy does a great job of explaining how to implement you system, and if you are getting a professional to install yours make sure you are clear on all the information you need before he heads out the door. Here’s that video:
Why Choose Wireless Vs Wired CCTV
Wireless is the way to go for home security devices IMO. It’s so much easier to install the devices than running wires all over your home. And what happens to your wired CCTV if there is a power cut? While checking camera batteries in a wireless system every few months is a pain, at least your house is secure when the power goes out.
Also, wireless is less expensive to install. Optic fibres don’t come as cheap as a wireless router, and the hours it will take workers to drill and run wires around your home is going to cost big bucks, and a mess.
Either wireless or wired CCTV can be IP connected, so it’s not like you have to choose between the two systems if that feature is important to you.
Benefits Round-up of Wireless IP CCTV Set-up:
- You can move your cameras to test different positions around and within your home. This is difficult to do with a wired system as cameras are restricted to one location, restricting their view and portability.
- While wireless CCTV technology can sometimes be slightly more expensive than a wired solution, you can expect to save on installation and labour costs as well as fixes and retouching to walls and skirting boards if installed inside your home.
- You can view your wireless IP CCTV from any internet connected computer or mobile device worldwide.
The Future Of Home CCTV Security
Home security is a growth industry with strong growth experienced in 2010 while many other industries struggled. According to market researchers RNCOS, IP cameras are expected to replace/overtake traditional analogue CCTV as a market leader in 2012. Reference http://www.rncos.com/Report/IM134.htm
Final Thoughts
While this technology is terrific, and I love the way the online world is increasingly being mashed-up with traditional offline technology. However, I can’t help feel it’s getting harder for us to ‘switch off’. I find myself playing with my HTC Android phone all the time, checking email and so on. Now I can go on vacation and check that my house is okay whenever I want!
In the good old days I just ran through the old security drill, crossed my fingers, and packed the family in the car and hit the road. Sure, I’d wonder from time to time if everything at home was okay, but I couldn’t obsess about it. I had to ‘let it go’. There was something nice about that. Just like it is nice to return home after a great vacation, turn the key in the door and feel that relief to find my home just the way I left it. I guess that feeling will be lost but that’s the price of progress.
So, do I really need to see my home being broken into and my stuff stolen from my vacation destination? I mean, if they’re going to rob the place, does it matter that I can see it happening? It won’t stop the crime, it’ll just ruin my vaction. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying ‘don’t install a CCTV kit’, it’ll record the burglar in action and that can be used in a court. What I’m saying is maybe we don’t need to set-up the IP remote viewing option.
