Why you should have a CCTV system installed for your property

In this article we hope to help teach you the benefits of having a security system like CCTV installed in your home, office, shop etc that may just help you make up your mind.

A CCTV camera doesn’t have to stick out like a sore thumb. Like in this picture, its well tucked away under the gutter and helps the owner keep an eye on their property from any intruders coming onto the property or to pass round the gate on the side.
Like the look of the camera? Check it out here!

We’re going to list off the top 5 reasons to consider purchasing a CCTV system for your property. Carry on reading to find out more…

1. As a precautionary measure

CCTV cameras and monitoring systems improve the security and safety of a particular property. Through monitoring inside the house, you can identify what exactly is going on outside. All of our CCTV Video recorders can be viewed on smart phones or tablets via intelligent mobile applications and facilities. This allows for remote viewing no matter where you are. Have peace of mind even while you’re at work or away on holiday.

2. Have quality image & video evidence of any crimes that occur near your proerty

This is linked in with point 1. CCTV systems obtain evidential quality images and recordings of suspects that may be involved in any criminal activity within the area being monitored. Just in case something does happen, CCTV recordings serve as irrefutable evidence in any investigation; helping identify, find, and bring criminals to justice.

If you live in a friendly neighbourhood, this will definitely help not just yourself but your neighbours feel more safe too. and could help give them evidence if its their property that was targeted by intruders rather than your own.

Or on the other hand if the neighbourhood is not so friendly, it will make your neighbours think twice before they do anything stupid to you or your property. Some cameras like this 4K 8MP Prolux Camera will record Audio as well as video so if there is any verbal abuse, you will have recorded evidence of that too.

3. It’s one of the strongest deterrents of crime

A CCTV system has been proven time and time again that it will help prevent crimes and discourage any intruder from bothering you at home. Just seeing a mounted camera or alarm system will make most an intruder decide to try their luck elsewhere.

CCTV can be set up at various blind spots around your home that you can’t see from your windows so that if you hear an unusual noise or would like some extra peace of mind, you can check the perimeter of your property without having to leave your home. Not only is this more safe, it is also less stressful. Another good use of CCTV is to use as a peephole for homes that are without them – if you receive a visitor late at night and are unsure who it could be, you can identify the visitor without having to answer the door. This is particularly useful for vulnerable individuals such as the elderly.

4. Massive pay off for low cost & maintenance

Having a CCTV System in place requires almost no maintenance. So once its purchased and installed, it will keep protecting the property without a user having to interact with the system.

More importantly, a well-built and functional system can provide families with an increased sense of security and peace of mind. Installing a CCTV camera is a low-cost investment in keeping an eye on your children, pets, and properties.

5. Insurance deduction

While financial gain probably isn’t your number one motivator for installing a security system, it is certainly an added bonus that can make CCTV seem more appealing! When evaluating your insurance policy, the security of your property plays a huge impact on the amount of money you will pay, so by taking steps to make your property more secure and reduce the likelihood of your property being damaged or vandalised, you are in turn reducing the likelihood of you making a claim. This means that your insurance will be able to reduce your policy costs.

Conclusion

We hope in this article we were able to show you the many benefits of CCTV camera and systems when installed correctly and used responsibly. They offer many advantages for a home or business owner. However, like with any security tool and technology, it is important to identify the correct type of equipment that will fulfil the precise requirements. Feel free to call us and one of our friendly salespeople will help find the perfect system for you or for your job. Need help installing? We can pass your information on to our CCTV installers who work closely with us to install high quality and technologically advanced CCTV to customers across the UK. We tailor our service to match each individual client’s budget, property and concerns to ensure the highest levels of security for both domestic and commercial settings.

Till later,
HDSecure Team

Explaining Wide Dynamic Range

Wide Dynamic Range, commonly seen written as WDR, is a technology used to tackle issues in video recording areas with high variance in lighting levels. Cameras equipped with WDR are able to tackle this in a couple different ways (we will get around to how), which helps show more information in terms of what gets captured by the camera; notably by improving image quality and obtaining a more uniform result, thanks to this dynamic treatment of light.

Figure 1: Comparison shot showing how some of Cameras like this 8MP Prolux Turret Camera will help create more accurate imaging.

A good example of this is when a camera is facing towards somewhere with a window. Inside the building will be darker than outside. This means the camera will either focus on the inside and not be able to see anything going on through the window or you will focus out of the window and everything inside will get dark. This can be a security hazard as you will have an area where you can’t view what’s happening.
This is where a WDR Camera comes to play. With such a camera, it will be able to see both areas inside the building and out of the windows with a much more uniform level of lighting without loss of quality; most importantly you will have no gap in your surveillance security!

Where WDR Shines

Cameras with WDR are ideal in different situations that require very high-quality monitoring. Some examples are:

Figure 2: Comparison image shows how WDR affects cameras image/video that have views with varying lighting conditions.

– When the camera has areas of dark and light in one frame e.g. looking out from inside a building or looking out from a parking lot which needs to register which cars come through & leave.
– Cameras covering entrances of modern office block reception areas with lots of large windows.
– Cameras looking through glass/window with reflections present; preventing proper illumination.
– Cameras facing an area with quickly changing light levels e.g. facing a busy street with car lights, facing areas with neon signs.

Check out this Prolux 8MP 4K Turret Camera equipped with 120dB True WDR & 3DNR paired with Starlight Technology to provide Full-Colour Night vision in low light.
(click on picture to be taken to the product page)

How does Wide Dynamic Range work?

With WDR technology, the camera lens uses different shutter speeds to allow more light in darker areas & less light in brighter areas. The sensor’s exposure to light it receives from outside is controlled to achieve a compensated image. With powerful image processing power, This would then combine them into 1 image.

Figure illustrating how dynamic capture occurs with CCTV Cameras. — Figure 3: The Camera captures & combines several images with varying shutter speeds to form the final result in True WDR

True WDR cameras and Digital WDR (dWDR) cameras

When browsing for CCTV cameras, you will come across cameras with WDR. Use due diligence while browsing! Because although they may seem the same; they might not be. This is because there are multiple types of WDR; such as True Wide Dynamic Range and Digital WDR.

As written above, we have covered how True WDR works using different shutter speeds & raw image processing.
Digital WDR (dWDR) varies to this by using clever software to digitally retouch the image so darker areas are lightened and lighter areas darkened.

Hikvision’s Cameras with a Variety of WDR

DS-2CE76D0T-ITMFS — Hikvision has a wide Variety of Cameras with WDR.
Going from left to right:
Left – 8MP Dome w/ **dWDR** (DS-2CE76U1T-ITMF)
2MP ColorVu PIR Siren Turret w/ **130dB True WDR** (DS-2CE72DFT-PIRXOF)
5MP AoC Dome w/ **dWDR** (DS-2CE78H0T-IT3FS)
5MP ColorVu Turret w/ **130 dB True WDR** (DS-2CE72HFT-F28)

Hikvision has a wide Variety of Cameras with WDR.
Going from left to right:
Left – 8MP Dome w/ **dWDR** (DS-2CE76U1T-ITMF)
2MP ColorVu PIR Siren Turret w/ **130dB True WDR** (DS-2CE72DFT-PIRXOF)
5MP AoC Dome w/ **dWDR** (DS-2CE78H0T-IT3FS)
5MP ColorVu Turret w/ **130 dB True WDR** (DS-2CE72HFT-F28)

Differences in image with True & digital WDR

As True WDR captures more information, there is a clear difference in video with True WDR compared to dWDR. Proper WDR achieves a more optimal overall illumination and captures more detail in all areas as well. To do this, they require a greater capacity for image processing. For this reason, True WDR cameras, although more expensive, achieve better results. Check out this Prolux 8MP Turret Camera sporting True WDR, delivering the sharpest and optimally illuminated images on the market.

Having said this, as you can see in Figure 4, comparing a camera with dWDR with a camera without the technology is a much more obvious difference because you lose out on a lot more information when there’s nothing able to balance the colour and light levels out. Check out this camera by Prolux offering 4K picture quality paired with dWDR and 3D DNR

Prolux PXC-622F8 8MP 4K Dome Turret Camera. Comes with Digital Wide Dynamic Range & 3DNR to produce Crystal clear images no matter the lighting conditions.

Conclusion

Wide dynamic range was created to aid Surveillance cameras capture more colour accurate imaging. Especially when looking at more complex views with different light conditions.
Its important to consider this technology when choosing your Security Camera, be it HD Coaxial or IP.
Note: We still advise to not point cameras directly at strong light sources. This can damage the camera lense and reduce its lifespan.

Hopefully now you are more aware of Wide Dynamic Range (WDR), how it can help your surveillance system, and the varying types of WDR available on the market.
~Ali Azizi
HDSecure Team

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