Cameras constituting a closed circuit television or CCTV system can be analog – a DVR or Digital Video Reorder is used or digital – either a NVR or Network Video Recorder or Internet Protocol or IP is used. Both analog and digital CCTV systems work similar in which recordings of a targeted surveillance area will be captured, processed, and sent back to a monitor or across the internet to mobile phones or computers.
Analog cameras are the most standard kind of video surveillance, popular in both residential and commercial practices but provide a relatively lower resolution as compared to its digital counterpart. Digital cameras, on the other hand, are able to provide not only clearer images by offering higher megapixel but also images with finer details at a slightly pricier installation fee. Digital cameras are also fancy by giving wider views and allow one to retrieve certain event by setting it beforehand. For example, one does not need to go through the chore of screening through all camera footages when incidences like unusual motions are detected or someone is tampering with the camera, occurred.
For analog CCTV system, one camera will only be connected to a DVR but in a digital system, several cameras can be connected to the same NVR, which reduces much of the cabling works. As a result, digital cameras are also more open to the choice being placed anywhere the users find suitable. Furthermore, analog CCTV system tends to have one power source and a switch to control the signal being sent out, while digital CCTV system may exercise the “Power of Ethernet” (PoE) in which the power source and the data being sent out of the cameras are running on the same cable. This is also why a digital system can handle so many different cameras simultaneously.
The presence of analog and digital cameras open up our options for surveillance choice, therefore, it is even more important to pay attention on details that will lead us to the most suitable purchase. Recognise your needs and consult an experienced agent to kick start the process.
