“So many people don’t think about Home Security until it’s too late until someone has broken into their home.”
–Sue Phillips
To ensure your family’s safety and precious household belongings, there are various home security systems like video door phones, wireless intercom, bio-metric, burglar alarms, anti-theft motion sensor alarms, padlocks, magnetic door lock systems, Ring Video Doorbell, etc. One among them is CCTV cameras, the most common and affordable home security system.
Thanks to CCTV cameras, that has made monitoring your home easy and provides adequate security so you can be sure about the safety of you and your loved ones. CCTV cameras have evolved significantly in the last decade and have become an important part of everyone’s life in today’s world. CCTV camera footage can also be provided as evidence in court for any criminal activity.
CCTV cameras are very affordable today and offer various features like 360° visions, motion and audio sensors, night mode, remote access, longer range, etc. Before choosing the best CCTV camera for your house, you must have an idea about what feature you must look for.
8 Things to Check Before Buying CCTV
#1 Where You want to Install the Camera
You must also plan where you are going to install the CCTV cameras and look for features based on that. For an indoor camera, you must look for features like 360° vision, video quality, remote access, etc. For outdoor cameras, look for features like night vision, 360° angle, camera range, video quality, waterproof, remote access, etc.
#2 SD card slot – Inbuilt or External
Check if the CCTV camera has an inbuilt SD card slot or whether it requires a separate external storage device. Most of the CCTV cameras nowadays come with inbuilt micro-SD card slots, users can insert memory cards of any capacity for recording. But few CCTV cameras which you get for a cheap price don’t have an inbuilt slot and depend upon an external device for storage.
#3 Camera Range and Video Quality
The most important features you must check before buying a CCTV are camera range and video quality, especially when you are purchasing for outdoor location. The greater the focal lens and resolution, longer the range, and clearer the objects captured, even from far distance. An outdoor CCTV camera must have at least 20-25-meter range.
#4 Pan/Tilt of the CCTV
Latest CCTV cameras can rotate all 360° horizontally and vertically to cover wide space around. The maximum angle the camera can rotate horizontally is called pan and vertically is tilt. If you want to cover a larger area, a CCTV camera with higher pan and tilt is essential.
#5 Motion/Audio Sensors
Motion and audio sensors are features of smart CCTV cameras, they are not so popular in India currently, and high priced too. But if you want a first-class security system and the best protection for your home, buying cameras with these features is worth it.
#6 Easy Installation and Setup
Usually, wireless CCTV cameras are the easiest to install and setup, as there are no cables involved. However, to mount the camera in the wall you have to drill holes and place the camera with the help of screws and pins. Few CCTV camera suppliers offer free installation and setup on the purchase.
#7 Number of Infra-Red LEDs in Camera
Infra-red LEDs are small bulbs located around the camera lens, they detect invisible infrared wavelengths, enabling the camera to see in dark (night vision). More number of IR lights means better quality night mode recording.
#8 Waterproof or not
When you are purchasing an outdoor camera to monitor outside your home, etc., you must look for a waterproof CCTV camera.
Top 5 CCTV cameras for your home
1. Mi 3600 1080p Full HD Wi-Fi Smart Security Camera
- The two-way communication mode is incredible.
- Multiple users can watch the camera recording at the same time.
- Offline video recording and excellent night mode camera.
2. TP-Link Smart Cam Pan Tilt Home Wi-Fi Camera – Tapo C200
- Easy installation and setup.
- Auto-connect to Wi-Fi when power on.
- Recording ability even when not connected to internet.
3. Qubo by Hero Group 1080p Full HD 3.2MP Wi-Fi Indoor Smart Security Camera
- Partnership with Qualcomm Vision Intelligence Platform.
- Works with all ZigBee devices.
- Alexa compatibility is an additional benefit.
4. Qubo by Hero Group 1080p Full HD 2MP Wi-Fi Indoor/Outdoor security camera
- Excellent all-weather proof feature.
- Free cloud storage for two months.
- Storage capacity up to 128GB SD card.
5. EZVIZ by Hikvision C3WN 1080p Full HD Wi-Fi Outdoor IP66 Camera
- Outstanding build quality to survive extreme weather conditions.
- The EZVIZ app is easy to use.
- Exceptional clarity and adequate Field of View for high security.
Conclusion
“There is nothing more important than a safe and secure home.”
–Rosalynn Carter
Whether you have been living in the same house for many years, or looking to move into a new home, you must check and make sure there are enough security arrangements available. Before finalizing your home purchase in a new city or a new locality in your current city, you should find out about the safety of the area. Speak to some people in the neighborhood and ask them about the level of crimes that take place there and how secure the place is for kids and women.
Start noting down your exact home security needs and list out the various factors you need to look into like placement, night-vision requirement, storage needs, and so on. Keep the aforementioned tips in mind and look for the necessary features before purchasing a CCTV camera.
Stay Safe!
Author’s Bio
Debendra Prasad is the CEO of AssureShift, a company that acts as a connecting channel between customers and relocation companies. He is into Web Development, Web Designing, Digital Marketing, and Business Planning since 2012. Debendra started his career in 2014 and has always worked to create valuable solutions for solving people’s problems and; improving lives. He has written on various industries from Digital Marketing, Business Development, Real Estate, Education, NGOs, Relocation, and Fitness.