How to Install a Security Camera System for a House
1
Make a diagram of your
surveillance needs. It is both
expensive and impractical to monitor every square inch of your house, so you
need to prioritize what areas you want to watch the most. Draw up a rough
diagram of your house or print out the blueprints and note where you might want
to place cameras. When you are done, check out each location to make sure it is
not blocked by anything and provides the best view possible. You may want
cameras for:
· Front and back doors.
·
Off-Street Windows
·
Large common spaces
·
Driveways
·
Porches
Stairways
2
Buy the right package
to suit your needs. You can buy each
piece individually, but it is generally cheaper and easier to buy bundled
security systems. At minimum your system should have 1-3 cameras, a DVR
(digital video recorder), appropriate wiring (siamese and BNC cables), and
power cords. Unless you are choosing to monitor a large area, wireless cameras
with wall mounting should cover your needs.
·
Basic
Home Security: Get a package
with 2-3 outdoor cameras (to monitor doors), and a DVR with at least 3 days of
recording time.
·
Monitoring
Valuables/Young Children: 1-3
indoor wireless cameras can cover a small room effectively and stream the
footage right to your computer.
3
Alternatively, buy
your cameras individually. Once
you know how many cameras you need, you'll need to think about what specific
cameras you want. A home surveillance system can cost anywhere from a few
hundred dollars to well over a thousand, so make sure you consider the type of
cameras you need before buying -- the features below should be clearly labeled
on the box. While you can buy all of the parts separately, buying a full
"surveillance set" is usually cheaper and easier to install.
·
Wireless
vs. Wired: Wireless cameras
are easy to set-up without drilling or running cables through your house, but
the quality can be sub-par the further they get away from the receiver. If you
are covering a big area, go wired, but most houses find wireless and easier
set-up process.
·
Indoor
or Outdoor: Cameras that are
not made to be place outside will quickly break when exposed to rain and
humidity, so be sure to choose accordingly.
·
Motion
Sensing: Some cameras
will only record when they notice motion, saving space and energy while only
capturing footage when someone is in the room.
·
Remote
Viewing: Many high-end
cameras offer the ability to stream their footage to your phone or laptop
anywhere in the world, making it possible to check out your house through a
provided program or app.
4
Set up a recording
device and monitor. In order to
store and view your footage you need a Digital Video Recorder (DVR). This
device receives all of the video feeds and broadcasts them onto a monitor,
usually a computer screen or small TV. DVRs have a variety of memory capacities
that allow them to store a certain amount of video, from hundreds of hours to
one day's worth of footage.
·
If you buy a complete
surveillance set the DVR is usually included with the camera.
·
Network Video
Recorders (NVR) and analog recorders (VCRs), also available for purchase, work
the same way as a DVR, using an internet signal (NVR) or blank tapes (VCR) to
record instead of a digital hard-drive. The following installation tips will
work here as well.
5
Test your equipment before installing. Make sure your cables, DVR, cameras, and
monitor all work by connecting each one before you install anything.
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