CCTV kit

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CCTV kit.

Is there an argument that as an end user it is better to buy a CCTV kit from a wholesaler and then install the system either by yourself or get an electrician to carry out the work? Well it would save on costs there is no doubt about that. But CCTV kits available on the Internet tend to be imported from the Far East and tend to be of a lower spec than a CCTV installer would use.

Home CCTV.

For home CCTV it is defiantly a market that is growing, the average domestic customer is simply looking to install a CCTV system to enable them to see who is there without leaving the safety of the home. To this end the CCTV systems that are available in Kit form will suffice. Commercial users though often have CCTV cameras installed for more reasons than just observation purposes and this is where good recording and quality cameras will make a difference.

CCTV kits

Most companies have little or no resources to just have someone watching CCTV images, so inevitably all the information that the CCTV system gathers will need to be reviewed from a recording. This is where the main difference between CCTV kits and a professionally installed CCTV system will tell.

CCTV system.

A CCTV System in kit form will have little or no flexibility on the number of frames per second it can handle or the image quality unlike a more expensive DVR solution. Lets be honest though some high end spec DVRs can cost upwards of £6000 they will have many features and some of these would be over the top for many small or domestic installations.

Buy CCTV.

At the end of the day when buying CCTV kits you really need to think hard about why you really want it, to observe or to actually produce usable images after an event has occurred. Review what is out there and take advice. It could save you spending hard earned cash on something that at the end of the day turns out to be a white elephant.

Emizon IP CCTV communicator solution

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IP CCTV monitoring communicator.

Over the last 15 years one of the biggest growth areas in CCTV and security has been remote CCTV monitoring. A fantastic concept, it has been an easy sale once a customer is convinced a third party will be looking after his site for him for a fraction of the cost of a security guard. Over many years, the ISDN telephone line was the only way to carry enough data over the network to give a presentable picture to the operator viewing images at the central station. The one weak point never addressed however by either installers or the end users was, what If the line was cut? This effectively rendered the system useless.


As time has moved forward, we have had the broadband revolution. Manufacturers have continued to  strive to improve picture quality to central stations, now using clever compression techniques and the ever expanding bandwidth available, means operators sitting in the central station are now given some brilliant images to work with. It seems the criminals now have no chance? However we need to go back to an earlier point. What happens if the line is cut or simply goes faulty?  The intruder quite simply has all the the time in the world to effectively empty the customers premises, at his leisure …well not quite. There is now a simple cheap and effective solution.
Emizon IP have bought out their IP broadband communicator that can notify the central station of a broadband line failure. By using a secondary GPRS path a signal can be sent to the central station informing them that immediate action is required to restore the broadband link. When the Emizon is also connected to the premises intruder alarm all the signals will be received giving the central station enough information to call the police should this course of action be required.


The Emizon comes in the form of a TDC and also has relay outputs to re-initialize remote DVRs if required. It is always on and is also 8148 compliant, this means that thousands of legacy monitored systems would dramatically benefit by upgrading their signalling. Clearly using  Emizon has many advantages.


More on this product soon. And why we see Emizon being the leading dual path broadband monitoring solution for the future.

Bosch news, IP camera 200 series.

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200 series IP cameras.

This great little camera is ideal for small business who only need a one or two camera solution and don’t want to have to pay out for an NVR or DVR recorder. What is more, all you require is an IP point POE switch and a screw driver and this IP camera can be simply removed from the box fixed to the wall and plugged in. That’s all there is to it.

ONVIF compatible.

Ideal for reception areas or small shops the IP camera 200 series comes in two forms.The 255 and 225 versions. This gives you the choice of a fixed or a varifocal lens. The IP camera produces crisp clear images and is ONVIF compatible.

CCTV software.

As well as on-board recording the camera can be integrated to a Bosch surveillance software for ease of viewing recorded images. The camera has built in motion detection so recording space can be saved on the on board SD memory card. Using the very latest H.264 compression standard the camera seems to fit into many applications.

Backlight compensation needed?

Having been demonstrated the camera I have to say I agree with all the above but the images could have been better when looking towards doors and windows especially because it seems to fit so well into the area of viewing doorways in reception areas.

Hybrid CCTV, Analogue CCTV or IP CCTV?

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Decisions , decisions

If you are the  MD of a company who is about to upgrade or install a new CCTV surveillance system, you are probably going to be faced with some pretty tricky decisions on how you are going to approach the subject. The three main questions you will need to ask yourself are:

1)      Will I just upgrade my analogue cameras for new analogue cameras?

2)      Will I use a mixture of my existing equipment with new IP camera technology .i.e. a hybrid CCTV system?

3)      Will I go for the latest IP Megapixel camera solutions with a VMS recording platform?

CCTV solution? Too many choices?

The problem is there is no clear answer on this. Option 1 will almost certainly work out the cheapest at the point of installation and the results you will be able to achieve will mirror those of any previous analogue system you have used. The cameras and DVR may well have more features but overall system performance is going to be the same.

Hybrid CCTV.

Option 2 will give you a half way house solution. Hybrid systems combine analogue and IP cameras with the potential to record on either a DVR or an NVR but you will have to convert the cameras to either analogue or IP at the point of recording. Having said that some companies advocate the use of a Hybrid DVR that can handle both, but long term support for these products is distinctly questionable. However for the time being they provide a convenient bridge between the two technologies.

IP CCTV.

Finally option 3. This will mean a commitment to the future, but one that is still evolving. With megapixel cameras you really need to consider your companies network capabilities to ensure the frame rate and picture quality are maximised. It is inevitable that IP products will be the dominant force in the CCTV market place over the next 5 years. Analogue solutions have reached their ultimate performance levels and have become as cheap as they ever will do. The price of analogue will rise in time, which is why option 1 may not be the cheapest route in the long run. Conversely IP products will fall in price sharply and the options and ranges of the camera and recording products will be wide ranging.

Buy IP CCTV solution.

So as an MD the decision is defiantly not easy, proper advice should be sort to ensure that a supplier with an installation preference does not force you down the wrong route. So thought and consideration is now crucial as to the decision……… “Buy IP Camera solution”? probably …yes!