At Sun Security we understand most people are new to CCTV video surveillance security camera systems and need a little help in choosing the right system. If you've decided to purchase a security camera system you've undoubtedly encountered a need to protect your home or business, and as such it is important that you take the time to pick a system that will adequately meet your needs. Your security camera system will be in use for many years to come, making a mistake and picking the absolute cheapest solution will leave you sorry later should something happen. Please take a few minutes to read this page and understand the various components of a security camera system and how they effect performance. We pride ourselves in providing an excellent value and high performance, as CCTV video surveillance security camera systems and accessories are all we sell.
Camera resolution is measured in TVL (TV Lines). They typically range from 360TVL at the low end to 680-700TVL at the high end. We recommend at least 420TVL if you're on a budget, and 540TVL or higher for a good quality picture. You can easily configure a security camera system using our system wizard with cameras that have the resolution you desire, and in fact virtually every other aspect of your system. We believe our online CCTV video surveillance security camera system wizard is one of the best available from a retail web site.
Often an afterthought, even the best camera can fail to provide the desired picture quality for your CCTV video surveillance security camera system if cheap cabling is used. We use cat5e with video baluns for all our systems, this provides the best video quality of cabling solution, and we can provide pre-made cables up to 300 feet in length. Also the video baluns use RJ45 connectors which snap into place (connecting cat5e cable to your balun is the same as connecting a cat5e network cable to your router) on after running your cable, which makes installation considerably easier, since running cables with connectors already attached or cable that is thicker than cat5e can be a hassle. The baluns have the connectors on them (for power, video, and audio) that you need to hook up the cameras.
We recommend that you purchase CCTV video surveillance security cameras that have nightvision capability. With nightvision in your CCTV video surveillance security camera system you will be able to get a fairly bright black and white picture (nightvision cameras are color during normal lighting conditions and black and white in low light when the nightvision turns on) even in complete darkness. Nightvision is provided by IR LEDS which typically surround the lens of the camera which emit light in the infrared part of the spectrum, and nightvision distance is determined by the size and number of IR LEDs in the camera. Please note that PTZ (Pan-tilt-zoom) cameras typically do NOT have infrared nightvision capability, and as such you would need to get a separate IR illuminator if you wish to have nightvision capability with those types of cameras. Many PTZ cameras also function at very low light levels (i.e. 0.001 lux) and as such do not need any IR illumination.
With our CCTV video surveillance security camera systems you get a full fledged Windows 7 PC. While DVRs are easy to use (and we have sold DVRs for many years), their interfaces and potential for expansion, both from a hardware and software standpoint, are often very limited. We are in the process of developing software that will allow for realtime remote backup for your data, and customizable web portals for remotely viewing your data. This is something that will only be available for our customers who buy our PCs. Our PCs are one of the few Windows desktops that feature SSD (Solid State Drives) to load your operating system quickly and reliably. The PCs are top of the line with fast CPUs, high RAM, and massive storage space (always the highest standard amount of recording space available in the cctv industry). And all our CCTV Video Surveillance security camera systems display and record up to 30fps per camera realtime video, and they will record at up to D1 resolution. Record based on motion or 24 x 7, with flexible configurable alerts, and remote view on any device that has a web browser & picture display capability, including iPhone, iPad, and Android devices. And you will have the full power of a Windows 7 based CCTV video surveillance security camera system.
We realize there are many places where you can buy CCTV video surveillance security camera systems, but here at Sun Security, this is all we sell. We don't sell toasters, books, vitamins, etc., we just sell and install security camera systems. With our years of experience from selling and installing these systems we know what customers want, and the type of problems that customers experience.
Remember that your CCTV video surveillance security camera system is an investment in protecting your home or business, and it is important that you get quality components that will get you the video footage you need should something happen. Should you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact us.