CCTV systems use cameras to capture video footage. The footage then sent to a recording device (a DVR or NVR) and stored for future reference. It is then sent from the cameras to a dedicated monitor, or even a smartphone or computer, displaying the footage in real-time.CCTV security systems are connected with a coaxial cable, network cable, or wireless signal, depending on the system type.

As we like to call them, analog systems, or HD systems, are the more traditional CCTV forms. These can use several cable types to connect the camera and recording system.Analogue HD systems have lower video quality than IP; however, the flexibility with compatible cabling types tends to make HD more suitable for system upgrades.

IP systems, otherwise known as network cameras, are technically not “CCTV” in the same way as hardwired analogue HD systems but often referred to as CCTV systems for convenience.IP systems are entirely digital. IP systems run on networks just like a computer network. And just like a computer network, a single Ethernet cable can connect multiple IP cameras compared to Analogue HD that requires a dedicated cable for each camera.

Unlike analog systems, IP CCTV cameras use only Ethernet cables such as CAT5e; however, being digital also means data transmission wirelessly is also possible.

Analog HD CCTV cameras offer reliability thanks to their simplicity, but they generally shoot in lower resolutions than their digital counterparts.IP security cameras are capable of much higher resolution, up to 4k ultra HD in many cases, thus providing better image quality.

They are also usually compatible with many more features than analogue-based systems, such as video analytics and advanced processing performance in low-light recording situations.

IP systems can often require less cabling than analog systems. IP cameras can also be scaled almost infinitely, allowing for far more flexibility and more powerful systems than analog cameras have traditionally allowed.

In analogue HD CCTV systems, this is a DVR (Digital Video Recorder). IP systems use an NVR (Network Video Recorder). In analogue HD systems, a DVR recorder converts all video footage to digital format, compresses the file, and stores it on a hard drive. The DVR can connect to a monitor to show video footage or a router and internet modem to broadcast the footage using mobile Apps or PC software.NVR CCTV systems connect to IP cameras and use software to record video in a digital format. NVRs are typically more advanced systems that offer higher video quality and more flexible features.

Video intercoms use security cameras to capture footage of visitors at the entryway. This footage is displayed on an interior monitor, letting the occupant see and speak to visitors before allowing them in.

Intercom systems are most convenient when configured with door release. Occupants can press a button to unlock the door for visitors remotely.

The most up-to-date systems offer cloud-based mobile apps that you can use anywhere, as long as you have an Internet connection.

Primary video intercom system components include the entry station, concierge station and tenant station.

Entrance stations are located at the doors or gates where visitors enter and include built-in surveillance cameras.

Visitors press a button on the entry station panel to contact the concierge desk or occupant. Entrance stations can also provide keyless entry for occupants, such as card readers, fingerprint readers and keypads.

Tenant stations are installed inside apartment units or suites to receive video calls from the entrance stations and unlock the door for the visitor.

A concierge station is placed inside the building, where communication needs to be centrally received; at a receptionist’s desk or a guard’s station, for example.

Concierge stations typically have a door release button to grant access to visitors remotely, and special functions including broadcasting, paging, and inbound call transfers are generally possible.

Video intercom mobile apps let residents, staff, and property managers see and speak to visitors at the entrance station from their smartphone.

Using cloud-based apps enables video communication and door release from any location, as long as the device can connect to the internet.

Anyone who wants to give themselves or their tenants the added security of seeing and speaking to people at the door, or wants to set up easy-to-use building communication, should install a video intercom.

Multi-tenant buildings such as apartment complexes and condos are prime spots for video intercoms with access control.

An apartment intercom system with door release and video will allow residents to rest assured they are not letting dangerous people into their home.

Gated communities can also place video intercoms at vehicle gates to verify every car that comes in. Cloud-based apps are popular with multi-tenant facilities, as users never have to miss a visitor or delivery. They can get alerts on their phone and see who is at their door no matter where they are.

Intercom systems for offices, retail establishments, and other commercial buildings are a great way to ensure only employees and authorised people can access merchandise and sensitive information.

Video intercom systems are a practical addition to reception areas, guard stations, or any entryways that need securing against intruders.

Mixed-use buildings can present unique security challenges; luckily, video intercom systems provide solutions for mixed-use commercial and residential spaces.

Intercom systems can feature elevator control, traffic control, parking structure access, and a range of other options for mixed-use buildings.

Industrial facilities such as manufacturing buildings and warehouses can use video intercom systems to enforce safety protocols, prevent theft and vandalism, and provide a safer workplace for employees.

Video intercoms let users remotely view workers and direct their actions, which is helpful in settings where employees are performing physical work and operating heavy machinery.

Parking lot entrances are also great places for intercoms, as staff can use them to authorise all vehicles entering the parking lot.

Installing surveillance cameras in these areas can also deter criminals who target unwatched parking lots.

Access Control systems combine software and hardware that keep track of entering and exiting a facility utilising key card, microchip, and phone-verified entry.

Access control systems permit access to a door or gate after an individual has provided valid credentials to a reader and deny access to those without credentials.

Verified individuals swipe, flash, or press their devices onto a sensor, which then grants them access and stores their entry time in a centralised system.

Controlling who may enter a premise is the first line of security any building can rely on, making a door access control system a critical component in day-to-day operations.

Modern access control software does not face the same constraints as traditional systems. Security professionals can remotely grant and deny entry to facilities with the simple click of a button.

Access control software monitors who have the right to come in and out of a facility and which areas they can access.

Individuals gain entry into a facility through their credentials, which can be various objects such as smartphones, key fobs, or smart cards.

At any time, administrators can modify the access privileges of employees or residents, all while monitoring their entry data from security logs that track who has entered and exited a facility.

A proximity card reader system is a fast and easy solution to grant employees and residents access to secured areas.

Individuals seeking entry to a facility can place their key fob or swipe card in front of a reader, scans the credentials, and unlocks the barriers to provide access.

With a mobile credential access control system in place, individuals need nothing more than their smartphones to gain entry.

The reliable proximity card has dominated the security industry for decades but has slowly lost ground to the ever-evolving smart card that offers greater security.

Smart card door access control allows for quicker entry. More security as the advanced cards possess more internal data than traditional proximity cards and are far more challenging to replicate.

Controlling access to a facility is a great way to buff the security of a business, but it is only a mere step forward in the grand scheme of things.

Integrated access control solutions, when partnered with high-resolution security cameras, offer the highest level of security and provide businesses with true peace of mind.

Video surveillance integration with access control can provide an unmatched level of transparency by validating that people enter the right areas.

The best Alarm security systems have a few essential qualities in common: they’re robust, they’re difficult to circumvent, and matched to the needs of the premise in question.

Alarm systems come in many different shapes and sizes, so you want to build a custom setup that meets your individual needs. Regardless of size, every Alarm security system should have these parts:

All alarm systems have a dedicated control panel. The control panel is the system brain; everything is wired or wirelessly connected to the control panel.

The keypad is the system interface. Usually placed near the main entrance or at critical checkpoints, this pad lets you turn on and off the system (usually referred to as “arming” and “disarming”).

The keypad often gives you information on what sensors detect activity or are not secure, an open window, for example.

These are typically magnetic sensors monitoring a connection between the door and the jamb or the window sash to the window casing. If the sensor contact gets interrupted by opening a door or window, the alarm will activate.

Glass break detectors are sound detectors that listen for the precise frequency of breaking glass. These sensors can trigger the alarm, even if the window contact sensor not interrupted.

Most indoor motion detectors include passive infrared (PIR) technology that only picks up the displacement of body heat. PIR prevents false alarms since spider webs and bugs will not activate the sensor. Outdoor motion detectors use passive infrared and microwave technology to catch intruders without getting false alarms from small animals.

A few types of motion detectors are available for security systems, but they fall into two distinct categories: Passive and Active. Active systems measure the presence of objects by sending and receiving a signal of some sort, while passive systems wait for changes to occur.

The most common are Passive Infrared or PIR sensors that detect rapid changes in the infrared spectrum. The heat from objects and people emits infrared light, invisible to the human eye but detectable by PIR.

Most PIR sensors use Fresnel lenses arrayed to focus the infrared light into the sensor, and when a rapid change gets detected across its field of view, it will send out a signal.

However, slow changes do not trigger the sensor, so it is theoretically possible to thwart them by moving very slowly. In practice, this threshold is impossible to determine on the fly, and security motion detectors are never the only system to defeat, so defeating a PIR is difficult.

Active motion detectors are less common but are still helpful for security purposes. Some use an emitter that sends a beam of light across a hallway or room into a photosensitive receptor. If the beam gets broken, the sensor sends a signal just like a PIR would. These are commonly seen at the bottom of garage doors, acting as a safety switch; if a person or object crosses the beam, the door stops moving.

Other active sensors use reflected ultrasonic waves to measure the environment. Sonar detectors emit a sound wave and measure the time and intensity of their return. A change to either triggers the alarm.

A similar sensor uses radar in the same way. Radio microwave pulses get sent out, timed, and measured on return.

CCTV surveillance cameras also act as motion detectors through rudimentary video analytics. When the camera detects an object crossing, entering, or leaving, it triggers the alarm.

The camera can begin recording, turn on lights, activate a siren or silent alarm, or send you a notification.

Using security cameras as motion detectors can cut down on a system’s complexity but may be limiting the security systems effectiveness if you don’t have independent motion sensors.

There are primarily two sensor technologies for detecting a fire, ionisation and photoelectric.

In an ionisation smoke detector, the surrounding air gets ionised by a slightly radioactive element (commonly americium-241). The alpha particles emitted by the americium charge air particles are allowed to flow into the ionisation chamber. The charged air particles move between two charged plates according to their new positive or negative charge, completing an electrical circuit. When smoke enters the detector, the ionised air bonds to the smoke particles, breaking the circuit and sending out an alarm. Ionisation detectors are best at detecting fires that are producing flames as opposed to smouldering fires.

Photoelectric (or optical) sensors, on the other hand, use a beam of light to detect changes in the air. The light can be visible, infrared, or ultraviolet and detects smoke based on the light scattering that occurs when smoke partially obstructs the light.

Photoelectric smoke detectors react better to slow-starting, smouldering fires than ionisation detectors, but despite some difficulty, they can detect flaming, fast-growing fires as well. Optical smoke detectors react to smoke earlier than ionisation detectors, making them the primary choice for commercial alarm systems.

The best alarm systems will have fail-safes to protect themselves from tampering. An interruption sensor will trigger an alert if any part of the system is taken offline, loses power, or fails to respond to a ping for any reason.

Panic buttons come in various shapes and sizes, but they all serve the same purpose: they allow you to activate the alarm or summon the authorities immediately.

Once your alarm system is up and running, will you subscribe to a monitoring service?

With most monitoring packages from commercial alarm monitoring companies, you have 24/7 access to a support centre that would respond to any alerts or alarms. They’re able to have emergency services dispatched or disarm the system in case of a false alarm.

The old alarm systems were self-contained and impossible to access from anywhere but the physical keypad. While this is nice and secure, it’s highly inconvenient when you want to use it from the other room or outside.

Ever forget to arm your security system before leaving? Modern alarms allow you to remotely arm or disarm the system, change its settings, or even check in on it while you’re out.

Likewise, you can also control electronic systems such as motorised gates, lighting or air conditioning.