Are You Sure You Don't Need a CCTV Camera Monitor?

Surveillance cameras are one of the best ways to monitor and capture any illegal activity, such as shoplifting in stores or supermarkets, some fighting near schools, or robbery in the warehouse. But what's the use of spy cameras if you hove no monitors to see the view they transmit.

Monitors are very important when it concerns video capturing from CCTV cameras. Spy camera monitors vary in size and shape. They have different resolutions, may come in color or black-and-white, have audio options or not. So in order to get a good security camera system, not only you should look at the specifications of security cameras, but also at the monitors of spy cameras.

Of course, for basic surveillance needs, you may get away with a TV or a computer screen. However, for more professional (better image quality) surveillance camera view, you should consider a special security camera monitor.

TV Screen for Spy Camera View

Now some people decide to use their own TV for capturing spy camera view. It may be a good idea if you're not seeking to have a high quality image.

You see, spy cameras use a particular number of horizontal lines to present the image. Usually, black-and-white spy cameras have about 380 horizontal lines. Colored ones have about 330 or so horizontal lines. However, there are higher quality security cameras that use more horizontal lines to reproduce the picture.

Better quality may be achieved by purchasing 580 TV line black-and-white cameras or 460 colored TV lines security cameras. Now if you use a TV screen to represent the picture, you won't achieve high resolution image. That's because TV's have less horizontal lines than the spy camera can produce. So in order to get a quality picture, you need a better quality monitor screen.

Security Camera Monitors

Spy cam monitors offer much better resolution compared to regular TV's. You can find some monitors that handle 900 or 1000 horizontal TV lines. So you can be sure that the image quality you'll get will be maximum.

If you don't need very high resolution for gathering pictures, then you may go for a 330 or 400 TV line monitor. It will be cheaper, but will do the job. However, if the image quality is crucial for your surveillance needs, then think about better quality spy camera monitor that can handle 900 TV lines.

One other thing you should consider is color or B&W monitor. Of course, if your cameras are black-and-white, then there's no reason to use colored security camera monitor, right. But if you'll decide to use some colored cameras, then you might regret for choosing B&W monitor. Basically black-and-white cameras produce better image quality when compared to colored ones. However, in some cases, color cameras are irreplaceable.

Some monitors come with audio technology built-in. This means that a person sitting over the monitors not only can see what the camera captures, but also speak with the person near the door. For example, if someone is at the door or gate, you can see the person and say something to him using a built in loudspeaker. If the security camera contains audio too, you both can speak to each other from the distance. This is a great feature for security personnel guarding the territory.

Lastly, you may want a monitor that handles more than one camera at a time. If you're a homeowner looking for a monitor, then you may get away with one camera only. However, for larger companies, the ability to monitor many cameras at the same time is very important. Some CCTV camera monitors allow you to view 4 or even up to 16 cameras at the time using a split mode. Such monitors also allow you to switch from one camera to another, and even use a picture-in-picture view.

In Conclusion

Security camera monitors are relatively cheap. For a basic B&W model you can pay a little over $150 dollars. Better, LCD monitors may cost from $200 to $400 or little more dollars. It all depends on your needs.

If you want a color surveillance camera monitor that captures great quality view, has a built in audio equipment, allows multiple camera view, then you may perform a search on the internet and find the most suitable security camera monitor for all your needs.

Author Bio

Dan Crane, who specializes in security and surveillance industry, offers free tips and resources to homeowners and company managers about home security systems and advanced security camera systems for better home and office security and protection.