Frequently Asked Questions
Answer all of your questions
01.
What is CCTV?
CCTV is short for Closed Circuit Television, meaning that one or more cameras are connected to a recording & monitoring device.
What is CCTV used for?
CCTV cameras are used to view and monitor areas to ensure that they are safe and secure.
How do I Know If I Need CCTV?
✦ If you want to protect your business, home or any other private property, CCTV has never been as accessible as it now. With low prices, easy installation and the technology allowing you to get HD pictures now is a good time to invest in a CCTV system. Working in conjunction with an alarm system, CCTV makes a great deterrent for would be thieves. ✦ If you are looking to purchase CCTV for your business there are even more reasons why you should have one installed. With a CCTV installed at your business premises you will be able to help ensure your employee and customer safety, maintain security around any stock, protect your property or even keep an eye on your staff.
How do I pick the correct camera for my application?
Knowing which CCTV Camera to use for which application can be tricky. The majority of our cameras (not including the NPR cameras) can be used in most common scenarios. We would recommend fixed lens cameras as standard as you do not need to adjust the zoom and focus of these. If you do want to adjust the zoom and focus of a camera we would recommend the auto focus cameras as these cameras will automatically focus if installed on an SPRO system, you can even adjust the zoom and focus from your mobile phone. All of the external cameras we sell have IR built-in as standard so they will work with no light with differing ranges in IR distance depending on the camera model.
What is a DVR?
DVR is short for Digital Video Recorder, a device that records CCTV camera footage onto one or more hard disks. It has a number of BNC connections to connect to the cameras. Our DVR’s can support 4, 8, 16 and 32 channels (connections) on the BNC ports whilst several of our NVR’s can also connect to IP cameras over the network.
What is an NVR?
NVR is short for Network Video Recorder, an IP cameras recording device. An NVR offers that same functionality as a DVR, as it records CCTV camera footage, but it is tailored for IP CCTV cameras.
What are IP cameras?
IP cameras are the latest technology in CCTV cameras and can achieve higher resolution than standard HD CCTV cameras. They transmit digital signals so can directly connect to switches on the local network. As these can connect directly to switches you can actually run an IP CCTV system over an existing computer network.
How to setup an IP camera?
Our IP cameras are quite easy to install, just simply connect your camera with network cable to an NVR, and make sure the NVR is connected to a router. The image will take around 30 seconds to be displayed. If the IP cameras are not being connected to the NVR directly then a POE switch can be used to provide power to the cameras. Once on the network you will have to run the search option on the NVR menu and select the cameras you want to add to the system.
What is PoE (Power over Ethernet)?
Ethernet network cables consist of several twisted pairs inside the outer jacket. On some networks power can be transferred through one set of pairs to power devices, this is called PoE (Power over Ethernet). The SPRO IP Cameras utilizes PoE so that only one cable needs to be run, saving both time and effort.
How fast does my broadband need to be?
When viewing remotely it is important to have good upload speed as you will be streaming footage from the NVR/DVR. For this reason we would say that 2mb should be the minimum upload speed required in order to view remotely.
02.
Can I View My Camera’s from Computer or Mobile Phone?
With the EasyViewer App you can connect to any of our recorders as long as there’s a network connection. EasyViewer is available on both Apple and Android devices. If you want to connect from a PC or Mac then there is software available called SPRO CSS.
Can I view live and recorded video remotely?
Yes, as long as there is network connectivity then you can use the EasyViewer app on your mobile device to view live or recorded footage.
Can several users view one site at once?
Yes, there is a hard limit which is in its hundreds but we wouldn’t recommend more than 5 users login on a normal network due to network congestion. This is due to the bandwidth taken by each user streaming all the video footage for each camera.
Can I listen to live and recorded audio remotely?
Provided that the DVR system has a microphone attached then this is possible. The NVR can only play live audio remotely as it does not record.
Can I zoom in with a camera?
Yes, you can digital zoom on any camera. If you require optical zoom then this is only available on an auto-focus or PTZ camera.
What happens if there is power cut?
Once power is back up the DVR or NVR will power back up. If powercuts are frequent in your area we recommend using an uninterruptable power supply (UPS).
Does the camera light up at night?
With the majority of our cameras there will be some visible red LED’s visible at night. This red light is the infrared light that allows the cameras to see in the dark.
How long can I record on the system?
This depends on the number of cameras recording at the same time and the level of quality/detail they record at. This will also depend on how big your hard drive is. If you require us to spec up a system to record for a certain amount of time please contact our support team. With our recorders you can also save recording space by only recording when motion is detected.
What happens when the hard drive is full?
Your SPRO DVR/NVR will overwrite the old data when the hard drive is full. This means the recorder will continuously record the latest footage.
Can I backup the footage from a DVR/NVR?
Yes, through the USB port, which is on the back of the DVR/NVR.
For more details, please see our Backup section in “User Guide Book” to have more information.
03.
What is Video Motion Detection?
This is a type of Video Analytics. When the recorder detects that there has been movement in some camera footage then it will record. You are able to configure it to record several seconds before the movement was detected and you are able to configure the recorder to send an email notification when this happens too. There are also sensitivity settings that allow you to adjust how much movement is detected before an action is triggered. Due to the nature of motion detection we do not recommend this to be used for cameras that will face objects that may sway in the wind, such as trees.
How does motion detection work? Through the camera or software?
Motion detection works through the DVR/NVR software by recording video when pixels in the picture change.
Can I fit the system myself?
Of course, the only thing you need is basic DIY skills and tools, our products are designed to be easily installed. Please check out our “Installation Guide” for more information. If you have any problems please do not hesitate to give us a call, we are happy to help.
What is the maximum possible distance between a camera and a DVR/NVR unit?
✦ IP CCTV system : 100m ✦ HD CCTV system: 200m ✦ This is dependent on good quality cables, older cables may reduce the range of the signal.
Who do I contact if I have any further questions?
✦ If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact us at:
✦ Tel: 02039 071578
✦ Tech Support: support@cctvoutlet.co.uk
✦ Sales Support: sales@cctvoutlet.co.uk