Understanding Video Surveillance Systems
A video surveillance system simply means a technological device that enables one to monitor activity within the defined area (inside or outside a building). The device has to connect to a television system (it can be a wired or wireless connections) through a closed circuit. You cannot confuse a surveillance camera for a surveillance system, because surveillance systems are all-inclusive security packages. Each surveillance system is unique to each client’s individual security requirements.
Network Video Recorders
This is a complete IP camera surveillance device, abbreviated as NVR. NVRs are similar to the VMS and although some work on Windows, they usually require a dedicated operating system and application software to manage surveillance footage. However, some work on Windows. It enables users to receive video streams via LAN and WAN networks, which allows you to save the videos on a hard disk in digital format. NVR allows more than one person to view the recorded video in real time.
NVR and DVR
The word NVR came from DVR (Digital Video Recorder). It comprises of both computer and a special Video Management Software (VMS). Whether to use NVR or DVR depends on your needs, how you want surveillance to work, and whether you want it to be an IP surveillance camera or a CCTV.
How NVRs and DVRs Work
NVRs and DVRs have the same functions – saving and storing surveillance footage; however, they have the capacity to work on various types of cameras. Both NVR and DVR systems come with a standalone appliance, a rock mount server, and a tower server. DVR is for CCTV, analog and surveillance systems. Older DVRs were used to record footage on tapes using VCR systems, but modern DVRs convert the video footage to digital format to allow storage on SD cards and CDs. DVRs allow remote access, and are commonly in use on NVRs and IP cameras.
On the other hand, if you opt for the IP camera system, then you need the NVR system instead. These devices use local networks to receive and send data, which makes them ideal for remote monitoring using a Smartphone, computer, or tablet. NVRs allow you to use advance features, therefore you should check your integrator to make sure that all products are working properly.
You can use a surveillance system that is a mixture of both IP cameras and CCTV. For this, you need to use specialized video encoders that can connect your CCTV to NVRs.
Why NVRs and DVRs are Helpful
These two applications improve your surveillance by offering the following:
- Storage of large amounts of digital data on a local Micro SD card, which allows the possibility to keep stored videos for a longer period and records larger HD videos
- Allows you to set up motion detection windows and alerts if the cameras don’t have these features
- Allow you to analyze and review surveillance videos from a single interface, instead of assessing individual videos separately