Security Camera Surveillance Recording Methods

You need proper indoor and/or outdoor surveillance camera(s). You have to make a decision that you either want to view the images and/or use a method in which you record the images to view them later. Here are some of the options:

Recording With A Standard VCR, Time Lapse VCR, or DVD Recorder:

In this method you use a VCR. The VCR recording is more affordable these days as they are not used much. You can have a larger amount of recording than a regular CD or DVD. You can even record for 24 hours, but those systems can be expensive. You will have to change tapes to record 24 hours a day. You cannot have remote access to the images. But there is a solution; you will need a quad splitter or multiplexor. With this device you can record videos from 2-32 cameras at once.

Recording To Your Regular PC’s Hard Drive:

If you are using a camera with a USB connection, then you will need proper software to record the images and save to the hard drive. With the surveillance camera software, you are able to access the images produced by cameras from any PC with internet access, especially if your PC uploads the images on a certain ISP. You can enter the camera’s URL and browse the images that have been uploaded. To see the real time images you will need a high speed broadband connection. If you have dial up then you will need to refresh the page every 30 seconds.

You will need a large hard drive if you are recording the images. You can imagine how fast the memory will be used up if the camera is recording 30 images per second. The cameras allow you to set the frame rate. This makes it easy also.

Any Free Surveillance Software Available?

Good freeware security camera software is not able to be found easily. We did find the NCH Software. It is 240MB in size, and runs on all windows installed machines. Install the software and establish the FTP connection with your server. You can also save the images to the hard drive with no FTP connection.

An Easier Free Camera Surveillance Solution:

Eyespyfx.com offers a free surveillance software service. It is easy to set up. Download their software, you will need a webcam, then you can  access the images via their website. The images are not recorded; you will view them only once. You can get advanced featured packages.

Using Regular Surveillance Cameras (i.e. with RCA Cables) With PC’s

If you are using the cameras with only video outputs then you will not be able to use them without a video capture card. The function of the card is to convert video signals to the proper digital format. So if you have installed the video cards then there should not be any problem, but these cards do come with the software. Make sure you have enough memory to store all the images. Minimum of 60GB hard drive space is recommended.

Using A DVR Designed For Surveillance Systems:

A dedicated DVR can be a good solution if you want to record from several cameras. These can be used with USB or Video output cameras. These systems have 80 GB of hard drives and have the higher-end software with a lot of features. The prices are also dropping. Mostly used for commercial purposes.

Using An All-In-One Device (i.e. Memo Cam):

“Memo Cam” is great for easy installation. The images captured are stored in the memory card. There is a remote control and a software with the device. It works as a concealed camera, motion sensor and DVR all in one. The only extra hardware you will need is the memory card reader. The price of the memo cam is $400-$600. The price range depends on the model.