DIY CCTV Installation Guide

CCTV systems are now been used in an increasing amount of domestic properties. Domestic CCTV systems offer the house holder an extra level of security and many CCTV installations are now been installed by the end user. Many home owners are buying professional DIY CCTV kits or CCTV packages and cutting out the CCTV installation companies, this often means you can install much better quality components for half the price of what you would pay for an installed system.

Installing your own CCTV system is straight forward and can be done in a number of ways. The easiest method is to use ready made RG59 cables that carry the cameras power and video signal to a CCTV DVR, which in turn is connected to your TV via a BNC to Scart connector. A CCTV DVR will allow you to record more than one camera's images at the same time directly to an internal hard disk, while adding the time and date. The type of DVR you select for your installation will depend on the number of cameras you require or may need in the future, as standard they range form 4-16 cameras. CCTV DVR's allow you create a split screen so you can see multiple cameras at once or you can just select the camera you are interested in. If you want the feature to connect your DVR to the Internet to allow remote viewing this too is possible. Configuring your DVR to allow you to see your property across the internet is becoming extremely popular and requires a little IT knowledge to configure the Router, Firewalls and your DVR.

Selecting the type of CCTV camera depends on your budget and the quality you desire. An external camera will have an Infra Red distance, this is the maximum the camera could see in darkness, bare in mind that the rating means there and back as the Infra Red has to reflect back to the camera for the image to be visible. Also its worth noting that IR Cameras don't work too well if they are just pointing at grass, trees or bushes are these are very absorbent. Cheaper cameras usually have a fixed lens, these are the easiest to install but don't offer the flexibility of a vari-focal lens camera that allows you to change the focal length. A CCTV cameras resolution is measured in TV lines ie a camera with a 540 TVL sensor will generally have a higher resolution that a camera with a 400TVL CCD image sensor. Although the quality of a CCTV camera depends on more that just the TVL rating, the lens, circuitry and build quality can be more determental. Also the best cameras at night use whats called an ICR filter, this is other wise know as a True Day Night Camera and these cctv cameras generally offer up to a 30% increase in image at night compared to non ICR cameras. Buy your cameras with care from a reputable dedicated CCTV supplier as the quality can vary enormously.

To install a system in your own home firstly work out where you would like to put the cameras and how far these points are from the likely location of the CCTV DVR recorder, work our how much cable you will need before you purchase your CCTV Kit to ensure you will have enough to reach your desired location. You will need a drill with a long drill bit, some ladders and just a little common sense!