IP cameras are available in different types. For indoor or outdoor, wireless or wired. It can therefore be difficult to determine which camera is the best option.
Outside or inside camera?
The first choice that must be made when choosing an IP camera is whether it is placed inside or outside. Indoor cameras often have a compact or beautiful design, while the outdoor cameras are waterproof and dust-proof.
Outdoor cameras
IP cameras for outdoor use are always waterproof and dust-proof. The camera is attached to a wall, fence or a pole. This way you can keep an eye on the environment of your home, shop or office.
Inside cameras
Cameras are placed in a room or an office. You place these cameras on a cupboard or table, so that you do not have to drill into the wall to assemble the camera. However it is also possible to attach it to a wall or ceiling.
What kind of space will the IP camera monitor?
The dimensions of the room you want to monitor are important for the ideal IP camera. Pay particular attention to the viewing angle, which indicates the size of the field of view of the camera and the resolution that determines the sharpness of the image. Cameras with pan-tilt zoom can rotate to the position you want to see, but with this you can keep an eye on a part of the room.
Day and night camera?
If you need to record images at night, one will need the option for a camera with night vision. These cameras are equipped with infrared lighting or work in very low light, so you get a picture of unwanted visitors even in the dark. Chances are you want to monitor your home or office with an IP camera when you are there.
View the images from the camera everywhere?
Do you want to view the live images from your camera if you are not present? Then choose a camera with an app for your tablet or smartphone. With such an app you can view the live images of your camera anywhere in the world.
Save the images from your camera?
Storing your camera images is useful when you cannot keep track of everything live. If something happens, it should be possible to look back at the images afterwards. Saving the images can be done in different ways.
If you have a PC that is constantly on, it is possible to use it for saving images. A better way is to store images on a NAS or DVR. You connect these storage devices to the network, so that you do not have to have a PC constantly on. The number of hours you can record depends on the number of cameras and the storage capacity of the device.
There are also cameras available in which an SD card can be placed. As a result, no additional device is needed to store the images. However, the recording capacity is limited.
Images can also be stored in the cloud. This allows you to log in to your cloud server from anywhere in the world and view the images again. A monthly subscription is required for this.
How is the camera connected?
IP cameras are connected via a network cable or WiFi to your network. Wifi cameras are ideal for places where no fixed connection is required. The connection via a network cable is much more stable than wireless. There are also cameras with support for PoE, so the camera is also powered by the network cable. Special equipment is required for this.
The IP Camera experts from Hacktic Computer Products can advise you the best cameras for your situation, contact us for more information.