Video Trends for Locksmiths

Shipped in a single box with the camera and lens already mounted in the enclosure, “plug-and-play” packages from a single manufacturer simplify installation as well as the ordering process.

Although once expensive and considered only for high-end applications, video surveillance equipment costs and the perceived value that video surveillance offers to the end-user have made video systems feasible for a wide range of applications.

As is the case with most aspects of the modern world, technology is constantly advancing so it is to the locksmith's advantage to stay up to date with new products and techniques.

Earlier on in the evolution of CCTV, cameras typically were supplied as individual components -- the camera body, the lens and the housing -- and configured by the installer for each installation.

Although this is still a common practice, especially for special applications, some manufacturers offer camera “packages” designed for use in specific applications - both indoors and out. These packaged camera systems include not only a camera and its appropriate lens, but also the housing, mounting device, and all applicable hardware. These packages can be simple board cameras with integral lens, or advanced high resolution cameras with speed dome bases and environmental housings. The concept is the same. Shipped in a single box with the camera and lens already mounted in the enclosure, these “plug-and-play” packages simplify installation as well as the ordering process. This approach represents a savings in time ordering, in assembly of the camera on the job-site, and the cost is typically equal to or less than the sum of the individual components.

The concept of bundled or kitted component systems is not something new to the security industry and now it has been adapted by the video industry. The benefit to the manufacturer is that the components in the system will be all one brand, their brand. And the inducement is strong for the installer. We recently ordered one such package for a project, knowing we would probably swap out the mounting bracket since it was a custom installation.

The additional benefit to the installers is that he can be sure that all the components he orders will work with each other; the lens will fit the camera, the camera and lens will fit in the enclosure, and the mounting bracket will support the housing.

Color cameras have become the defacto standard for most video surveillance systems. Because of the economics of mass production, the price difference between black and white and color is negligible, and the performance characteristics of color cameras is almost equal to that of monochrome. Color offers improved resolution, sharper images, and a more true-to-life video presentation than that of a black and white camera. Their only drawback is that they require a higher level of illumination to create a visual image than does a black and white camera.

To provide the maximum night-time performance for critical applications, one solution is the day/night camera, which includes a color camera and a black and white camera in the same housing. The camera senses when the light level is sufficiently low that it will impair image quality, and automatically connects the black and white camera.

Another night vision design incorporates IR LED (Infrared Light Emitting Diode) arrays to light the scene, and thereby permitting the camera so see in the dark. This type of lighting and surveillance is used when the area under surveillance or those be watched do not know the camera is observing them. Otherwise conventional outdoor lighting can also be added to the system to provide the safety and convenience that being able to see with the naked eye provides.