Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) is a surveillance system for security purposes. There are many different types of CCTV cameras, each serving a different purpose. Cameras are generally placed in places that can compromise the security of the place.

Cameras and monitors allow you to view them live, with recorders archiving footage for later reference. However, a CCTV monitor can only view CCTV footage as it’s only linked to the cameras so its unable to view any publicly broadcasted content.

While there are various types of cameras like turret or dome, the two main types of cameras are IP and analog cameras. The main difference between these two is the way they transmit recorded footage.

Analog cameras use coaxial cables for data and a separate power cable while IP cameras either use LAN cables or your wireless connection to stream data.

How does it work?

A simple CCTV system is made up of only cameras and monitors, but more advanced ones have recording systems for archiving, and to review at a later date.

CCTV cameras capture light streams through their lens, and some with color night vision technology can see clearly at night. Additionally, most cameras nowadays have a motion detection sensor that can trigger alarms when it detects human movements which can be a great safeguard against theft.

After capturing the video, the CCTV camera transmits the signal back to the recorders to archive key moments or the connected monitor for viewing. DVR and NVR are the types of recorders used to store the recordings usually.

DVR is used by analog cameras and the recording is sent raw before being converted into a playable file by the recorder which results in a lower resolution. NVR however, gets the encoded recording from the network and it usually has a higher resolution as well.

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