9 Types of Security Cameras That You Need For Total Security

There are many types of security cameras available. Choosing the right one should be simple, right? Maybe not. You are probably aware of indoor and outdoor cameras, but what about license plate or stealth cameras? There are so many options available with varying features and uses, it is important to purchase the right one for your needs.

Here are some of the specialty cameras available:

Fixed Cameras. The camera is positioned in one direction to capture the images in one area. With only one area being covered, something important can be missed. However, they are useful with a constant view of critical areas like doors and access points. 

Pan/Tilt/Zoom Cameras. These are the most adaptable and useful types of cameras. You can move the lens remotely via an app. They come in a range of zoom capabilities. They can have the ability to follow a person or movement throughout an area automatically. These are generally larger in size so they do not work well if you want them to be hidden. PTZ cameras cannot see EVERYTHING, but they are very useful in situations where you have a lot of ground to cover and desire the ability to zoom in on specific fields of view from time to time.

360 Degree Cameras. Great for surveillance of a large area or outdoors. These images are recorded and can be zoomed in on specific points after the image is taken, up to the limits of the camera being used. Having this complete view allows one camera to cover more area and reduces the total number of cameras needed.

High Resolution. Resolution is measured in megapixels. The higher the resolution of your cameras, the larger the files will be and more space is required to store the images. You can get greater detail with this type of camera, but it is dependent on the lighting. In low light situations, you don’t get high quality images.

License Plate. ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) is technology that allows a surveillance system to read the number and letters of plates on a vehicle using specialized software. It can also be called LPR (License Plate Recognition) or ALPR (Automatic License Plate Recognition). They all do the same thing. The results are based on placement of the camera and video quality. Once the plate is read it is instantly checked against database record of vehicles. They can be used to determine direction, speed and location of vehicles. It is important to know that these cameras are much more expensive than some of the others. Regulations apply to using this type of camera system.

Night Vision. Sometimes this type of camera is called a surveillance camera. These cameras work by amplifying the available light in a given area. They can’t work properly if there is no light or complete darkness. If you are interested in a camera for zero-light environments, consider an infrared illuminator. These devices act like a flashlight, but are invisible to the naked eye.

Auto-Focus. As you can probably see by the name, these cameras automatically focus on the item/person moving through the surveillance area. They use software to make sure you are capturing the best quality image of whatever you need to see. The image quality is based on the camera lens and resolution of the captured images.

Thermal Imaging. This type of camera does not require any lighting source. It captures the heat radiated from living beings. Therefore, it is not affected by rain, heat or moisture and good for many adverse climates. One of the drawbacks is that it may be hard to distinguish between a man or large animal because you will not get a real image of the body. It will detect that someone is there, but you will not be able to identify the person.

Stealth Cam. These are sometimes referred to as trail cameras. These cameras detect movement and take a series of photos or record a short video clip predetermined by your camera or software. Some also include sound in the recordings. These usually are wireless and multiple cameras can be managed from one application. One downside can be replacing batteries on these cameras regularly.

There are many different types of security cameras, but they all have one main goal to keep people and property safe. When you are ready to talk about your security needs, we would be happy to discuss the options with you to get the perfect solution.