What Matters, What Doesn’t, and How To Choose
Table of Contents:
Reasons To Set Up A Security System
Different Aspects of Security Cameras
Security systems used to be a thing that you only needed if you were rich. You purchased them to provide protection for your assets and family, not just for your peace of mind. It meant having an outside company securing your home 24/7. Now though, you can recreate that both inside and outside of your home using DIY kits, individual models and a little bit of planning. So why is an appliance repair company talking about all of this? Because our goal at Appliance Rescue Service is to keep your home running. While normally that means we tackle things like your appliances and doing repairs, sometimes there are things that we find useful that we want to share with you. So let’s dig in.
Reasons to Set up A Security System
So what are some of the reasons you might look into getting a security camera system for your home? In today’s era, many people simply feel better having one. Even if you live in a gated community, it doesn’t imply perfect security. It’’s the same concept of having life insurance when you’re strong and healthy in your 20s, “just in case.” For others, it might be that you’ve had a dispute with someone and you feel it’s needed to prove your argument, to ‘catch them,’ so to speak. A security system is also useful when it comes to knowing how your kids are doing if you have to go out of town for the weekend. We will of course always advocate for relying more on talking to your kids rather than needing to use a camera, but we know that it can help put people’s minds at ease. Of course, there’s also the possibility that you have noticed a recent uptick in theft in your area and want to keep you and your home safe. Is your list of reasons different than the ones we’ve discussed? Don’t worry. There are still plenty of times when a security system is useful, these are just some of the most common.
Different aspects of security cameras
The next thing then is to understand what you’re looking at. What do all of the different features of a security camera mean towards the total goal? That’s where this section comes in.
Battery Power vs Plug-Ins
This one is self explanatory at first glance, but it has deeper implications. If you choose a security camera that’s battery operated, you need to add it to your schedule to check in on it. There’s no point in having a camera if it doesn’t have power, right? A plug in though, you’ll need to have someone wire it into your home so that it can’t just be unplugged from the outside. You have to weigh up which matters more to you and how you intend to utilize the system.
Video Resolution
The camera’s resolution is important, but that doesn’t mean that you need to stake everything on it, unless you’re looking to purchase this for a private security job. In which case, we have to ask why you’re here?
Anyway, the resolution of the camera is the same as for your computer or your tv. How clearly do you want to see what’s going on? The caveat is that resolution doesn’t automatically imply clarity when it comes to night vision.
Color Vs Black & White
This one is straight forward. Do you want your video in color or black and white? So long as the resolution is good, we’d say that color is only incidental, but it is up to you.
Field of View
A more important one, how far can the camera see? Different types of cameras will have a different angles. You’ll see everything from 360* fish eyes, to wall mounts that give you 130*. We suggest getting a rough blueprint of your house, selecting areas where you want to put cameras, and then charting out the different angles. This way you cans see if they cover each other, if there are any blind spots, or other obstructions due to things around your house.
Audio Recording Capabilities
On one hand, having sound can be useful. If your home does get broken into, voice recordings might be used to identify a suspect. However, this is an additional feature that will not only make the video files larger, it is also going to raise the price of the cameras. It’s up to you.
Onboard Storage
Much like the power issue, this is one that seems simple but has larger implications for how your home security is going to fit into your life. If the camera has onboard storage, you’re going to need to remove the cards and back them up, and reviewing them as needed so that they don’t record over themselves. If it doesn’t have onboard storage, this is going to mean that you need a centralized location to store the data that it sends back, or pay for a cloud subscription.
Smart Connectivity
This is whether or not the cameras connect to things like Alexa, Google Assistant, or other systems. While being able to turn on a camera with your voice is useful, we feel that there are too many drawbacks still inherent within the smart connectivity systems to really vouch for them at this point.
Night Vision Capability
Here we’re back to another key feature in a security system. This is one we think you need to really pay attention to if you’re setting up your own system as how this integrates with daytime vision is going to be an important factor for your night time security. Are there significant differences in visibility or clairty? Another question is at what point is the ‘drop off’ for night vision? How far out can the camera see clearly? Some of the ones we’ve included in our list are able to see only up to 25 feet, something you need to take into account based on how high the cameras are mounted on your home.
Ability to be Hidden
The ability of your security system to be hidden says different things, all of them psychological. On one hand, having a system set up clearly says “I am capable of defending my home. I have the tools to catch you.” On the other hand it also says “I have things I need to protect.” Having them in plain sight also means that someone can observe from the outside where the patterns are within a system and if there are any gaps that you might have missed. So being able to hide your security cameras can be useful. That’s our thoughts on the matter though, and we are not security experts.
Price
As with many things, everything comes down to price. How much are you willing to invest into individual units? Will you need an electrician to set them up for you? What about someone who is skilled with computers to handle how they connect to one another your internet? Do you intend to install the units yourself or hire someone else? All of these things need to be charted out and considered before you make an ultimate decision on which plan is right for you and your home.
Why trail cams can be useful for additions to your security net
Now, if you really want to buff up your security system, you might consider trail cams. These are also useful if you’re looking at adding security to an area that is difficult to move around on, has obstructions, or poor internet connectivity. While they don’t alert you when something happens, they can be useful if you’re looking at just proving someone has been on your property, or you’re looking to add security to further reaches of your property.
Some additional benefits of trail cams include:
-Most trail cams catch still photos, but due to motion detection, they can catch quickly passing things like someone creeping around the backyard. Since they’re meant to catch shots of animals usually, this is one area where they are more dependable vs traditional security cameras. Those still shots will typically be crisp.
-There are some trail cams that are capable of doing video as well as still shots.
-One thing to be aware of about them is that the majority of them are onboard storage only. Again, this means that you have to add checking, cleaning and backing up data to a regular rotation on your to-do list.
- As of right now, due to what they are, they all have some form of battery power, so please see above on ‘to-do lists.’
- Most of them do come with some sort of camouflage design in order to make them less obvious.
We hope that this helps make security cameras and the systems that go into place with them less opaque. You can definitely DIY your own system, so long as you’re willing to plan out what goes into it, and how you want everything done. As always, we will suggest that if you’re not certain, that you seek a professional. Down below we’ve provided two sets of charts for you to download so that you can compare and contrast different models and their benefits vs drawbacks.
If you’ve gotten down this far and you’re thinking “well, that’s interesting and all, but it’s got nothing to do with my oven smelling like something died.” Don’t worry, we really can help with that too. At Appliance Rescue Service whether you live in McKinney or Dallas, Frisco, or Coppell, we can help. You can reach out to us at ((214) 599-0055) or by setting up an appointment via our webpage. We won’t stop until you’re happy with the repairs and your home is running smoothly again.
