In general, external CCTV cameras are an excellent first line of defence most of the time when you want to protect your home from criminals. They discourage burglars, give you a view of all your outdoor areas, and enable you to record the necessary details at the time which is most important. However, selecting an appropriate outdoor camera might be a little puzzling if you do not know what to seek.
These were the most principle matters that are necessary for safety, range, and resolution of the picture.
1. Clear Resolution
Good camera should be able to record clear and detailed video. At the very least 1080p resolution should be selected, but 4MP, 5MP, or even 4K will give you a much better image especially if that is going to be the source of face or number plate identification.
2. Strong Night Vision
Most of the times when something bad is going to happen, it will be during the night, so night vision is the most important feature a camera could have. You should check for the following:
- The infrared led’s
- The color night vision
- That night vision should last for at least 20–30 meters
3. Weatherproof Build
The cameras which are going to be installed outside of homes or offices should be able to withstand whatever is thrown at them, whether that be rain, heat, dust, or even storms. Check their specifications to see if they have:
- IP66 or IP67 protection against weather
- Housing resistant to the UV rays
- Only such cameras will be reliable for a long time in an outdoor environment.
4. Wide Field of View
The larger the viewing angle the lesser the cameras are required to be purchased. A camera with 100°+ field of view allows not only driveways to be monitored, but also homes’ entry points, backyards, and side passages.
5. Smart Motion Detection
Cameras of the present could differentiate between a person and a dummy vehicle by using AI technology mistake alerts will be decreased. Some of the useful features which will bring a lot of advantages are these:
- Detection of humans and vehicles
- Defining motion zones
- Instant sending of messages to mobiles
- Thus, you will only get a handful of necessary notification messages.
6. Reliable Storage
You are supposed to decide where stored material is going to be kept, and then simply fulfill your needs:
- Systems with NVR for setups with several cameras
- Cloud storage for accessing from any location
- MicroSD for the single camera
- The more storage there is, the longer will your video archive be.
7. Power & Connectivity
It is possible to wire external cameras in the following ways:
- Wired (PoE) — the most stable connection
- Wireless Wi-Fi — convenient and easy installation
- Battery-powered — you can put it wherever you want
Most of the time, systems that are wired will deliver the best performance in the long run.
8. Remote Monitoring
One of the features a good CCTV system should have is providing the footage viewing in different places, not just the local one. Cameras need to have the following features in order for that to be possible:
- Access through the mobile application
- Integration with smart home (Google, Alexa)
Conclusion
The decision of what external CCTV camera to use basically depends on three factors: well-functioning security features, comprehensive coverage, and high video quality. When these factors are combined, you obtain a system which is capable of keeping your home safe only during the day and at night.
