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Protecting your home is a top priority, that’s why making sure you have good security measures in place is so important.

Security devices not only help to catch an intruder, but they also work to deter anyone thinking of breaking and entering. Home CCTV systems are becoming increasingly popular over recent year, as not only do they put intruders off, but they help provide the police with evidence to catch the criminal too.

With the advancement of modern technology, CCTV home cameras can be connected to your mobile phone, meaning you can check up on your home from your office or even while you are away on holiday. All you need to do is download the relevant App for your smartphone and with a click of a button, you have a clear view of anyone entering or exiting your home. Installing this type of CCTV system isn’t overly cheap, but can be very beneficial as a home security device.

Steel security doors are often used as part of heavy security systems, the likes of which can be found on business plants, in shops, or sometimes in homes with expensive or lethal items. They are a great way of sealing a room or closet with a highly durable and easy to maintain security system.

The Advantages

Doors made with plywood or other composite materials aren’t as strong as steel and will break more easily when being kicked or bludgeoned. A noticeably strong steel door and frame not only protects against physical impact, but it also provides a psychological deterrent against criminals seeking to gain entry.

Steel doors can be fitted with more sturdy locking systems than doors made from lighter materials, as their sturdier frame is able to support the extra weight.

A bonus of using steel security doors is that they provide great protection against fire, as their steel construction helps to prevent a fire from spreading more effectively than other materials, such as wood or plastic.

One of the most important aspects of a security camera is the quality of the footage it provides. For a camera to be able to record and output high-quality footage it needs to have a high resolution. Generally higher resolution means that the quality of the video is more crisp, allowing faces and other details to be more easily visible.

Most security cameras support at least 720p resolution (1,280×720 pixels), some are able to capture video with a resolution of 1080p (1,920×1,080 pixels). 720p is considered a good average, and good enough to make out most of the details that a security camera needs to be able to record.

Bear in mind that higher resolution video files are much larger than standard definition. Because of this, if you are upgrading cameras on an existing system, it might be necessary to upgrade the storage device that holds the video recordings.

When working with any kind of electronics it’s always important to adhere to a set of safety precautions. Not only will it make the job safer, but it will also make the final installation safer.

Before beginning work, make sure that the electronics you are working on are not energised. This can be done using an electrical current tester, a tool that will check for live or hot wires. Check all wires and any metallic flaps or covers using the tester tool. Don’t assume that electricals are not energised, always check first to confirm.

Before doing any further servicing of electronics, disconnect the power source. This is the only way to be sure that no current is running through the wires, then check again using the current tester. As an extra precaution, place a note on the service panel notifying others not to turn the power on while it’s being worked on.

There is no doubt that a strong casing will improve the durability and lifespan of a security camera. However, there are some considerations to make before using them, especially when using aftermarket cases on existing camera set-ups.

An important thing to asses before installing a case is whether it will interfere with any wireless radio signals on a camera system. Wired systems will not have this issue, but installing a new casing on a pre-installed wireless camera may affect the radio signal and may even reduce the range of the signal.

The type of casing that should be used often depends heavily where the camera is situated. For example a camera that is positioned high enough will be vulnerable to heavier wind and rain than a camera that is closer to the ground. For this reason a casing that is suitable for these conditions should be used.

Sometimes a standard security camera is not enough. It could be the standard vision range, the durability of the camera or its lack of features. It’s for these instances that a custom built security camera is often a better choice.

Custom built cameras can often be purchased in large, bulk orders. This is often a much more cost-effective way of getting hold of a bespoke security system, especially for industrial purposes. However it’s important to keep in mind that only certain manufacturers will have the ability to do this.

Some of the advantages of chosing a custom built, bespoke security camera are:

• The individual features for the camera as well as the DVR can be chosen.
• The camera can be optimised for indoor, outdoor, perimeter or general surveillance uses.
• Personalised options such as the colour can be chosen.
• Stock is held back, which guarantees stock availability
• The camera can be branded with a corporate logo.
• Made specifically with the end user in mind.

Laser trip wires are a common method of detecting intruders, in movies that is. They aren’t so commonly used in standard security systems simply because there are more effective methods of detecting movement. Nevertheless, understanding how they work can be helpful in getting a grasp on more complex security methods.

A laser tripwire alarm works by using a laser beam generated by a diode. The laser is angled in a way so that the beam continuously strikes over the light dependent resistor sensors. If something crosses the path of the beam, it blocks the laser from reaching the resistor sensors. This is all picked up by a controller, which sends a signal to power on the buzzer.

Lasers themselves are used in many different areas of security, including range-finding, target illumination, monitoring of hazardous gases, and illumination. They are are common tool in military and defensive applications due to their accuracy and utility.

Security tape is often used to apply an anti-tamper seal to an item. Primarily it is used for containers, such as shipping cartons, pallets, letters, bags, etc. It’s designed so that upon removing the tape, removes the seal and causes the item to become opened or ‘void’. Certain types of security tape also leave markings on the affixed surface of the item and on the tape itself, to indicate that it has been tampered with.

Security tape is used as a means to combat tampering or pilfering. It does this by acting as a deterrent to opening an item, as opposed to actually physically preventing unauthorised opening. Security tape is available in many different colours and customisations. With some types of security tape including serial numbers as well as colour coding to help ensure security of an item. Customised tape is recommended as it  provides a higher level of protection.

All security camera systems require regular maintenance so that complete operation is assured 24/7. This is especially true for large security systems with many different individual elements. If one of these elements breaks, it causes a break throughout the entire system, rendering its security vulnerable.

To help organise the overall maintenance of a security camera system, it is broken into several different types:

Preventative Maintenance

This is the planned maintenance of a system, carried out on a scheduled basis. It allows for a compete audit and check of the entire security camera system.

Corrective Maintenance

These are the emergency repairs and unscheduled maintenance work that is carried out, usually in response to the development of a fault.

Customer And User Maintenance

The basic maintenance as well as any fault reporting tasks, as detailed by the maintenance company. These are carried out by ether the system manager and/or the system end user.

All security cameras have a downside, and that’s the lag time between a camera viewing an image electronically, and its subsequent transmission to a recording and/or display device. Between these two processes there is always a delay, which can sometimes become a fatal flaw for some security systems.

The wise thing to do to get around this issue may seem to be to invest in better quality equipment, but there is a flaw in doing this. The quality of the camera doesn’t determine the severity of camera lag. Even the most expensive cameras have lag times that amount to 5 to 10 seconds or more.

This can be a potential issue for security systems that use motion detection as a primary way to identify intruders. In this case, a camera with long lag times will pick up and transmit the motion that is detected. But the camera won’t visually record what tripped the motion detection in time, leaving an activated security system with no record of what set it off.