Get the most out of your video surveillance system by incorporating a security digital video recording DVR

Get the most out of your video surveillance system by incorporating a security digital video recording DVR


By: Lynn Bryant

One of the easiest ways to improve the effectiveness of your video surveillance system is to incorporate a digital video recorder. A security digital video recording DVR gives you much greater functionality and flexibility over older recording methods such as VCRs.

Using a DVR will allow you to record and store a greater amount of video footage and provide you with more comprehensive recording and viewing options. In this article, we will briefly look at some of the benefits that can be achieved by incorporating a digital video recorder into your home surveillance network.

Digital video recording security systems provide a wide array of features and benefits. Following is a brief survey of some of the more obvious benefits you can achieve by implementing such a system in your home.

* Get more viewing options -- Using a DVR to capture video from your surveillance cameras will give you a much more efficient way to review video feeds. DVRs can be set up to automatically mark specific security events making them much easier to locate when it comes time to review the feeds. This gives you the ability to locate a security event quickly and easily with a simple query as opposed to having to sift through hours of video tapes. In addition, many DVRs today are IP-based which gives you the ability to remotely access video feeds from your cameras directly over the Internet. This gives you a great deal of flexibility because you can have access to your cameras from virtually anywhere.

* Accommodate more surveillance cameras in your network -- DVR's can accommodate more cameras than older recording methods. You can purchase DVR's with varying numbers of channels depending on your security needs. A 32-channel DVR, for example, can accommodate up to 32 cameras on a single DVR. This will provide you with more centralized control and access over all of the cameras in your network.

* Gain access to comprehensive alerts -- Many DVR's can be set up to send alerts that contain video images notifying you of security threats. Many newer surveillance systems on the market today allow you to incorporate sensors that detect such things as motion, temperature variation, lighting changes, and even the presence of water. When a pre-determined event is sensed, the DVR system can be set up to automatically send an email alert directly to your mobile phone making you aware of the potential security threat. This can provide a level of confidence that can allow you to rest easy knowing you will be notified if anything is out of the ordinary in or around your home.

* Improved efficiencies -- This is more of an indirect benefit, but a benefit nonetheless. Using a DVR to perform all of your security recording functions will provide you with a much more efficient means of video capture. Most DVR's can be configured to record only when a security event is sensed. This saves not only your cameras, and the storage space required, but also the time it will take you to review recorded video.

If you are looking for a way to get more out of your home security system, you really cannot go wrong by incorporating this powerful device.