If buying a ready made outdoor security camera is too expensive, kits can provide a way to lower costs, provided you are comfortable with the idea of having to assemble them yourself. This article is designed to give you the information you need before buying and assembling your outdoor security camera kit.
What’s in an Outdoor Security Camera Kit?
The components on an outdoor security camera kit obviously vary according to the make and model, but a typical kit consists of the following: between 2 and 16 security cameras, a DVR to record the data from the cameras, a monitor to view them on, cables to connect the various components and a power supply. Optional extras sometimes include a remote control for the monitor; a wall bracket to mount it on; and security camera software that allows the user to control which cameras to view at any given time, and to burn CDs of the data and play them back at a later date.
Hooking Up Your Outdoor Security Camera Kit
Outdoor security camera kits are designed to be easy to assemble. The whole process shouldn’t take more than about 15 minutes, maybe a little longer if you have a large property with lots of cameras. The first step is to choose the sites for the cameras. They should be placed in such a way that they provide continuous coverage across the entire area that you wish to survey, with no blind spots that a criminal could exploit. They should also be positioned with regard to the availability of power outlets and, if you are not using a wireless connection, so as to allow them to be connected via cable to the DVR.
Once you have chosen suitable sites, attach the wall mounts to the surfaces you wish to mount the cameras on, connect them to the power supply and the DVR, connect the DVR to the monitor and switch on. It may take a while to ensure that the focus and shooting angle of each camera is exactly right, but once the necessary adjustments have been made, it should be a case of “set it and forget it”.
Monitoring Your Outdoor Security Camera Remotely
Some outdoor security camera kits, especially the wireless models, now allow the user to monitor them on a PC from anywhere in the world via the Internet. Never again will you have to worry about someone breaking into your home while you’re on vacation. Provided you have a laptop and a wifi connection, you can check your front door from your hotel room. Just don’t become obsessive about it, as that would rather defy the whole point of going on vacation in the first place!