Perhaps you are one of the growing number of homeowners who are thinking about installing a camera system in your home. Home security camera systems provide many options for today’s homeowner. Whether you need to monitor children, elderly adults, or even the family pet, there is a home security camera system that will meet your needs.
Your First Consideration: Location
The first question you need to answer is: where will your home security camera system be used? Your options are a system for monitoring your home outdoors, or an indoor monitoring system. You must consider your needs carefully, because home security camera systems designed for use outdoors will need to be weather-resistant. Weather-resistant casings on outdoor units make them impervious to rain, snow and ice. They can cost more than units designed for indoor use, so consider whether or not you really need one.
Your Next Consideration: Covert or Overt?
Next issue to consider: will you need a home security camera system for covert or overt monitoring? Overt monitoring means that the camera units will be prominently displayed for all to see – right out in the open. The overt home security camera system encourages people to “do right” – its very visible presence is a reminder to all in the area that they are being monitored. For example, if you are mounting a system outside, you may wish to deter thieves from even approaching your property by mounting monitoring cameras where they can be easily seen. The hope is that the bad guys will see it and just go somewhere else.
Covert home security camera systems, on the other hand, capitalize on stealth. They track you without your awareness. Covert systems can utilize very small cameras – and they can be concealed just about anywhere: a small hole in the wall, in a china cupboard, in a fake picture frame, in a curio item, on bookshelves, in clocks. Covert home security camera systems are great for indoor use, as their small size and discreet placement will not make people in the home uneasy. They are very good units to install if you need to monitor those who care for your children or elderly parents while you are absent, or if you need to monitor other types of home workers (such as maids, gardeners, and home repairmen).
New Technology: Remote Monitoring Via PC
One of the greatest developments in home security camera systems is that technological advances now allow you to harness the power of the Internet and your home computer, and use it as a monitoring tool. This is a great benefit to the homeowner who is away from their home for extended periods of time.
How might one of these PC-integrated home security camera systems work? Well, suppose you were out on the road, travelling for business purposes. Your home security camera system would have been activated before you left the premises, and this type of system is “reachable” via the Internet. You are now hundreds – perhaps thousands! – of miles away, sitting in a hotel room. You fire up your laptop, connect with the system via the Internet, and can then view camera images of your home in real time. You can also access files with recorded images of the past, allowing you to check on what happened yesterday, for example. You are doing all of this remotely! What peace of mind for the road warrior.
What ever your need or purpose around the home: monitoring pets, children, adults – inside or outside – even remotely through your PC – home security camera systems give great peace of mind to every homeowner.