How can you secure your home this holiday season?
Tis the season to purchase gifts for loved ones. As you run to the store looking for the perfect gift, do you know what else can be happening when you are carrying in that new high priced TV for your loved one? The wrong person can be watching your home and looking for a way to steal that gift right from under your tree!!
Sooo.. what can you do to keep the gifts you work so hard to buy safe in your home when you are not there? A professionally installed home security system! We all see many commercials this time of the year telling us all how we need home security this time of the year to help prevent your home from becoming the next statistic; burglaries take a spike in the month of December each year. But before you jump in and buy just any security camera system you need to make sure you educate yourself first and look into the following questions:
- What kind of cameras are good for my home?
- Do these cameras have clear night vision?
- Can I get an alert on my phone from my cameras?
- Can I save the footage from my security cameras?
- Do you have support after my install?
What kind of cameras are good for my home?
Central Jersey Security Cameras will look at your home and help you decide what is best for your unique home and determine what cameras are best for your home’s needs. Our trained staff will listen closely to what your needs are and look at exactly where you need the most coverage around your home and how far from your home you may need to view with your security cameras. With that information, they will effectively be able to design and offer a product that will surely meet your needs and budget. Technical support personnel is available in our offices daily to answer any questions you may have about the functionality of your system.
Do these cameras have clear night vision?
An infrared security camera has infrared lighting (light from a different region of the electromagnetic spectrum than we normally use to see) installed around the outside of the lens of the camera. This lighting allows the camera to capture a good image in no light at all. With a little bit of light (called low light) the infrared camera can capture a picture that looks just like daytime. Keep in mind that even at nighttime there is normally some light from the moon, stars, or street lights.
Infrared cameras do not do well in outdoor housings because the infrared light reflects off the glass of the housing. Some people get acceptable results if the camera is absolutely flush with the glass. An alternative solution is to use a day/night camera which has an extra sensitive imaging chip that allows it to capture a good picture in low light situations without using infrared lighting. This works well for example if there are street lights outside or an exterior light that can be left on at night. Keep in mind that cameras without infrared lighting will not capture an image with zero light.
The level of light required to capture a good picture is referred to as a camera’s lux, the lower the lux the better the camera can see in the dark. For example, a camera with 0.003 lux is better than a camera with 0.2 lux. Infrared cameras are also compared by how far they can see in total darkness. We sell cameras that see in total darkness over 120 feet at night. People use infrared security cameras for businesses (that have the lights out at night (in case of break-ins). Or for outside, nighttime viewing.
The image that infrared cameras capture is black and white – however, some cameras will capture color images during the day when light is available and will automatically switch to black and white when light is low.
Times are changing and there has been a significant breakthrough in night vision with the introduction of EXIR or Matrix IR’s. Hikvision pioneered this type of technology and we at Central Jersey Security Cameras noticed a tremendous difference in the quality of the picture at night. These cameras incorporate Hikvision’s EXIR infrared array technology to provide best-in-breed illuminators for any zero-dark environment – indoors or out. Compared to conventional IR cameras, Hikvision’s high-performance EXIR series delivers the most advanced levels of night-time surveillance available on the market today.
These EXIR cameras (a highly-efficient light source and enhanced LED light strength. By employing the most advanced thin-film and light-emitting technology, this series provides up to 30% more illuminant efficiency over traditional LED array technology. Furthermore, the EXIR series even provides a 40% light-extraction rate improvement when compared to traditional models, resulting in a stronger light for long-range visibility usage.
To make the most out of IR LED light, EXIR HD and IP cameras produce LED light in the form of a rectangle. This allows a better fit for a screen’s normal size (4:3 or 16:9). Additionally, it helps improve LED utilization efficiency and reduce light pollution in the surrounding environment. Images are further optimized with EXIR’s luminance uniformity functionality, which eliminates traditional LED lens issues, such as over-exposure at the center of images, as well as darker areas at the corners. EXIR HD/IP cameras deliver superb image detail in poorly lit environments, better providing for solutions at industrial parks, harbors, roads, airports, etc. Furthermore, excellent heat dissipation, longer lifespan, and greater energy savings are but a few of the advantages that Hikvision EXIR cameras bring. IP66 protection, in both bullet and dome styles, further provide users with options to best fit their specific needs.
Can I get an alert on my phone from my cameras?
Would you like an alert sent right to your smartphone when someone walks up to your front sidewalk or pulls in the driveway? Well, Central Jersey Security Cameras in Freehold, NJ has a solution for this. With our professionally installed HD security cameras, you can set up a perimeter around your house, arm a specific area or individual cameras to send an instant notification to your mobile device when the area is entered or “breached”. You will receive this notification right to your smartphone that will include the persons or movement that triggered the alarm within seconds of it actually happening. This feature is called line intrusion that we can set up on your security cameras. The best part, there is no monthly charge! This is a free bonus to having your security cameras professionally installed.
WHAT IS LINE CROSSING DETECTION?
Line crossing detection, or intrusion detection, is a function of your DVR, NVR or IP camera. What it does is that it instantly detects any motion in a certain “set”, which is a set area that is personally set by you for your alert needs. It will send immediate alerts to your smart device directly from the DVR, NVR or IP camera. For example, you want to know when someone or something enters your driveway? So, you go into the software of your DVR, NVR or IP camera and start setting up specific areas by drawing lines across the driveway. Of course, these are not visible lines to the human eye since it is only a virtual line or perimeter you have created, but it acts just as good as a virtual tripwire. What it will do is activate the area when the area or line is breached and send you a notification either directly through the app or to your email, whichever option you choose. You can even have audible alerts right on site through an external siren or right from the DVR or NVR.
You can set this to work on schedules, certain hours during the day, certain days during the week or if you are on vacation and will be away from your home or business and you want to be alerted when someone or something breaches your “set” area or areas. While both High Definition and IP cameras or the use of an NVR in conjunction with IP cameras will both do the job, there is more flexibility with the NVR and IP cameras in terms of having multiple cameras set up for line crossing/intrusion detection. There are also sensitivity settings that do adjust to meet your needs. For example, you may not want to know when a cat or small animal crosses the line, so you would adjust the scale to measure for larger objects.
Can I save the footage from my security cameras?
Record all events in “real time” as they happen. Receive push notifications or “text messages” of real-time video from your security equipment. Watch your home live when you’re not there from smartphones or other portable devices. Protect your family and your assets. Surveillance cameras in plain view are a “proven guaranteed deterrent” by persuading potential intruders to move on.
Event schedule, meaning that if an incident occurs somewhere for example in a 24-hour period and you are not sure when the event happened, instead of sitting through endless hours of reviewing until the event is found you would have indicators. Most likely a color-coded event list. This would enable you to jump ahead to all motion-triggered events, thus making your search quicker and more successful. Conserving hard drive space, meaning if your cameras are set to record all the time, even with nothing moving in front of them you could potentially shorten the life of the hard drive and absolutely shorten the length of time your NVR/DVR will retain recordings.
Do you have support after my install?
Not only does Central Jersey Security Cameras have a help tab that has step by step tutorial videos for you to follow along with, but we offer technical support as well. Technical support personnel is available in our offices daily to answer any questions you may have about the functionality of your system. Our technicians receive monthly training on all of our security products to keep their knowledge on the cutting edge of technology. Some of our lead technicians have been with us for over 15 years. They will explain the process of the installation prior to starting the job. They will keep you informed of all progress. They will ensure the best possible outcome and provide a full tutorial at the conclusion of the install.
Why an alarm system with security cameras are the best line of defense:
Home security cameras are the #1 deterrent on a home or business. Often criminals see security cameras and move on to the next location. The ones that try to outsmart security cameras often get caught because they do not know the capabilities on the range of today’s IP cameras. Look, at the inchworm bandits crawling on the floor!
No, unfortunately, these cameras did not stop this break-in from happening, but it is the proof this owner needs to show exactly what took place at their business location for their insurance. In this case, an alarm system doubled with security cameras would have helped alert the proper authorities and the business owners sooner.
Central Jersey Security Cameras believes after many years in the business and continuous training each year a whole home security system with a security camera system on the home and an alarm system is often the best protection a New Jersey homeowner can have on their home.
So, now you have to make sure you have the right alarm for your home too! It’s easy with today’s advances in alarms with our preferred alarm the UltraSync alarm. Some things to consider when you are looking for the right alarm system for your home.
- Make sure the alarm and company you use is UL listed
- Check for discounts with your home owner’s insurance (often it can cut the price of your homeowners 5-20%)
To get the protection your home or business needs this holiday season call Central jersey Security Cameras today for a full home or business security audit. Don’t forget a home security system makes a holiday gift that will keep giving for years to come! Call us today at 732-333-0227 or visit our website.