Is it worth it to use a low-quality CCTV camera?
With today’s improved technology, CCTV cameras can
capture almost any picture in crisp detail, as well as record these images
automatically onto a permanent storage unit for later identification. Yet in
some cases it is not uncommon to find that all you have available at your
disposal is a low quality, older security camera that captures blurry
images, making faces barely recognizable. These cameras are not as useful
for identification, and can make it so your CCTV camera is not as effective
as it was previously.
Still, there are benefits to still using a low
quality CCTV camera, rather than no camera at all, so that if it is the only
camera at your disposal you will still get a great deal of use out of it.
How Can Low Quality CCTV Cameras Still Help
You
·
Activity Monitoring
Most security cameras can be used to monitor things
as they happen. Security officers, for example, will watch a screen in case
any activity is occurring that requires their assistance. Though they may
not be able to make out who the individual is simply based on the blurry
image, they can still go after someone they see performing illegal
activities. Those that are monitoring security cameras rarely need to make
out faces to know what is going on. They simply need to be able to notify
security staff that something is amiss within their company.
·
Post Identification
One of the main complains about low quality cameras
is that it is difficult to make out faces for identification. However, this
is only true on post-hoc analysis. If the tape can be used to catch the
individual in the act of committing the crime, then it will be easily
established who is on the tape, and the tape can still be used as evidence
against that individual. Once the individual has been identified and it can
be proven they were on the tape by getting them on camera, the tape still
has its use for prosecuting the individual.
·
Price
In this day and age, low quality cameras are so
superfluous that few people own them willingly. As a result, it is not
difficult to find clearance cameras that are selling for barely a fraction
of the cost of the higher quality security cameras available. If you cannot
afford a high end CCTV system in your business, these cameras should at
least temporarily suffice until you can purchase a better system in its
place.
The Drastic Improvements in Technology
Those that have watched real security camera
footage have seen how blurry these cameras can be. But in the last 5 years
or so, technology for security cameras has increased dramatically, to the
point where almost all modern security cameras show incredible detail.
Still, as with all forms of technology, the increase in capabilities may
come with an increase in cost. If you have only a small budget and need to
put a security system in place, low quality cameras still have their uses,
especially if you are monitoring the video live.
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