6 Questions You Should Ask Yourself Before Buying Any Outdoor CCTV Camera

Installing a CCTV camera outside your home keep your property safe and help you to prevent any criminal activities and misconduct. These advanced outdoor CCTV cameras are mostly weatherproof that help you to stay protected. The outdoor CCTV cost for home in Lahore is not very high and you can easily afford them. In this article, I’m going to discuss with you some important things you must consider before buying an outdoor CCTV camera.

Before moving further, I would first talk about the working of outdoor CCTV cameras.

Working of Outdoor CCTV Cameras

Most advanced outdoor CCTV security systems use a Wi-Fi radio to link with your home network, letting you access them using an app, anywhere from your mobile phone. Some models of CCTV cameras also use Z-Wave, Bluetooth, wired Ethernet, or an exclusive wireless technology to attach to a dedicated hub or a mobile app.

It is easier to install Wi-Fi cameras than hardwired compliments because you don’t have to locate them near an Ethernet and is also not required any cabling. Wi-Fi outdoor cameras use the battery that easiest to install as these cameras can be placed anywhere without any power cable to a power outlet. The CCTV installation price in Lahore is very reasonable.

Here are some of the major questions you should ask yourself before buying an outdoor CCTV.

What Resolution Do You Want?

For outside CCTV cameras, the resolution is very important because low-resolution cameras can't identify to whom or what the CCTV camera is looking. To get a clear image from a distant location, a camera should at least record video at 720p, but 1080p video is the most popular resolution and it provides detail; you don’t need a lot of storage capacity and can be watched on all PCs, phones, and tablets.

Outdoor cameras that record Ultra HD video are also available, but you must have a powerful network connection to broadcast video through it without any lag or choppiness, and a lot of rooms are required to store this video, and you have to pay a lot of cloud storage fees. With the resolution, wide field of view is also very important for outdoor cameras and you should make sure it can record clear images at night. Most outdoor CCTV cameras use IR LEDs to transport black-and-white video at night, some of the cameras also use white light to send color night video. You should look for a camera with an at least 30 feet night vision range.

How CCTV Cameras Store Footage?

There are many ways you can store CCTV camera video. Some security cameras offer free cloud storage space for a limited period before it is deleted or overwritten, and others are subscription-based. If you want video storage for more than one week, there is a 30-day subscription plan and you don’t need to worry about footage losing before you've had an opportunity to download it and review it.

Those who want more privacy should not store their videos on cloud, it is better to look for a CCTV camera with a microSD card that would allow you to store video locally. Some security cameras will allow you to save footage to a NAS drive or portable USB. If you want to watch the video of something happened last week, look for a security camera with CVR plan that cam store your video up to 30 days in the cloud.

What is the cost of Outdoor Security Camera?

Outdoor CCTV cameras are usually more costly as compared with indoor cameras. The prices of outdoor cameras can range from around $100-$400 based on which features you want. Some surveillance camera price in Lahore is not very high. You can find a lot of reasonable CCTV cameras with high-quality video performance, but good video us not just enough, you need more feature, you also have to consider features like facial recognition, motion tracking, time-lapse recording, rechargeable battery power, both cloud and onboard storage choices, and cellular connectivity.

The Weather Resilience Outdoor Security Cameras?

All outdoor CCTV cameras must be able to survive in harsh weather and must carry an IP rating. There are 2 digits in an IP rating that tell about the resilience of CCTV cameras in different weather conditions. The first digit tells about the weatherproof ability of the camera to the ingress of objects such as wind and ranges from 0 to 6. The second number tells weatherproof ability of camera against moisture and ranges from 0 to 9. The security camera price in Lahore with weatherproof abilities are higher as compared with basic CCTV.

Many cameras have an IP66 rating that means they provide protection from dust and can control water from all directions, but must not be immersed in water. They are protected from snow, rain, cold, and heat.

Do You Want Sound and Motion Detection?

Almost all outdoor CCTV cameras contain sensor that will detect any motion nearby and camera triggered to record a video. The motion sensor can initiate an alert to your mobile whenever an activity happened, and some cameras will produce an email alert. For more security, you should use a camera with sound detection that can allow you to know if there is somebody out there even if they're out of the camera the motion sensor and lens range. One thing you should keep in mind that you have to tweak the sound settings to avoid any alerts from loud cars, barking dogs, etc.

If the camera has a sound detection microphone, there are possibilities that it also has a speaker and provides two-way communication that lets you speak with anyone outside the front door. This is very convenient and would help you to deal with annoying solicitors and can be used to frighten away unwanted visitors and porch pirates.

What Else Outdoor CCTV Cameras Can Do?

Some CCTV cameras are smart enough to do more tasks than just sending alerts and recording video. Many latest outdoor security Wi-Fi CCTV cameras provide support for IFTTT (If This Then That), it uses mini-programs that you generate to connect the cameras with other IFTTT- devices, so they can interact with each other. For instance, you can have a plug turn on an indoor light or trigger an outside siren whenever motion is detected on camera.

Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa are also finding their way into the latest cameras, and let you do things such as display camera video on a well-suited smart display. For the people who have home automation hub then you should find a camera that can be integrated into a smart home to and can work with other smart devices such as, door locks.