An important aspect to your CCTV system set-up is where to store your CCTV surveillance footage. In the past a tape recorder was used to store footage, but these were cumbersome and could store only a very limited amount of information. Although it must said that tape storage is still used today. Nowadays it is slightly different, with computers in the forefront. They enable easy storage on a hard disk which can contain far more information than tape storage. They also require far less physical space than a tape, so you won’t have to keep an extra room in your office just for security storage purposes. In this type of setup your security cameras will be connected to your PC, and a software package will help you to manage your security footage. You would be able to program the system to overwrite past footage in order to save space. The software used in such a setup is known as a digital video recorder (DVR). It is specifically designed to meet CCTV security needs and to make it easier to store and manage your footage. CCTV DVR’s come in two forms, either a PC based version, which is the one we discussed above, and an embedded version. The embedded versions are stand alone DVR systems which have their own operating system, they are specifically designed to record security footage only.
One of the newest ways to store you data is over a network. This method can be setup for you by a CCTV installation company. The advantage of network storage is that your footage is kept on a server which can be accessed while you’re on the internet. This means that if you’re on holiday somewhere far away from your CCTV secured property, you’ll be able to view your footage over the net, a huge bonus. Viewing you footage over a network can also be achieved by using a PC or embedded security DVR, as long as these systems are connected to your network. As you can see, technology has made it far easier for us to store our surveillance data, which makes ensuring your properties possessions are safe.
When setting up your CCTV system, the choice of digital video recorders greatly impacts how you store and manage your surveillance footage. We can help you select the right DVR solution, whether PC-based or a standalone unit, and integrate it smoothly into your security system. Get a free written quote from us.