Video surveillance has been a popular security tool for years. And thanks to new break-throughs in technology, security cameras are more effective than ever before. As seen in recent news, video cameras can serve as an extremely valuable tool when solving a crime.

Video surveillance has been a popular security tool for years. And thanks to new break-throughs in technology, security cameras are more effective than ever before. As seen in recent news, video cameras can serve as an extremely valuable tool when solving a crime.

Fortunately, advances in digital technology have made video surveillance systems far more cost-effective, flexible, and sim-ple to operate. In this newslet-ter we will focus on one aspect involved with choosing the right video surveillance solution.

IP vs. Analog Surveillance Cameras:
If you are in the beginning stages of researching options for video surveillance, one of the decisions you are immediately faced with is “IP or Analog?” While IP is certainly the newer technology, that does not make it the best choice in all applications. Here are some of the pros and cons of
each type of surveillance option.

Analog = More Options - the fact that analog cameras have been around for a long time means that there are all sizes, shapes, resolutions, colors, etc . . . available. Since IP is a newer technology, not only is the equipment more expensive, but there are also not as many options as far as style or for specialized needs.
Ease of use - There is no networking involved with the installation of analog cameras; therefore, no network infrastructure is required. Analog is recommended in a situation where there is not a dedicated IT person in charge of managing the system.

IP - Installation Flexibility -
Analog cameras must terminate back to a DVR unit which means new wiring in a lot of instances. Since IP cameras are network devices, they can simply be plugged into an existing network jack and then be found on the network. This gives much greater flexibility with installation in multi location
applications or in large facilities where Cat5 network cable is already in place.
Better wireless capability: - Because IP cameras are meant to interact with other network devices and because of the built in web server, there are more options to get video “over the air.” For instance, an IP camera can be plugged into a wireless access point and accessed directly through the access point as long as the laptop or computer is in range.

NorthStar Security will help you assess your specific needs with a thorough site survey. Ultimately this is the best way to ensure the system you pay for will deliver the results you want.
Please contact us at 770-216-1997 if you would like more information about a new sys-tem or to schedule an onsite evaluation of your current system.