Do you know your CCTV camera systems? While there are many variations in the types of CCTV
cameras that you can invest in for your business, the fundamental variation between CCTV camera
systems is regarding whether they are digital or analog.
What is the difference you ask? Let’s dive into it.
Digital CCTV Camera Systems
When it comes to digital CCTV camera systems, digital IP CCTV systems are one of the most popular
types. With this kind of system, how it works is that these CCTV cameras record the footage digitally
from the onset, enabling them to directly communicate this content over a computer network.
Analog CCTV Camera Systems
In contrast, when it comes to analog CCTV systems, the footage is recorded by analog cameras.
Therefore, before this content can be communicated over a computer network, the analog signals first
have to go through a coaxial cable into something called a DVR (Digital Video Recorder). The DVR
plays the role of transforming the content into a digital format that can be stored or broadcast digitally.
Which Type is Right for your Business?
That really depends a great many factors, but our team can help you decide on the right fit for your
business. At the outset however, there are a few main factors that you can consider: simplicity, cost,
security, image quality and coverage.
To simplfy things, and at the risk of overgeneralising, you can assume the following when it comes to
most analog vs. digital CCTV systems:
- Analog CCTV cameras tend to cost less than their digital counterparts when it comes solely to
the price of the cameras. However, in terms of the cost of an entire system, components like coaxial cables that analog
systems require, can cost more than the cables required by digital systems. So it really
depends on each set up.
- Analog CCTV camera systems tend to be simpler to understand and set up (however, if you
are going to leave it to the pros, this will not make a difference).
- Digital CCTV cameras tend to offer higher resolution footage.
- Digital CCTV cameras tend to offer better security since digital signals can be encrypted,
unlike their analog counterparts.
- You may need to purchase a lower number of CCTV cameras if you opt for digital rather than
analog, since digital ones tend to have a wider field of view.
While there are pros and cons to both, if you want to stay abreast of current trends, digital CCTV
camera systems are gaining more popularity by the day over their analog counterparts, as tends to
happen with newer technology versus older ones. However, analog CCTV camera systems may still
be the right fit for many.
Here at Shinrai, no matter whether you opt for an analog system or a digital one, we can set up your
business with state-of-the-art CCTV surveillance systems that suit your requirements. Our team will
assess your site and identify optimal indoor and outdoor spots for installation and professionally
mount your CCTV cameras for you.