From Novice to Expert: A guide to Surveillance Terminology

Like many high-tech industries, the surveillance industry comes with a lot of bespoke terminology. Without knowledge of this terminology, you may find yourself easily confused when trying to understand your surveillance devices. In today’s blog we will be providing a helpful guide to some of the most common terminology used for surveillance technology.

Terms

Alarm Input: This is a feature on security cameras where they are able to receive input from a sensor device like a door contact or a motion detector which causes the camera to begin recording.

Analytics: A newer feature in security cameras that allows them to detect unusual activity that occurs within their field of view.

Aperture: Refers to the opening in a lens that controls how much light passes through the lens. The size is measured in F numbers, the lower the F number the more light is allowed to pass through.

Back Light Compensation: A camera feature where the image is adjusted to allow for greater detail in darker areas of an image, it does this by compensating for bright light in the background.

Balun: A device that allows for alternative, cost-effective cabling to be used in CCTV installations. It is especially important if the cables are being run over long distances as using Coaxial Cables for this can be cost prohibitive.

BNC Connector: A type of connector for coaxial cable that is commonly used in CCTV Installations.

Charged Coupled Device: A CCD refers to one of the two primary types of image sensors used in security cameras. The image sensor is the part of the camera that is struck by light to create the image.

Coax Cable: A type of cable commonly used in CCTV Installations.

Compression: A technique by which the raw image data is reduced into a more manageable size for transmission or storage.

Digital Video Recorder: A DVR is a generic term for a device which records video data onto a digital hard drive.

Focal Length: Refers to the distance between the center of a lens and the image sensor. Lower focal lengths offer a wider field of view but offer less magnification whereas longer focal lengths narrow the field of view but allow for greater magnification.

Gamma Correction: Technology that adjusts the brightness of an image.

Infrared: A special light source used in surveillance cameras so they can record in low-light to zero-light conditions.

Iris: A mechanical device on a camera that adjusts the amount of light that can pass through the camera’s lens.

Lux: A unit of measurement which is used to determine the low light recording capability of a security camera. Generally, the lower the lux rate of a camera the better it can record in low light conditions.

Multiplexer: A Specialized device which allows multiple video channels to be combined into one signal.

Network Camera: A type of camera that records images and transmits them over a computer network or internet connection.

Network Video Recorder: A type of video recorder that is able to stream data allowing for remote access, storage and management of the recorded footage.

Pinhole Lens: A special type of lens that has a very small aperture. Generally used on cameras that are hidden within other objects.

Pixels: Refers to the areas on the surface of an imaging device, like a CCD, that converts light into electrical energy. It can also be used to refer to areas on a screen that convert electrical energy into a viewable image.

Smart Infrared: A technology built into some infrared security cameras that adjust the intensity of the infrared light as objects move closer to the camera.

Varifocal: A lens that is able to change its focal length which allows it to alter its magnification and field of view.

We hope that we have been able to provide you with a useful guide to surveillance terminology so you can better understand your surveillance devices. If you have any questions about surveillance devices or surveillance terminology, please feel free to contact us.

The Spy Store specializes in high-quality, professional-grade, security and surveillance equipment and is the biggest store of its kind in Canada.

The Spy Store has been in business for over 20 years and has four locations, two in Vancouver, one in Surrey, BC, one in Calgary, AB, and a large online store.

If you have any questions about this article or would like to talk to us about security or surveillance equipment, please contact us.