Difference Between Analog and Digital CCTV

Two kinds of CCTV cameras are available that provide powerful protection against criminal activity possibly damaging your home or business – analog and digital CCTV.

Analog closed circuit television systems use either a wired configuration or a wired transmitter to transmit images to an associated receiver. Wired systems run a wire between the monitor and the camera and sent data via a coaxial cable. Signals transmitted through these cables and wires are inputted to one or several monitors to be viewed and/or recorded. A device called a “multiplexer” is required if the user wants to see multiple camera display feeds on one monitor rather than several screens. Audio transmissions are generally relayed utilizing copper wiring instead of coaxial cables.

Digital CCTVs are used much more extensively than analog CCTVs because they allow users to access the internet in order to view their home or business while away. Internet Protocol cameras (IP cameras) are equipped with hardware that permits conversion of video and audio signals over to packet streams that are then transmitted through a LAN (local area network), WAN (wide area network) or the internet.

Advantages of digital CCTV security systems over analog systems are numerous and include:

• Not limited by distance because of its ability to use WiFi or an existing internet connection
• Digital CCTV systems can be installed in New Jersey homes or businesses and be viewed by someone with a computer and internet connection living in New York City
• Multiple cameras comprising a digital CCTV system can be directed to a wireless focal point that contributes to minimizing the amount of wiring needed to complete installation of such a system
• Images transmitted by digital CCTVs are measured in terms of megapixels. Megapixels are tiny “dots” that compose a digital image and are able to provide images with greater clarity and resolution than images send through an analog security camera system
• Hours of vital information captured by digital CCTVs can be stored efficiently on DVDs, CD-Rs, HDD or FDD to be viewed at later times
• The flexibility and connectivity features of digital CCTVs allow them to be installed just about anywhere that requires protection from criminal elements.

High-quality and dependable CCTV systems sold by professional security companies like Vertex Security have the ability to capture at least 30 frames per second, which is considered “real-time”. Although two to six or seven frames per second is adequate enough to record a criminal, home or business owners using digital CCTVs entertain a much higher possibility than users of analog devices of helping the police find and arrest the suspect due to providing such high resolution images.