Features

Multicamera management

If you can afford to splash out on your home security system, you can take advantage of your PC by turning it into a DVR (digital video recorder). At its most basic, a DVR is a piece of software, such as Harmony CCTV Server, which monitors one camera. But, if you need to watch several rooms, you may be better off opting for traditional CCTV cameras, which are connected to your PC or laptop with either a PCI or USB capture card.

Cards capable of handling four cameras cost between £60 and £250, while cards with eight or 16 inputs cost about £450. An important factor to consider is how many frames per second the card can record across all its inputs; cheaper cards may be able to handle only 10fps from each camera at limited resolutions, while more expensive models will record 30fps at the cameras' highest resolutions. Some cards can handle video and audio, while others only have video inputs. If you plan to use a laptop rather than a PC for monitoring, you'll be limited to USB capture cards. Laptop owners in particular should also be aware that you'll need a relatively powerful PC to monitor multiple cameras: we'd recommend at least a dual-core processor and 2GB of RAM.

CCTV cameras cost from about £40 each. Their quality is measured in TVL (TV lines) and most offer between 380 and 470 lines, which is classed as high resolution. This gives a clear enough image to identify facial features, but for absolute top quality opt for a camera with 480-600 TVL.

ADVERTISEMENT

Avoid cameras below 380TVL, since their image quality is poor.

Having a security camera in every room might be the pinnacle of house security, but it can make your home look like a branch of Dixons. For a more subtle approach, there are a variety of covert units, where tiny cameras are mounted in dummy household objects like clocks, smoke detectors and burglar alarm motion detectors. The X-Vision PC700 from www.y3k.com, for example, looks and works like a normal wall clock, but has a pinhole colour camera that's too small to spot.

It isn't only indoors that needs securing. Some CCTV cameras boast infrared LEDs that enable them to "see" in the dark, and are ideal for monitoring a garden or driveway at night. If night vision is a priority, look for cameras that boast sufficient range. Those with scores of infrared LEDs (such as Swann's Super Night Owl, £85 exc VAT from www.maplin.co.uk) can see further than devices with only a handful.

Most, but not all, CCTV cameras can be mounted outside, so check before buying. Some don't come with power supplies, so budget about £7-£10 for each one. You'll also need an extension cable with BNC and power jacks at each end. Most cameras use BNC connectors, but some use composite video.

To avoid trailing cables from room to room, you can opt for wireless CCTV cameras or IP cameras. These use the same 2.4GHz frequency as Wi-Fi and, as most brands have only four channels, you should use a maximum of three wireless CCTV cameras.

Some DVR software can monitor webcams and IP cameras as well as CCTV cameras, so you can expand your system as needs dictate. The reason DVR software is so useful is that it provides a single interface to monitor all your cameras, set motion-detection areas and view the captured video. It will take a bit of trial and error to set the correct sensitivity for each area where you enable motion detection, but once it's done you'll be able to instantly review any captured movement simply by using the software's review function.