Lab

CCTV equipment

Burglar alarms are a good way to protect your home or office from intruders, but a CCTV system can be even better. An alarm might scare off an intruder and alert neighbours, but a CCTV camera could help catch those responsible. What's more, CCTV is no longer the domain of the rich; today's CCTV cameras can cost as little as £50, and a recording system as little as £60.

Even if you don't want a complicated security system, CCTV equipment can be useful. CCTV cameras can be easily connected to a standard TV, so you can see who's outside your front door or monitor your driveway using only a single camera and some cable.

This month, we've tested six CCTV cameras and the equipment you'll need to convert your computer into a cheap but powerful recording system. We've also tested four IP cameras, which are ideal if you want to monitor your home or office via the internet. Whatever you want to keep an eye on, we'll help you find the right equipment.

Before you buy, it's important to consider what you want from your CCTV system. For example, you should consider whether you need a camera that works at night, whether you want a camera that can connect to a network, whether you want to record from your camera and whether you need sound as well as video.

See the light

If you want to monitor or record at night, you'll need a camera with night vision. These have infrared light-emitting diodes (LEDs) that illuminate the area, allowing the camera to see in complete darkness, albeit in black and white. Most of the CCTV cameras in this test have night vision, but annoyingly none of the IP cameras we found had this feature. Some IP cameras do a good job of recording in near-darkness, but with all the lights out they can't see at all.

To use the CCTV cameras in this review, you'll need to run a cable between each camera and your TV or recorder. Wireless CCTV cameras are available but, as the picture is not encrypted before being transmitted, they are not ideal for filming a private area. Instead, we've reviewed four wireless IP cameras. These use your existing wireless network to transmit video, so they can be secured using either WEP or WPA encryption.

Record breakers

Whether you use traditional CCTV or IP cameras, you might want to record video clips whenever someone enters the picture or during certain times of the day. If you use an IP camera, this involves running software on a computer connected to the same network.

If you're using traditional CCTV cameras, you could connect one to a traditional VCR. This allows for just one camera, though, and you'll need to change the tapes regularly. More annoyingly, if something does occur you'll have to scan through the entire tape to find it. A better solution is to use a PC recording interface. These connect up to four cameras to one PC, so the computer can monitor for motion and record when necessary.

If you want to record sound as well as video, you'll need to choose products carefully. Only a few cameras have a built-in microphone, and only one of the two PC recording interfaces supports sound recording. If you decide to buy a wired CCTV camera, remember that you might also need extra cables and power supplies.