Install Security camera Systems

Make a diagram of your surveillance needs. It is both expensive and impractical to monitor every square inch of your house, so you need to prioritize what areas you want to watch the most. Draw up a rough diagram of your house or print out the blueprints and note where you might want to place cameras. When you are done, check out each location to make sure it is not blocked by anything and provides the best view possible. You may want cameras for:

• Front and back doors.
• Off-Street Windows
• Large common spaces
• Driveways
• Porches
• Stairways

Buy the right package to suit your needs. You can buy each piece individually, but it is generally cheaper and easier to buy bundled security systems. At minimum your system should have 1-3 cameras, a DVR (digital video recorder), appropriate wiring (siamese and BNC cables), and power cords. Unless you are choosing to monitor a large area, wireless cameras with wall mounting should cover your needs.

• Basic Home Security: Get a package with 2-3 outdoor cameras (to monitor doors), and a DVR with at least 3 days of recording time.
• Monitoring Valuables/Young Children: 1-3 indoor wireless cameras can cover a small room effectively and stream the footage right to your computer.

Alternatively, buy your cameras individually. Once you know how many cameras you need, you'll need to think about what specific cameras you want. A home surveillance system can cost anywhere from a few hundred dollars to well over a thousand, so make sure you consider the type of cameras you need before buying - the features below should be clearly labeled on the box. While you can buy all of the parts separately, buying a full "surveillance set" is usually cheaper and easier to install.

• Wireless vs. Wired: Wireless cameras are easy to set-up without drilling or running cables through your house, but the quality can be sub-par the further they get away from the receiver. If you are covering a big area, go wired, but most houses find wireless and easier set-up process.
• Indoor or Outdoor: Cameras that are not made to be place outside will quickly break when exposed to rain and humidity, so be sure to choose accordingly.
• Motion Sensing: Some cameras will only record when they notice motion, saving space and energy while only capturing footage when someone is in the room.
• Remote Viewing: Many high-end cameras offer the ability to stream their footage to your phone or laptop anywhere in the world, making it possible to check out your house through a provided program or app.

Set up a recording device and monitor. In order to store and view your footage you need a Digital Video Recorder (DVR). This device receives all of the video feeds and broadcasts them onto a monitor, usually a computer screen or small TV. DVRs have a variety of memory capacities that allow them to store a certain amount of video, from hundreds of hours to one day's worth of footage.

• If you buy a complete surveillance set the DVR is usually included with the camera.
• Network Video Recorders (NVR) and analog recorders (VCRs), also available for purchase, work the same way as a DVR, using an internet signal (NVR) or blank tapes (VCR) to record instead of a digital hard-drive. The following installation tips will work here as well.

Test your equipment before installing. Make sure your cables, DVR, cameras, and monitor all work by connecting each one before you install anything.