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There are many advantages that an IP security camera CCTV system offers over an analog format. IP security cameras send their signal over a network, allowing greater information transfer than an analog signal sent to a DVR. What are the biggest advantages?

Resolution

Whether cabled or wireless, CCTV systems that use an IP system have multiple advantages. They can record at a higher resolution. This means zooming in won’t create a blurry image, but can create a very clear one.

Some of the best analog cameras can capture footage at up to half a megapixel. An IP camera can capture footage up to 3 megapixels. This is 6 times the resolution, or clarity of an image. The difference isn’t the quality of the camera, it’s the amount of information that can be handled via an IP system. With an analog system, you can’t funnel through that much visual information. An IP system for CCTV can.

Analytics

A digital video recorder (DVR) on an analogue system can’t highlight events and save these out. To find a specific moment, you’ll have to play through all the footage until you find it. For security events that may happen overnight, that means scrubbing through hours of footage. An IP system can highlight or flag events for you based on specific parameters. These can include motion detection, tampering with the camera, and a range of other events

Scalability

An analog system limits you to the number of cameras you can hook up to a single DVR. You also need cabling for each individual camera. IP camera CCTV uses a network video recorder (NVR). This runs each camera in a certain range to a single switch. This switch can then run back to the NVR, saving substantially on cabling, installation, and maintenance costs. You can even use Power over Ethernet (PoE) to use certain types of signal cables to provide power to the cameras as well. This covers the power supply for the cameras.

On top of this, IP cameras are able to cover a better field of view. This means that it can cover the area that it would have once taken multiple cameras to observe. An IP system for CCTV can be a high initial cost, but it can save money in the long-term. You can use fewer cameras, less cabling, you’ll need less maintenance, and you don’t have to invest as heavily in DVRs. You’ll save substantial amounts of time when looking for particular events in the footage as well.