Basic CCTV terms.
Every term that shows up in a quote, in one sentence each. Read five and you'll compare quotes better than most buyers.
- CCTV
- Closed Circuit Television — a video system whose signal isn't publicly accessible.
- PoE / PoE+
- Power over Ethernet — one cable carries data and power. PoE+ delivers more power, for heaters and motorised lenses.
- NVR
- Network Video Recorder — records IP cameras; channel count is the system's ceiling.
- DVR
- Digital Video Recorder — records analogue cameras over coaxial cable, AHD, TVI or CVI.
- VMS
- Video Management Software — one account for multiple locations, with analytics and access rules.
- ONVIF
- An open standard that lets cameras and recorders from different makers work together.
- WDR
- Wide Dynamic Range — keeps a face visible against a bright entrance behind it.
- IR range
- How far infrared illumination reaches in clean air. Rain and fog cut it down.
- LUX
- A measure of light. The lower the value a camera needs to work, the less lighting it requires.
- H.265 / H.264
- Compression. H.265 stores the same picture in roughly half the disk space.
- RG59
- Coaxial cable from older installations. Often reusable up to 4 MP.
- IP66 / IK10
- Protection ratings: IP66 against water and dust, IK10 against impact.
- ANPR
- Automatic number-plate recognition. Needs its own camera and angle, never a shared one.
- RFID / NFC
- A card or phone used as identification for access control and attendance terminals.
- UPS
- Backup power. Without it, the system records the power cut and nothing after it.
- Verification
- The operator checks an alarm on camera before calling anyone. That's what separates monitoring from a siren.