Do CCTV Have Audio?

Wondering do CCTV have audio? The growth of CCTV as a means for securing homes has become extremely important and even indispensable across thousands of homes in this country.

Security and safety of the people living in the home and also for safeguarding the properties and other valuables in the home. CCTV helps in recording videos and images and transmitting them to the stakeholders on a continuous basis.

The home could have one or even a number of such CCTVs depending on the specific needs and requirements of the end-users.

However, in this article, we will be focusing on one more aspect of CCTVs. We will try to find an answer to the question if CCTVs have audio facilities. We will try and answer the question do CCTV audio is a must.

Yes, CCTVs have the facility of recording audios and it is left to the discretion of the end-users to decide whether they would like to make use of it or not.

But in most cases, CCTVs are used only to record videos and pictures because these two things alone may be sufficient to take care of the monitoring of the home, office, or other such places.

In a technologically advanced world, it is quite possible that even simple CCTVs can have the facility of recording audio sounds if necessary. In fact, most modern-day cameras come with an audio record facility, but the real issue may be in deciding whether one should use this facility or not.

Two Types of CCTVs

As far as the CCTV world is concerned, there are two types of Cctv cameras. The first one is the IP CCTV camera and the second one is the analog CCTV camera. Both are unique in their own ways having certain benefits and perhaps even shortcomings.

They also have a few things in common and the facility of recording audio is available with both of them. The cameras that are being used by the end-users determined as to which type of sound can be recorded and reproduced later.

• IP CCTV

When you choose an IP CCTV system, it comes with an audio input as far as the IP camera is concerned. This input is fed into the camera. However, the video transmission that happens between the camera and the microphone is analog.

The unique feature of IP CCTV systems is that it has the capability of accommodating many microphones and this would depend on the cameras that are being used as a part of the network.

• Analog CCTV

However, analog CCTVs are quite different from IP CCTVs. The audio input instead of being directly connected to the DVR. The DVR has the job of receiving the signal that comes in analog form and it has to be then digitized.

However, like an IP CCTV camera, the analog system can also handle many microphones because it comes with an equal number of microphones in relation to the cameras that you are planning to put up for your CCTV monitoring to be effective.

There Could Be Some Legal Issues

While technology does not prohibit the recording of audio sounds as far as CCTVs are concerned, there could be some legal issues that may inhibit users from enabling the audio facility as far as CCTVs are concerned.

You must be sure that you are on the right side of the law as far as legal issues are concerned. Please check-up with your local authorities and be sure that you are permitted to record audios apart from videos when you are planning to make use of the CCTV network.

The laws may keep changing and you should not be caught napping. If you are unsure about it, it would be better to stay away from using audio. At the end of the day, when it comes to security and safety, it is the videos that matter the most.

Ask an expert or end users who may have used an audio recording facility. In most cases, they would be unanimous in their opinion that audio recording is only of cosmetic benefit and there are hardly any tangible real benefits associated with it.

You Could Turn off Audio Recording

You could go in for a CCTV networked system that offers audio record facilities. At the same time, you can toggle between turning it off and turning it on again. This again is possible because of modern day technology.

Modern-day CCTVs are compatible with smartphones and PC and you can go to the settings and turn off the audio and turn it again as and when you need it.

Do CCTV Have Audio? – Conclusion

To summarize, there is nothing that technology cannot do. Your CCTV has the capacity and capability to record audio sounds provided you need it and provided the law of the land allows it.