AHD Camera vs. IP Camera

Surveillance for your home is one of the best ways of securing your premises, and CCTV cameras are designed to do just that. There are many such cameras available in the market, but they can generally be divided in to two groups, depending on the technology they use: AHD cameras otherwise known as analogue cameras, as well as IP or digital cameras.

The major difference between the two is as has been said, the technology in use. AHD stands for Analog High Definition cameras. These work by capturing videos of intrusions by cameras that are placed at strategic positions, then this data is transmitted to a Digital Video recorder for recording and can be viewed at one’s own leisure.

However, an IP camera works by capturing images using the cameras, which is pretty much what happens with the analog cameras, but then this data is converted to digital format which can then be transmitted via local network connections. IP stands for Internet Protocol, and it’s only befitting seeing what a vital role the internet plays in the working of these surveillance cameras. If you are in doubt about what camera to use for your premises, here’s a brief comparison of these two types of cameras to help find which is most appropriate for your situation.

Image Quality
IP cameras have superior image quality compared to AHD cameras. The resolution of IP cameras at its lowest is 1.3Megapixels, which is quite a feat in acquiring clarity of images for any surveillance camera. The case in AHD cameras is quite different, seeing that even the best AHD cameras barely reach a resolution of 1 megapixel. Additionally, the IP cameras have a much wider field of view compared to an AHD camera. What gives IP cameras such leverage over the AHD cameras? The stellar quality of images produced by IP cameras can be credited to the fact that they are imbedded devices, which means that they can convert images into a digital format inside the camera; hence they do not need to output an analog signal, which is where they beat their analog counterparts as far as image clarity and resolution is concerned. So in case you are in doubt about what camera to buy and resolution is high in your priority list, you know where to go.

Installation Efforts
Installing an AHD camera is a bit fussy, as there are so many cables that have to be correctly put in order to ensure that the camera does not end up useless due to wrong cable connection. It is therefore most convenient for you to hire a professional to help you with this tedious and demanding bit of installing the AHD camera.

It naturally follows that the installation of wireless IP cameras is quite a simple affair, seeing as it is that there are no wires to fuss over. All you need is a power source and the camera is good to go. In regards to installation efforts therefore, it goes without saying that a wireless camera is your best bet as it cuts down on so much of the labour and professionalism required in the installation of analog cameras.


Monitoring
Physical location is of paramount importance in the monitoring of the videos recorded by an analog camera. This is because there is simply no way these images can be sent to you as this camera is not connected to any network hence the sharing of information between one camera and another is virtually impossible. To counter this defect of analog cameras, you need to always be within sight of the camera, and if you cannot be there to monitor it yourself, your only other option is to hire somebody else to do the job for you, which adds to the overall cost of maintaining this surveillance system. The issue about inaccessibility of surveillance footage of analog cameras is a major drawback of these cameras.

IP cameras on the other hand have great leverage in the accessibility of footage at whatever location you might be in. This is possible thanks to the fact that these videos can be made available over the internet if you have connected your system to the internet, therefore the only thing that stands between you and monitoring the state of affairs at your home is connecting your monitoring system to the internet and you are assured of being able to monitor your system regardless of location barriers. Problem solved. It’s really that simple. So if you cannot make it to be forever in front of your machine to monitor the system, you’d be well advised to choose an IP camera over the AHD one.

Security
This is one aspect of these surveillance cameras where the AHD camera beats a wireless camera. It is simply so because for intruders to interfere with an analog camera, they would have to be physically present in order to do it. There is simply no form of virtual technology that can authorize all those cables to be cut or disconnected, there is simply no way around this one, it’s either the intruders are there, which in itself is a risk many will not want to take, or the system remains intact.

The wireless camera is however at a disadvantage here, because of all those online transmissions that take place. It is simple for those with technological know- how to hack into your system, or to destroy it in some other sort of way. The wireless cameras are however not just left open to whichever intruder who wants to hack into your system, as there are a number of ways to ensure that as much protection as possible is provided for your system


Overall cost
It is an undeniable fact that the initial cost of installing a wireless camera is abysmally high compared to that of installing an analogue one, which can be a bit discouraging for some buyers. However, it is of importance to note that over the long haul, the wireless cameras is pretty cost effective compared to the analog one, therefore in making a decision about monetary cost, be sure to consider the maintenance cost of both these cameras.

Conclusion

Having been enlightened about the different qualities that these cameras have, you are now empowered to make the correct decision based on your situation. Be sure to choose right.