We’ve all seen that episode of a crime show or scene from a dramatic movie. The officers are gathered in a dramatically lit room, walls of monitors display streams of data and video feed. Then the breakthrough happens: A lone camera captures a figure. Excitement fills the room, they leap for the monitors and call for the picture to zoom and enhance. A box comes onto the monitor honing in on the figure in motion, the camera zooms in, the pixelization falls away to reveal the suspect’s face in crystal clear HD. That reactivity and detail may just be Hollywood, but Pan, Tilt, Zoom cameras are very real, and a huge asset in modern day security systems.
Let’s go over some of the major advantages of a PTZ camera system for use in your home or office. As the name states, a PTZ camera immediately has an advantage over traditional fixed lens cameras in its ability to adjust. Without being always confined to a fixed position, a PTZ system has the ability to monitor a much larger area than their static counterparts. An expansive parking lot, a bustling shopping center, or acres of open farm are all environments where a traditional camera setup would be either too costly to implement, or simply impractical to monitor accurately.
PTZ Camera systems also feature the ability to manually adjust the angle on the fly. Just like in our cinematic example the operator of the camera can at any time manually adjust where the PTZ camera is looking. Should an incident occur in the camera’s field of view the operator would be able to focus on the offender and zoom in to capture the suspect and situation in as much detail is possible. This enables the operator to track the suspect as well, following them from one camera’s field of view to another.
The PTZ camera systems also feature programmable tours. A tour is the pattern that the camera is assigned to follow. This security sweep can either follow a preset schedule or can be put on a rotating pattern. These tours allow for the camera to monitor an entryway, sweep over to the parking lot, or provide eyes on another part of the building where needed.
However a PTZ camera cannot see everything at once. Their field of view is limited to what they’re pointed at in that particular moment. This drawback can be mitigated by using a series of PTZ cameras to provide overlapping coverage of an area, or using the PTZ camera system with fixed camera’s aimed at particular zones where coverage is essential, but the PTZ camera cannot watch at all times.
While not as perfect as silver screen would imply, PTZ IP Cameras are a powerful and versatile tool in home and business surveillance. Knowing the pros and cons of these and other security devices can help you best decide what type of setup will meet the requirements of your home or office before making the investment.