What Makes Professional Cameras Better Than DIY Varieties?

Going with DIY surveillance cameras sounds tempting for many reasons. Usually, they’re cheaper and quicker than having a professional install your surveillance camera system. You've gone online and checked out the best options, including ones with HD resolution and live surveillance feeds. But are they truly up to the task of protecting your family? 

You may get some peace of mind with DIY solutions, but a professional surveillance camera system is the only way to really protect your Greenwich, CT home. Security is too important to your home and family to be cutting costs. As you read this blog, you'll see some of the most significant differences between DIY and professional surveillance solutions. Knowing these differences will help you gauge if DIY cameras are the ideal option for your home.  

SEE MORE: DIY vs. Professional Surveillance: What You Need to Know 

Wide-Ranging Camera Models 

Usually, DIY surveillance solutions offer only a couple of camera options—primarily differentiating between indoors and outdoors. Revamp your security with professional surveillance camera systems offering dome, bullet and eyeball models. These come with different features, viewing angles, and builds to fit a variety of applications. Have discreet dome cameras for indoor spaces, sturdy bullet cameras for harsh outdoor elements, and PTZ cameras that let you track movement throughout the house. 

Expansive Surveillance Features 

DIY cameras often have very few features beyond simple streaming capabilities. The professional-grade models we use also include advanced IR illumination, video analytics, license plate recognition and more. IR illumination, in particular, is ideal for outdoor cameras to avoid images that are too dark or too bright. This technology ensures all your footage maintains the same level of lighting throughout. Don’t miss out on anything with alerts featuring video snippets of who went into your home or what might have set off your security alarm. 

4k Video Resolution 

Though some DIY cameras offer high definition, most still cap off at standard definition. Our professional surveillance partners at IC Realtime, Luma, and Visualint offer models with full 4K video resolution. Not only does that mean better overall picture quality, but it also means better zoom capabilities. With more pixels, you can zoom greater distances without seeing a fall in quality.

More Reliable Connections 

Even those DIY cameras that do offer high resolution will have issues loading footage quickly and reliably. Since you’re likely using a standard network for your cameras, it won’t be able to handle the heavy loads. With footage taking a few minutes to load, are you really getting a live look at your home? 

High-end cameras come with better compression protocols, so you enjoy higher resolution without having to transmit huge files. During a professional installation, they also bolster your overall network to ensure a more reliable connection. 

There is one more thing to consider when it comes to your network: security. Though DIY security cameras are infamously vulnerable to hacking, professional ones include added encryption and two-factor authentication to protect your home and information. 

Advanced Storage and Management 

Many DIY cameras only let you record a limited amount of footage, while others don’t let you record at all. This is one of the areas where professional surveillance systems especially stand out. All our surveillance installations come with advanced video monitoring and storage capabilities that make it easier to find the content you need. 

For example, our partners IC Realtime have video management software accessible from any device using cloud storage. Have the software immediately sift out the day's most crucial footage based on learning algorithms and send it to you via daily alerts. Or zero in on video based on specific search terms like "man in white shirt" or "person approaching storage area."

Ready to bolster your home’s security with a professional surveillance camera system? Upgrade to one that offers high-quality footage that is easy for you to monitor and manage. All you have to do to get started is reach out to our team by calling (914) 921-0099 or filling out our contact form.