There is a ton of security equipment’s you can use to protect your property and it can be difficult to choose the right one. Surveillance technology has come a long way, reaching new millstones and advances are made every year that push the industry to a new height. However! We’re going to explain the difference between analog, HD-TVI, and IP cameras to help you find the equipment that’s right for your location.
Types of Cameras
Analog Cameras
Analog cameras are the original one security cameras. Analog systems are what began the surveillance industry. These cameras started it all and because of their simplicity and low cost, nearly any analog camera was compatible with nearly any analog DVR. This made them wildly popular among security system providers in the late 2000s and early 2010s when their price point became affordable for the average end user.
Before that point, their expense restricted their use to different organizations and businesses that were able to set aside a sizable budget for them.
They capture maximum footage at 420, 540, 600, 700, 960, & 1000 TVL video resolutions, all of which are lower than a base model IP camera which is 720p,
Analog Camera Specs
- 1000TVL maximum video resolution
- Transmits over RG59 / RG6 Siamese cable only.
- Compatible with nearly any analog DVR
- ~700 ft. is the maximum cable run distance
- Runs independent of your broadband networks
- Can be easily powered locally or via Siamese cable
- Low cost, less features, hard to find
HD-TVI Cameras
HD-TVI cameras are the result of years of iterating on the technology. HD-TVI cameras transmits high definition video footage over traditional coaxial cable. Before HDTVI cameras, there was 960H, HDSDI, AHD, HD AVS, and HDCVI. All of which tried to fill the void space between traditional analog cameras and IP cameras, but each fell to the wayside for various reasons (high cost for minimal quality increase, lack of backwards compatibility, high failure rate, etc.).
HDTVI cameras are backwards compatible that is why the DVRs support traditional
analog cameras and said cameras can be used on HD TVI DVRs. This allows you to expand your system to include those old cameras or upgrade your existing cameras in phases if a full rollout isn’t in the budget yet.
- HD-TVI Camera Specs
- 1.3MP to 3MP video resolution
- HD-TVI cameras Transmits over RG59 / RG6 Siamese cable
- ~1,000 ft. is the maximum cable run distance
- More Compatible with analog & HD-TVI DVRs
- Runs independently for your broadband network
- These are Can be powered locally or via Siamese cable
- Medium in cost, few features, easy to find
HD TVI cameras have effectively edged Analog cameras out of the market, but the chances that they’ll dethrone IP cameras is slim to none as well. There is a hard upper limit to how much data can be sent over coaxial cable so the HDTVI equipment can only do so much of activity.
Much like the role that HDTVI cameras are playing in the industry now, they’re kind of stopgap measure until the next big disruption. At which point, they’ll go the way of analog and be replaced by innovative IP cameras.
IP Cameras
IP cameras, also called network cameras, have long been out of reach for an average consumer, but production costs of these kind of cameras have dropped significantly in the last few years. This has drastically increased their popularity and helped usher in the end of analog cameras because of their prices plummeted.
IP cameras work by capturing and transmitting video footages over a broadband network via Ethernet cables. They capture the highest resolution video feeds with the latest models by reaching up to 10 Megapixels. This allows you to capture even the smallest detail in HD. So absolutely there is nothing that can be missed.
IP Camera Specs
- 1.3MP to 8MP+ video resolution
- IP cameras Transmits over Cat5e cable
- ~1,200 ft. is the maximum cable run distance
- Compatible with both, hybrid DVRs & NVRs
- Requires active broadband networks
- Can be powered though locally or over Ethernet cable via Poe
- Medium to high cost, smart features and easy access
