When buying security cameras, one of the first choices you will have to make is CVI or IP?

CVI stands for Composite Video Interface and is basically an analog signal camera which will use a similar type of cable as your TV antenna. You will also need a separate power supply cable to each camera. You can get HD quality images from these cameras but the resolution is maxed out at 1080p.

IP stand for Internet Protocol and these types of cameras are what we would consider ‘full digital’ cameras. They use an ethernet cable much like the same ones that plug in to your computer and require no extra cables for power as the they are also powered through the ethernet cable. Their resolution is currently maxed out at UHD quality which is considered 4k or 2160p.

In short, you can do a lot more with IP cameras than CVI – not just in resolution, but also software such as facial recognition or auto tracking cameras which will track and flow movement around your property. As manufacturers refine these features, it’s as simple as doing a software upgrade to gain the benefits. Unfortunately, this option is not available for CVI cameras but CVI cameras are cheaper and easier to install. There are still many other differences between IP and CVI cameras, but this will at least give you a basic understanding of the two.

We all want to make sure our loved ones are safe, especially in our own homes. What’s the point of putting in a safety switch if you don’t know that it will work? – it’s a bit like rolling the dice. We have the brakes in our cars tested regularly, so if you could imagine that the safety switch in your house is a brake, it’s there to stop you from being electrocuted, so shouldn’t we get that tested too?

An RCD is designed to trip at 30 milliamps within 300 milliseconds, so those are some tight tolerances. The RCD measures how much current is going out and in turn, how much is coming back. When someone is being electrocuted, it causes an imbalance making the RCD trip.

It is recommended that for domestic installations, you should do a ‘push button’ test every 6 months, by simply pushing the test button. It is further recommended that an ‘injection’ test be conducted every year – this is where a small amount of current is injected in to the circuit with a special machine, causing it to trip and calculating the trip time and current. Contact your local electrician to arrange injection testing.

There’s nothing more annoying than having your tv drop out right in the middle of your favourite program.

So here are some help full tips on reception issues

1. Some TVs can switch between analog and digital signals. As there is no analog signal being transmitted anymore you may find that you have accidentally switched your TV to analog you can generally find the analog/digital button on your remote or it may be in your menu settings try and switch between the two to see if that helps

2. Damaged or unplugged leads. leads can become damaged over time from wear and tear or over kinking swap out the lead to see if that helps

3. Re-tune your TV simple go in to your TV menu and select broadcast/channel or a similar term and click on auto digital tune /scan

4. Try a factory reset on your TV go to your TV menu screen and find factory reset and select it. This function can usually be found in settings (note this will reset all previously saved information on your tv)

5. Unplugged or turned off booster supply. Some homes that have poor reception require a booster if the signal booster is turned of this will cause all of your TV,s to drop out of reception

6. LTE Is a mobile phone frequency that has recently started to be used by telco company’s this frequency’s has been known to cause interference with TV reception you may need a LTE filter

7 Check the condition of your antenna it may be at the end of its life span

Buying security cameras can be a daunting task, especially when you’re dealing with all the jargon that comes along with it like – H264, MJPEG, and I.R. megapixels. Then throw into the mix different lens sizes, motion detection, trip wire etc… and you have a recipe for disaster where you may end up buying something you thought would protect your family or valuables, only to have it fail miserably after costing you a small fortune.

So, let’s see if we can arm you with the right information so you can make a choice that will suit your needs.

To begin with, megapixels are just the tip of the iceberg when looking at cameras. How the image is captured and stored is just as vital. For example, you can have a smart phone with a 16 megapixels camera and a SLR photographer’s camera with the same megapixels, yet the two pictures will be very different. This is due to the size of the image sensor lens quality and compression software – that’s why you don’t see press photographers taking pictures with their smart phones (even though that would make life easier).

So, let’s start with compression software, which is how the images are put together and stored. If you could imagine that video images are just a bunch of still pictures put together, how each frame is captured makes a big difference. Some compression software will store every single frame, while others will only store frames that are different from the last stored frame. Without making your head spin too much for your average home and commercial site, the best software to run is H264. This gives you high quality images and it takes up less hard drive space.

As for image sensors, rule of thumb is ‘bigger is better’ for the average user. Anything above 1/3 image sensor and you’re doing well.

Next, let’s discuss lens sizes. In general, the lower the lens size, the wider the field of view. For example, 3.6mm lens will give you a 90 degree field of view and a 12mm lens will give you a 25 degree field of view.  Therefore, when you’re looking at covering certain areas of your property you may want to take this in to account

Now we get to motion detection, trip wire or intrusion detection. I’ll try and keep it simple without giving a science lesson. Motion detection will detect any movement made on the screen within a certain size (depending on the sensitivity). Some people will set the cameras to send them notifications when they detect movement. However, unfortunately at night, the infrared light that the cameras put out can give false notifications. For example, when a bug flies past the camera at night, infrared light bounces off the bug and back into the camera and in turn is considered movement by the camera.

As for trip wire or intrusion detection, this is a programmed line that only the camera can see, so this gives you greater control over what areas you want to cover with less false notifications. If a person walks past your property, the cameras won’t detect them but if they step foot over the invisible line that you have drawn in the camera, it will act just like a real trip wire and notify you.

Hope this has been helpful to you.

Mobile Towers 4G interference can cause mayhem with TV reception and is often misdiagnosed by inexperienced technicians. We come across these problems all the time.  You can’t give someone a near enough install. Ive been sent to clients place that has been putting up with a sub standard job for months, even years. Simply because the previous installer from another company has no idea what the issue is.  The advice offered by the previous installer was “It must be the area”. I added a 4G filter and BOOM! awesome tv reception is now easily achieved.

All Tv Guy technicians are taught diagnostic fault finding as well as holding industry qualifications. Its Antenna 101, quickly determined that the fault was from 4G interference.Then put a LTE signal filter on.

The correct 4G LTE filter was installed and tested to confirm the issue was resolved. The client has since reported that the issue is fixed and is enjoying.