There are many advantages to using Megapixel cameras in your video surveillance solution. However, Megapixel security cameras are a different animal than both standard IP and traditional analog cameras.

Here are some things to keep in mind:

Network Bandwidth

High resolution video requires a lot of bandwidth, so plan accordingly. However, Megapixel cameras will not take up more bandwidth than the combined analog camera requirements to capture the same resolution and field of view.

We recommend using Megapixel camera technology to simply crop the unnecessary parts of captured field of view, and REDUCE the required network bandwidth.

Memory Requirements

Higher resolution and higher frame rates require more memory. However, hard drive capacity has greatly increased, costs have significantly reduced, and there are simple functions (such as motion detect, video overwrite, variable frame rate) to help you manage this requirement.

Our recommendation: don’t skimp – get as much memory you can afford.

Lighting Needs

Megapixel cameras require additional lighting for surveillance during nighttime hours. Basically, if you can’t see well in a given area at night, neither can the camera. For low light applications, we recommend augmenting your Megapixel camera with a low light capable IP or CCD camera.

Lenses

When buying a Megapixel camera, purchase Megapixel-ready lenses. Traditional lenses will work, but their optics will limit the resolution capabilities of the camera.