A conventional CCTV system consists of the camera itself, or more than one where needed, the power supply and the Digital Video Recorder (DVR). The camera is at the heart of the system, keeping a permanent watchful eye. In addition to this, a DVR is required to store the video data. The job of the DVR is simply to record the video for you to view at a later stage as and when needed. Viewing the video recording can be done easily through the DVR’s software, which prompts for a username and password before allowing access. DVRs are usually available in 4, 8 or 16 channels; the number specifying the maximum amount of cameras each DVR can handle. Finally, the power supply is used to electrically power up the system and allow everything to work properly.
The wiring of the system is also quite straightforward. A coaxial cable, similar to the one used for TV signals, is used to transfer the image to the DVR, and together with this cable, a 2 core power cable from the power supply unit is passed through to power up the system. DVRs are usually connected either to a TV set, where a channel is set for CCTV viewing, or else to a dedicated monitor. Video clips can then be extracted onto CDs, DVDs or USB storage devices for portability.