Security Cameras For Home Protection: Standalone Kits Vs Pc-Based Kits

If you are planning to install security cameras for home use, you will ultimately have to decide: will you choose standalone household CCTV kits that come with their own DVR? Or will you choose PC-based home CCTV systems that hook up to an existing desktop or laptop computer?

Here are a few key differences to help you make a decision that will best suit your needs:

Budget and existing hardware

If you already have a spare desktop or laptop computer laying around, then you already have a potential platform for storing and archiving recorded footage. This can lead to significant savings in the long run, especially when paired with budget security cameras designed specifically for use with PCs.

This may, however, not be feasible if you don’t have a free laptop or desktop PC to spare. Storing a large archive will also be a problem if your PC has limited storage capacity – typically less than 500 GB. In this case, a standalone kit with a DVR may be the more practical choice.

Remote Viewing

If you need to remotely view or manipulate the cameras while on the go, then you will typically want to stick with a PC-based surveillance kit. Using wireless Internet access points, you can use smartphones, tablets or other mobile devices to work with your cameras even if you are hundreds of miles away.

The growth of Wi-Fi compatible DVRs, however, is slowly eroding that advantage of PC-based systems. The more recent crop of DVRs not only archive the footage, but also allow for remote access via the Internet. So if you need to check the feed of your security cameras for home use on a regular basis, PC-based systems and standalone DVRs with Wi-Fi connectivity can help you out there.

Security

If you want your security system to be as secure as possible, then you will want to get a standalone DVR kit. These standalone DVRs come with their own customized operating system, which is significantly harder to viruses, Trojans, denial of service attacks and other remote threats.

Another main advantage is that nobody tinkers with the system as much as a PC. People typically use their PCs for various purposes – reading email, visiting websites, installing programs and a whole lot of other things. This is a major weak point that remote threats can exploit, and can be a liability if your household CCTV system captures sensitive information.

Maintenance

This is another field where DVR-based security cameras for home use have a clear advantage over their PC-based counterparts. DVRs don’t have as many sensitive parts as PCs, and you don’t need to worry too much about updates being constantly installed on the unit. You may be surprised to find budget security cameras wearing out faster than the DVR units they come bundled with!

Aside from the initial setup process, cleaning and dusting the DVR on a regular basis is basically the extent of all you need to do. This significantly reduces the need of DVR-based home CCTV systems for constant maintenance – perfect for when you want your system to keep chugging for years to come.