The security industry has been doing quite well in the past decade due to awareness of the products to ensure safety.

Many business entrepreneurs, who want to start on their own face many hurdles because of the extreme competition online and not enough technical knowledge on the products.

The security camera industry is constantly evolving with the addition of latest cameras and cutting-edge technology. This has propelled many technical terms associated with every device such as "frames per second", "horizontal lines", "images per second", etc.

It is very important to understand the technical know-how of the terms.

This helps you be aware of the compatibility of a product and its features with your system to make an informed decision on a purchase.

So to help you out we have put together a quick guide of all the major terms you will hear within the industry.

PAL

PAL or Phase Alternating Lines, is a standard video system used in the Eastern countries, which transmits 25 frames in each second. 625 individual scan lines make up one frame.

NTSC

NTSC or National Television System Committee, used mostly in North and South America, transmits 30 frames each second. 525 individual scan lines make a single frame.

CCD sensor

CCD or Charged Coupled Device sensors in security cameras capture images that have better quality and less noise as compared to CMOS sensors.

CMOS sensor

A CMOS sensor captures images & uses less power as compared to a CCD sensor and is cheaper. It works well for wireless or for battery-powered cameras

Pinhole Camera

In pinhole cameras, one of the oldest types of cameras, you can capture high-quality still images but blurred moving images.

CCTV Security Camera System

In CCTV security camera technology, images can be captured & stored without using tape and can be wireless. It also records action and responds by setting off alarms, call the police and more.

720p

720p is the resolution, or quality, of the picture displayed on a monitor with high-definition resulting in sharp images. "720" represents the number of horizontal scan lines (720) of resolution. The "p" is the progressive scanning that gives a smoother picture with 720 lines being refreshed 30 times in a second.

1080i

Here "1080" is the number of horizontal scan lines. "i" stands for interlaced scanning, a process where frames are mixed to form a smoother picture with less flicker.

LUX

LUX is a method to measure the amount of light that is needed for the security camera to capture images. A lower LUX means the camera has the ability to see images more clearly in the dark. E.g. 1 LUX – good quality images in late evening, 0.5 LUX - dim lit areas at night, .05 LUX – captures images better than humans at night.

DVR

A Digital Video Recorder or DVR is a general term for a device that records television data in digital format. It encodes video data in MPEG-1/ MPEG-2 formats and stores data in a hard drive and the capability to pause "live" TV and continue without missing any part of a program.

Wired Security Camera

A "wired" camera is hard-wired to the monitor and recording systems. The image cables are needed to transfer the camera images, then changed to a signal and sent to monitors, where signals are decoded in to live pictures.

Wireless Security Camera

Wireless cameras as the name suggests are "wire-free" and use electronic signals to relay images to the monitor/receivers and are converted to pictures.

IP Security Camera

IP security cameras use Internet Protocol to transmit images and control signals over an Ethernet link. Also known as network cameras, they are primarily used for surveillance similar to analog closed-circuit television.

Super HAD CCD sensor

Super HAD CCD sensor, a Sony product, provides twice the results than traditional CCD. Used in security cameras, these sensors allow cameras to be in environments for long periods of intensely bright ambient light or darkness.

RF

RF stands for Radio Frequency and for security cameras; video signals must be modulated into a RF signal to be transmitted across a wireless network.

Interline CCD sensor

Interline CCDs are used mainly in image sensors used for capturing moving images like security cameras. They avoid image smear because light cannot affect the masked pixel storage area and these security cameras are inexpensive.

Horizontal Definition

It is the highest amount of individual picture elements recognizable in a single scanning line. The clarity and sharpness of an image produced by the camera depends on higher number of lines resulting in greater definition of images.

Angular Field of View

In security cameras, AOV is defined by the field of view that the camera covers which is a few degrees above and below the angle it is pointed at. The images captured depend on the size and area covered by the camera.

Effective Distance

It is measurement of how far the camera can "see". There 2 types of effective distance: day distance and night distance. Security cameras use infrared technologies to capture details of images at a distance.

BNC Connector

A BNC is a video connector usually used in a wireless security camera system. It makes use of RF to broadcast images captured by the security cameras to monitors and recording equipment.

Using the above glossary, you can educate yourself on the technical dictionary of security cameras.

You can also post it on your site to make it easier for the customer to choose the right security camera based on their needs.

Each glossary term can be a separate page with recommendations of your products with that capability alongside.