Where are surveillance cameras used?

In addition to the cities of Los Angeles, Miami, Memphis, New York, San Diego, San Francisco, San Luis and Washington, it's fascinating to see that major sights and tourist attractions aren't the most common camera objects. Commercial-grade cameras are designed and manufactured for high-performance applications where failure is not an option; home cameras are not. Very few manufacturers of security devices have escaped the embarrassment of learning that their recorders and cameras have been hacked and controlled by an unauthorized person. Look at the ceiling of consumer electronics stores and chain stores and you'll see in each aisle a white-domed chamber that's larger than the average consumer chamber.

The surveillance camera industry has been plagued in recent years by several hacks and exploits discovered by both security researchers and hackers. When used in conjunction with standard cameras for more precise details, these cameras are an excellent solution for general situational surveillance. The San Diego Police Department expected to have access to real-time public and private camera images as part of the “Operation Secure San Diego” surveillance program. What many people don't realize is that there are other kinds of security cameras that are directly available to the public, even though they are not found in department stores or warehouses.

HTA certified installation professionals who install camera systems (listed in their company profiles) will be able to recommend and implement security best practices. Unfortunately, once customers realize that the affordable consumer camera they purchased lacks HDR, it's often too late since the cameras and recorders are installed. It has become a fact of life on the Internet that no computer is 100% secure and, unfortunately, security camera systems are also at risk. Suppose there are two cameras, one standard camera with a 130° field of view and the other a 720° camera, and both cameras are 10 MP (megapixel) high-resolution models.

It's impossible to deny the enormous benefit customers get from connecting their security cameras to the Internet, although, as the media often mention, there are hackers lurking everywhere. Thermal cameras will allow you to see living objects through their heat signal from great distances that a normal camera would not be able to see. This means that the 720° camera has a much lower resolution per square inch; it starts with the same image sensor, 10 MP in this case, although it has to extend that image to a much larger space and, therefore, will not look as sharp as a camera that only has a 130° field of view.