Cameras:

=> Many different types of cameras exist for different needs:
- Indoor Cameras
- Outdoor Cameras
- Low-Light Cameras
- Day/Night Cameras
- Infrared Cameras
- Dome Cameras
- Vandal Cameras
- Vari-focal Cameras
- Zoom Cameras
- Telephoto Cameras
- Pan Tilt Zoom (PTZ) Cameras
- License-Plate Cameras
- Network Cameras
- Wireless Cameras
- Megapixel Cameras
- CCD Cameras
- CMOS Cameras
- Covert Cameras
- Hat Cameras
- Glasses Cameras
- Remote Cameras
- Training Cameras
- Sales Cameras

Indoor Cameras can be very inexpensive since they are not protected against humidity, water, heat, cold, sun and extreme lighting changes.

Outdoor Cameras are often only slightly more expensive than indoor cameras, as they must be protected against the above issues and are often somewhat more reliable, even for indoor applications.

Low-Light Cameras are highly valuable due to the fact that most environments are not well lit for much of the day. Many cameras will not perform well in low light conditions. This means that many of the lower-cost solutions vendors propose will not obtain quality evidence from the beginning of dusk to the end of the dawn. This 14+ hours per day is the same period when many crimes occur.

Day/Night Cameras have the ability to switch to a low-light sensitivity setting to view black and white video when there is not a novel light to capture color video. This allows the camera to work well in both lighting conditions.

Infrared Cameras are used in conjunction with infrared illuminators to capture black-and-white video in complete darkness. The illuminators are often included with the camera and can illuminate up to a specified distance.

Dome Cameras have a clear, tinted or mirrored dome protecting the camera lens from being knocked aside by simply hitting it with a hand or pole. In many cases the Dome can actually concealed the direction the camera is pointing as well. This prevents people in view of the dome from knowing if they are in the camera view or not. To determine the the actual positioning of the camera often requires enough scrutiny that the person is captured on camera.  TeleNavigators highly recommends Dome Cameras for this reason.

Vandal Cameras are often hardened against impact, preventing a hard blow from cracking the dome, obscuring or changing the view of the camera.

Vari-focal Cameras or "variable-focus cameras" allow the view of the camera to be fine-tuned upon installation to capture the exact view desired. By focusing only on the evidence desired, these Vari-focal Cameras can provide clearer, higher-resolution evidence. This is similar to how the human eye can focus in on the newspaper print, but also widen out to see peripheral views while driving.

Zoom Cameras are Vari-focal Cameras that can focus on small or far away items.

Telephoto Cameras are Vari-focal Cameras that can focus on very small or very far away items.

License-Plate Cameras are high-resolution, high-quality cameras that can perform well many lighting conditions.  License Plate Cameras often leverage Zoom or Telephoto lenses to capture license plates from a distance. This distance often prevents people from knowing what the camera is focusing on and also allows the camera to be mounted at a height where they cannot easily be tempered with.

Pan Tilt Zoom (PTZ) Cameras have the ability to be remotely aimed and focused by a system and/or camera operator. They can pan left or right, tilt up or down, and Zoom or out. They differ in how much and how fast they can Pan, Tilt and Zoom.  Some PTZ Cameras can even Pan in a continuous circle. The Pan, Tilt, Zoom mechanics and remote control electronics are relatively expensive. This can cause a PTZ camera to cost two to ten times as much as a non-PTZ camera with similar specifications.

PTZ Cameras are great for live management views of large areas. In some cases, the DVR/NVR/HVR can also automate "patrols" of the camera, allowing it to regularly check on certain areas scan a large area. However, one down side this movement is that it can cause the PTZ Camera to not be looking at an area when an incident occurs. This movement also defeats motion detection triggered recording and causes a DVR/NVR/HVR to record constantly, even though there is no actual movement in the area other than the camera. In many cases, more evidence can be obtained at lower cost using multiple fixed cameras.

Network Cameras convert the analog video into digital signals and send it through a data network interface. This allows the camera use a shared data network to communicate with the Network Video Recorder (NVR). This can reduce installation costs when the cost of running a wire is prohibitive and allow Cameras to be positioned where they otherwise could not be.

Network Cameras can use several different levels of compression, dramatically affecting the amount of network bandwidth and video storage space required. MJPEG, MPEG4 & H.264 are common compression formats. Each step up in compression can provide a savings of two to ten times in bandwidth and storage.

Wireless Cameras can use of radio frequency signals to transmit the video. Although there are some analog wireless video solutions, they are often relatively low quality / reliability and can't support many cameras in the same area. For that reason, wireless data networks are often used to support Network Cameras for professional grade video surveillance solutions.

Megapixel Cameras can capture extremely high-resolution digital video. This can allow a user to magnify a video image many times and still have good clarity.  The user can also Pan, Tilt and Zoom a camera view long after it has been captured. However, this evidence resolution, clarity, and analysis flexibility comes at a relatively high cost in network bandwidth, NVR processing, and storage requirements. Megapixel cameras are also available in relatively few variations and are thus somewhat limited in application.

CCD Cameras describe the most common type of electronics used to capture high-quality analog video today. CCD electronics are available in a wide variety of cameras to satisfy almost every possible need. Network video encoders can bring many of the advantages of a network camera to the wide variety of Analog Cameras.

CMOS Cameras are often inexpensive and small but low-quality cameras. Does not recommend most of these cameras for most applications.  However, CMOS video technology is constantly improving may be applicable for some needs.

Covert Cameras are hidden from view, and extremely valuable to prevent people from detecting them. Virtually any camera can be disabled with a gun or a sledgehammer. However, it is impossible for a perpetrator to disable a camera they cannot find.

Covert cameras are also highly valuable as an initial implementation phase to capture a perpetrator, who has been responsible for several incidents. Covert cameras can then be added as a second phase to provide the highly valuable deterrent of criminal activity. TeleNavigators recommends a combination of overt, covert, and decoy Cameras to maximize overall solution effectiveness.

Hat Cameras are small cameras that are concealed or mounted in or on a hat or cap. Hat Cameras have the advantage of providing the actual perspective of the wearer and freeing their hands to operate or demonstrate.

Glasses Cameras are are small cameras that are concealed or mounted in or on a pair of glasses. Glasses Cameras have the advantage of providing the actual perspective of the wearer and freeing their hands to operate or demonstrate.

Remote Cameras are Network Cameras or Analog Cameras with a Network Encoder/DVR.  These cameras provide a remote view via a Local Area Network (LAN) or high-speed Internet connection anywhere in the world.

Training Cameras are Remote Cameras that are used for training and/or support purposes.

Sales Cameras can be PTZ, Hat, Glasses or other Cameras implemented in such a way as to give a remote customer a live view of your products and/or premises. Sales Cameras can dramatically: shorten sales cycles, increase deal size, and increase sales volume.