The History of Surveillance Cameras

Surveillance cameras are an intelligent security system that consists of conducting surveillance through video cameras in different places or environments. It is also called a CCTV which means, “closed-circuit television”.

This video surveillance technology is especially useful for identifying intruders or anyone who performs any improper activity that jeopardizes the integrity of a place or individual.

The circuit is composed of one or several surveillance cameras that are interconnected to video monitors or televisions, which reproduce the images captured by the cameras.

These fixed cameras allow remote monitoring of people, materials, and alarms from a central control room, from which the focus, direction, inclination or panoramic view is configured.

Currently, these CCTV Hub can include night vision, thermal (in case you have thermal cameras), or motion detection. Its use in companies, commercial premises, educational institutions, even public places, has increased in recent years as they allow improving security in each space.

Since when are security cameras used?

The security cameras began to be used as security elements in military operations. The German army, in 1942, was the first to use this technique so it is presumed that they were pioneers in the use of this technological tool.

The first systems were composed only of black and white cameras that were connected to monitors. Through them, the tests of the V2 missiles were observed.

Sometime later, the quadrant generators appeared that allowed the visualization of several cameras at the same time through the same monitor. Not so long ago, recorders with VHS videotapes were used, until the digital era that allowed recording on hard drives and memory cards arrived.

At the same time, the cameras have been evolving, improving in resolutions, sharpness, and color.

CCTV components

The closed circuit of surveillance consists of the cameras, first of all, that capture the images in the protected place. On the other hand, we have the monitor or video wall, which allows visualizing the images captured by the camera.

Vision improvements

The first video surveillance systems are obviously far from the current ones in terms of viewing. Previously, they were made through CCTV, with analog cameras, coaxial cables, and video recorders. The cameras transmitted a signal to a limited number of monitors via a fixed communication link between cameras and monitors. Of course, automatic alerts could not be sent.

Currently, there are digital recorders with the network card, which ensure the viewing of the cameras via PC or mobile remotely. In addition, depending on the model, they capture thermal images in the dark, or images illuminated with infrared in the dark, which the naked eye cannot see.

Currently, the appearance of Smartphone, tablets and the wide variety of mobile devices, has allowed access and remote viewing from anywhere in the world, leaving the old CCTV, as a video verification system only.

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