Listen to the audio version of the article
If you are thinking about the security of your home, and you already have a good alarm system (which remains the first, essential step), video surveillance is an almost automatic thought. And it is precisely here that the great misunderstanding arises. In fact, there are hundreds of products on the market, for every budget and every need. But not all cameras are suitable for video surveillance. And clearly the economic factor has something to do with it. The myriad of low-cost cams, which require no wiring and can be installed in minutes, work well if you have a pet to monitor, or as emergency backup to a real system. But if you need robust video surveillance, you will have to deal with cables. The best performing system is called PoE, which stands for Power over Ethernet. It is a technology that combines the data signal and electrical power in a single connection, using a single cable: the famous Ethernet. With a single cable, therefore, the cams are powered and connected.
One of the most rapidly launching manufacturers of video surveillance systems is Reolink, a Chinese company with a good base in Europe. Among the most recent systems, there is the RLK16-800B8, which includes a 16-channel NVR with 4Tb of hard disk, and eight 8MP 4k UltraHD intelligent cameras. All with PoE connection technology. Such systems are able to recognize people, vehicles and animals. They record without interruption 24/7, archiving approximately two weeks of recording (this depends on the hard disk and how many cameras are installed, ed.). The price? Around 1,000 euros.
Reolink also produces a cam with a 16X optical zoom. This is the RLC-823A 16X. The technology is still PoE, but the 360° rotation, an integrated siren that sounds when it detects an intruder, a powerful speaker and the zoom make it a truly high-performance device.
Having said that video surveillance is important, the second problem to ask is that of energy. Because with electricity meters now installed outside homes, even an excellent video surveillance system – without energy – risks remaining blind. Hence the need for a UPS (which stands for uninterruptible power supply). In practice, an uninterruptible power supply that intervenes when the electricity is missing. With a cost of between 150 and 300 euros, there are excellent solutions on the market. One of these is offered by Nilox, with the 3000VA/2100W Premium Line Interactive Sinewave. Excellent for protecting the modem, the NVR system (which powers and runs the cameras) and possibly a WiFi extender (if the surface to be covered is very large). It has two batteries, and in addition to guaranteeing power when there is no electricity (in the case of a video surveillance system for at least 3-4 hours), it filters out disturbances from the electricity grid. This means it also works to increase the average life of connected devices.
We were talking about the WiFi extender. It can be very useful when you have a garden, and you want to install a supporting wifi cam. There are different models on the market and for all budgets. One of the latest models produced by TpLink is interesting, the Archer Air R5. It has WiFi6 speeds, 2402 Mbps on the 5 GHz band and 574 Mbps on the 2.4 GHz band. Speaking of WiFi cams: the products from Arlo are very interesting, as they produce a very successful series of cameras (the Pro series). But Amazon’s Blinks also do a decent job. As mentioned, they are not suitable for 24/7 surveillance, because they are battery powered. The same manufacturers have different devices, such as motion sensors. They are fairly amateur deterrents. But they do their job.