The easiest and most cost-effective way to buy a surveillance system is to buy a pre-packaged system. These systems include all of the necessary components at a total price that is less than the price of the items if purchased separately. When choosing a complete system there are a number of factors to consider.

One of the first decisions to make when choosing a surveillance system is whether to use a wired or a wireless system. If you need to transmit the video signal from the camera to the display/recording device over a great distance (more than a few hundred feet), then you will need to use a wired system. Distance is not a large factor with a wired system, since the video signal is sent over a cable.

But if you do not need to locate the cameras more than a few hundred feet from the display/recording device, there is a cost advantage to buying a wireless surveillance system. This is because the labor costs for installing a wireless system are much less than that of a wired system. Running video cable is a labor-intensive process, so this cost savings can be significant. The wireless system will cost a bit more to begin with, but savings in labor charges can quickly overcome this extra cost.

Another decision to make is the total number of cameras required. Complete packages are available with 4, 8 or 16 cameras. The DVR (Digital Video Recorder) included with these packages is designed to handle their respective number of cameras, with one channel provided for each camera.

You will also need to decide whether to use color or black and white cameras in your surveillance system. Color cameras can provide more useful information, such as the color of a person's clothing or the color of a car. On the other hand, black and white cameras provide better overall resolution and better low-light operation. For best overall results, choose a system that includes special day/night cameras. These cameras operate in color during the day when there is plenty of available light, and switch to black and white at night for better low-light operation.

As mentioned previously, resolution is a factor when deciding between color and black and white cameras for your surveillance system. Resolution is usually specified as the number of horizontal lines in the image. This is the total number of lines that the camera uses as it "paints" the image on the display/recorder. A typical good quality resolution would be 380 horizontal lines.

Another factor in choosing a surveillance system is the display and/or recording device provided with the system. For best results, choose a system that includes a DVR (Digital Video Recorder), the latest in display and recording technology. We have systems available that include self-contained DVRs or PC-based DVRs. We also have a system that includes all of the hardware and software necessary to use you existing PC as the DVR platform.

As you can probably see, choosing a surveillance system can be a complicated process. This is a good reason to stick with a company such as totalsecuritywarehouse.com, so that you can benefit from our years of experience in this industry to help you in choosing the system that is right for your needs. In addition, we have one of the best selections of complete systems available anywhere.