CCTV camera and Recorder

by bob smith

Question:

Hi how long is reasonable to expect a CCTV camera and recorder to last for?


Answer:

That's a great question and there are really many, many variables involved. Let's take a few examples into consideration. The first example is a camera mounted on an oil drilling station in the middle of the desert with the dvr in a ventilated lock box. Average temperatures in the low 100's. This is about as bad as it gets for any electronics really. High temp during the day, low temp at night, all of these things need to come into consideration. The same could be true for say a system that is mouted on the dock of pier next to the ocean. The tremendous amount humidity and temperature variations play a huge role in the longevity of any system. In either of these cases I would say the lifespan of the gear would be doing really well at 5 years.

The other side of the coin could possibly be in an office building. Relative humidity is kept constant, the temperature is contstant and most importantly it's never too hot or too cold. In this case I would expect the gear to run for a number of years, possibly even a decade or two. It's just good to remember that more often than not you'll get what you pay for. A good manufacture with have these variables in mind and put the equipment in housings made for your specific application.



Question:

How much electricity does an average 8 channel recorder consume and a CCTV camera?


Answer:

Another great question. It really depends on the type of recorder and the type of camera. A CCTV with an integrated heater and blower may consume 10-15 watts or even more. The recorder can vary as well. Are we talking about an embedded recorder or one that is based on a personal computer platform? The majority of PC based platforms use somewhere between 500-1000 watt power supplies where the embedded systems are typically under 50 watts. It's best to just look at the manufactures specs and find out exactly what the system will pull.

Erron Salburry
Video Security Expert