CCTV Articles | Queen Security Systems

Guides about CCTV cameras: types, installation and choosing the right system in Egypt.

CCTV cameras: the specifications that actually change what you see

Most CCTV buying decisions are made on one number — megapixels — and that is exactly why so many installations disappoint. A camera is a chain: sensor, lens, light, compression, storage. The weakest link decides the picture, and it is rarely the megapixel count.

Resolution, and what it really buys you

2MP (1080p) is still perfectly adequate for a small shop or an apartment entrance. 5MP and 8MP (4K) matter when you need to identify a face or read a plate at distance, not merely see that someone was there. But resolution multiplies storage and bandwidth, so an 8MP camera on an undersized recorder often ends up recording fewer days than a 2MP one would — you gained detail and lost history.

Sensor size beats megapixels at night

Two cameras can both be 5MP while one is unusable after dark. The reason is sensor size and lens aperture: a larger sensor collects more light per pixel. If night-time performance matters, ask about sensor size and low-light rating, not just the headline resolution.

IP or analogue?

Analogue HD (HDTVI/AHD/CVI) runs over coaxial cable, is cheaper per camera, and is the sensible upgrade when a building already has coax from an older system. IP runs over network cable with PoE so one cable carries power and video, scales far better, and supports higher resolutions and smart analytics. For a new installation of any size, IP is normally the better long-term decision.

Lens and field of view: the trade-off nobody explains

A wide lens (2.8mm) shows a whole room but makes distant faces tiny. A narrow lens (6mm or more) shows a corridor or gate clearly but sees a narrow slice. Trying to cover a large yard with one wide camera is the classic mistake: you get a picture of everything and useful detail of nothing. Two correctly aimed cameras almost always beat one "wide" camera.

Night vision: infrared versus full colour

Traditional infrared gives a black-and-white image and its stated range assumes an open scene — a nearby wall reflects the IR and washes out the picture. Full-colour night cameras use a very sensitive sensor with a warm LED and keep colour after dark, which is decisive when the description you need is "a man in a red shirt" rather than "a man in a grey shirt".

Things that fail in the Egyptian climate

• Dust and heat: an IP66 rating is a minimum outdoors, and a camera in direct summer sun needs a shaded position or a sun shield.
• Surges: lightning and unstable mains kill more cameras than any other cause; surge protection on long outdoor runs pays for itself once.
• Cabling: cheap cable is the most common hidden fault. Use proper coax or Cat6 with copper conductors, not copper-clad aluminium.

What this section covers

The articles here cover camera types, brand comparisons, realistic prices, installation, storage sizing and how to read a specification sheet so you can tell two similar-looking quotations apart.