Need Home Security ? Try CCTV Monitoring System

If you’ve given any thought to home security you’ve probably considered a closed circuit television monitoring system (better known as CCTV.)

What you’ll have with your CCTV system is at least one surveillance camera, a variety of lenses (pan, zoom and infrared for night vision) to focus on particular areas of your grounds and home, and a VCR (video cassette recorder) that will make a permanent record of what the camera is seeing.

If you should decide you want to provide CCTV security in your home you’ll need to do at least one slow walk around your home, making notes as you go, about where you need surveillance, and what areas are the most vulnerable, and in need of protection. While you certainly want to focus on your house – the place where your family’s safety is the primary concern – don’t neglect to include garage, breezeway, in-law quarters, front and back yard, driveway, alleyway, or any outside fence or gate entrance.

You may want more than one camera in your home. This could be important if your home is large, for instance, and you’re regularly in one section of the home while a babysitter watches your children, or a housekeeper performs his or her duties. With the prevalence of home offices this may be especially important, if you’re in your office all day with the door shut. Having a separate camera watching that home office may also reduce your insurance bill as well.

Once you’ve determined what areas on which you need to focus you’ll have to measure the areas. The range of area needing monitoring is important to the size of camera or cameras you purchase.

While you can choose five sizes of camera – ranging in size from one quarter to two thirds of an inch, the wisest choices are to go no larger than one half an inch. With a camera one half inch or smaller you’ll have a more extensive choice of lenses that will work with it.

There are four different versions of CCTV camera lenses from which you can choose. They are fixed aperture, manual or auto iris and zoom. An auto iris lens is ideal for outside viewing, as it adjusts itself to accommodate changes in lighting. In places where the amount of lighting stays fairly stagnant a manual iris will do. This type of lens requires that you actually make the lighting adjustments by hand. Zoom lenses, just as with any camera, allow you to bring a viewed situation closer to your eye for improved visibility. Some zoom lenses offer a motorized option.

Once you know the number of cameras you’re going to need you’ll know whether you’re going to have to have more than one monitor or whether you can make do with a switcher (one monitor, alternating location views) or a multi-plexer (several locations showing in boxes on one monitor at the same time).

Decide how long you are going to need to record prior to being able to remove and replace the VCR film. If the time you’re going to be absent from the home, i.e., unable to remove and replace the VCR tape, is going to exceed 4-6 hours (depending on the VCR) you may not be able to use your household VCR. You may need to upgrade to a commercial quality recorder.

Printer cartridge buying tips you should know about

In this world of modern gizmos and technologies, computers, laptops and electronic notebooks have already invaded majority of the aspects of our lives. They have somehow played an important role that people cannot do without. That is why is also important that their attachments are given attention and care.

A printer is one of the most helpful attachments as it is constantly utilized by majority of computer users. However, buying inkjet cartridges for your printer can be an overwhelming task.

You really have to know how to choose the best inkjet cartridge so that you do not end up buying the wrong kind.

Some people get stressed when the ink in their printer cartridge show signs of nearly getting empty. There is really no need to make this a big issue.

When you go to the market to buy an ink cartridge, you should not be enticed by those offering low priced products or by any bargain deals which promise a lot of savings.

More often than not, such low-priced cartridges would be faulty and would harm your printer. You will spend much more in repair costs than what you would save in the first place.

The first step in choosing the best inkjet cartridge is to check the existing cartridge in your printer. Then try to buy a cartridge of similar specifications.

If you are not able to get the same type, take into mind these following tips:
The ink of generic cartridges can be harmful to your printer’s nozzles. Try to avoid using these kinds of cartridges.

Use the ink cartridges made by the same manufacturer of the printer if you need the best quality of printing. It tends to be expensive but if you think of the good it will bring you then it will be worth it.

The warranties of some printer manufacturers are not valid if ink cartridges made by a different manufacturer are used.

It is advisable to check the page yield of the cartridge that you plan to buy.

If you decide to buy refilled or recycled ink cartridges either from a store or from a website, you can surely save some money but the damage it can do to your printer will prove to be more costly.  Just be sure to check the ones that offer a guarantee.

If you follow the tips given above, you will be able to choose the best cartridge from among the various kinds available in the market.