CCTV Design Help

[Fire.Security]

Forum Members,

I would appreciate any advice you are willing to throw my way. I am new to CCTV and video surveillance, but need to become very educated in a very short period of time.

I am interested in CCTV system design, mostly IP based systems, but am not really picky.

Do you recommend any classes or books to become very familiar with CCTV in a short time? Any certifications that are available, certs help me learn, as their is a point to all my study if I can take a test.

Thanks all,

Rookie.

[CameraMan]

The first book I would recomend you check out is CCTV for Security Managers, by Alan Matchett. In very simple language, it explains what CCTV is for, which you need to know before you learn how it's done or how to do it.

Next, I'd get CCTV, by Vlado Damjanovski a good overview of where the industry was about three or four years ago. Much of the gee-whiz high tech stuff is ancient and obsolete nowadays but you need to crawl before you can run.

The Internet has some terrific free resources. ASIS's security toolkit has some good placement and usage guidelines. The FBI has a Guidlines and Reccomendations paper which I found usefull. Axis has an essential IP Video How-To guide (warning: pdf file) that is utterly essential to IP camera design- print this out and memorize it, assuming you have some background in networking and computers. If you don't you'll be utterly lost. If you have no networking experience, read Networking for Dummies.

Some other sites are Info4Security, SSN, Security Products, andSIW (of course).

If all else fails, everyone here is either knowledgable, a wiseass, or both.

And remember, relax. This is not rocket science. If it was, most people in the industry would be on welfare or selling subprime mortgages.

[pburns02]

Is there any online classes? Where I can obtain certifications?

[CameraMan]

Try these guys.

[integrator97]

Has anyone taken the stamweb classes? Are they any good. I've considered them for my techs that have limited experience in certain areas.

[MetzLyov]

No books or any classes can teach you in a short period of time. It is not possible.

What I suggest is to get your hands dirty by purchasing some basic equipment, the cameras, lenses and DVR and start playing with it.

No website or any training course can give you what you actually can learn hands on with equipment.. Of course, high end equipment will require training and basic knowledge before you can work on them.

Go ahead and get some cheap equipment and learn... It will be much cheaper and faster to learn about CCTV than spending time and money for classes or reading...

You will never find a mechanic who learned how to work on engines by using books or classes. Rather, they got their hand dirty and learned along the way

[integrator97]

No books or any classes can teach you in a short period of time. It is not possible.

What I suggest is to get your hands dirty by purchasing some basic equipment, the cameras, lenses and DVR and start playing with it.

No website or any training course can give you what you actually can learn hands on with equipment.. Of course, high end equipment will require training and basic knowledge before you can work on them.

Go ahead and get some cheap equipment and learn... It will be much cheaper and faster to learn about CCTV than spending time and money for classes or reading...

You will never find a mechanic who learned how to work on engines by using books or classes. Rather, they got their hand dirty and learned along the way

I disagree. Well I agree there is no substitute for hands on, without someone to teach you, a class will be very beneficial. That's where you'll get your basic understanding, and it will help alot to have some equipment to play with while you learn from the course.

Without an understanding, and without someone teaching you, you would end up with a pretty sorry system most likely.

[Silva Consultants]

I think that for best results, you need both classroom training and hands-on training. The classroom training (or the web or video equivalents) teaches you the theory; the hands-on teaches you the practical application of the theory in a real world application.

A good example would be lens selection. The classroom session would teach you the optical theory and geometry that determines the field of view that a camera lens sees. During this session, you might calculate the different coverage areas that a 4mm and 8mm lens would have. During the hands-on session, you could validate your theoretical knowledge by actually trying both a 4mm and 8 mm lens on a camera and seeing how the coverage differs.

I think you will find that this is true in every profession - they don't let medical students start cutting on patients until they understand the basics of human anatomy, and they don't let student pilots start flying until they know at least a little about the theory of aerodynamics, etc.

[NRM_Oz]

I know I may be saying some Bad Words here but I would consider many of the online emags and free industry mags as well. Read what comes around the globe and read what other issues are being solved through other countries - USA, and UK are too good countries to read more about. I am not from the USA but some do have sections in them for CCTV or electronics such as heaven for bid me saying LP Magazine or a few others I know come from the USA. It MAY give an insite and whilst the basics of analogue signals are still in use somewhere (used for back ups now in remote areas) digital systems should be your focus.

Another thing I would look for is when you see a YouTube style video - have a look behind the scenes and see WHY the cameras were placed there or where things could have been improved. Whilst I consult in the industry as part of my job, I bring in technicians for the work I am not qualified to do or have no expertise. You would not go to your doctor to have your a/c fixed on your car - so look at it like this. Good Luck !!

[integrator97]

I know I may be saying some Bad Words here but I would consider many of the online emags and free industry mags as well. Read what comes around the globe and read what other issues are being solved through other countries - USA, and UK are too good countries to read more about. I am not from the USA but some do have sections in them for CCTV or electronics such as heaven for bid me saying LP Magazine or a few others I know come from the USA. It MAY give an insite and whilst the basics of analogue signals are still in use somewhere (used for back ups now in remote areas) digital systems should be your focus.

Another thing I would look for is when you see a YouTube style video - have a look behind the scenes and see WHY the cameras were placed there or where things could have been improved. Whilst I consult in the industry as part of my job, I bring in technicians for the work I am not qualified to do or have no expertise. You would not go to your doctor to have your a/c fixed on your car - so look at it like this. Good Luck !!

What? You don't go to Joe's Auto and People Body?

I don't know why you would consider them bad words. I went to Navy electonics school. I have 5 years Navy electronics experience as an Interior Communications Tech, which is as close to a systems integrator / security tech the military has I think. I spent 2 years in Navy physical security and law enforcement. I've got just under 17 years civilian exp as an alarm tech and systems integrator learning from some very knowledgeable people (not lick and stick alarms). AND I have learned a tremendous amount from the tech hints and ask an expert columns in the various trade magazines. I tell my techs all the time to read them religously. They don't always do it though. But they are a huge resource. PM me if you need names and links.