HD-TVI Over Coax
There is a lot of talk about the HD-TVI security systems. What are they and are they the right choice for your business or home install? Even though these HD-TVI cameras are significantly lower priced then IP Megapixel camera systems, they are not always the right choice for our customers. Over the last 5 years these cameras have become very popular. In most cases they can be plugged into your existing wire and turn your old low-resolution security camera system into a full high definition system. You would simply leave the existing wire at your home or business in place and swap out the cameras, power supply, and security recorder. In some situations, this can save you thousands of dollars in labor and wire while giving you the HD quality you want. However, these systems should not be used as an initial install unless you just can’t afford to spend a little more on an IP based system. Below we will go over the pros and cons of these systems.
An example of an appropriate use of these HD-TVI systems would be in a lot of residential homes where running wire after the home is built is next to impossible. We had a client who had an existing security system in Sacramento at his residence. Because the wiring was impossible to get to the locations, he wanted we decided to utilize his old wire because it was already installed to the locations. We had our security installers remove his old low-resolution cameras and replaced them with 3-megapixel HD-TVI cameras. We switched out the power supply and security recorder (DVR) in the living-room and plugged the system into a large 1080p TV he already had. By doing this he saved several thousand dollars on labor and wire as the house was 7 thousand square feet. The project had almost zero project mess and we were in and out of the house with a new system installed in about a day and half for 10 video security cameras. You can see from the picture below the quality you can gain by swapping out your old cameras and recorder over to new HD-TVI, even when keeping the wire.
When using these HD-TVI systems you can also run into a host of potential problems. For starters if you are using the existing wire and connections and you were having problems with your old security system, you might still have the same problems with “video loss” or interference lines with the HD-TVI system. IP based systems use CAT6 and fiber therefore you don’t get that interference and or lines going through the camera screen.
Another issue is even though your image quality may be increased, you are essentially still spending money on an outdated type of security camera and you cannot go up to the higher megapixel systems an IP based system can offer. Another thing to keep in mind is the warranty info. Though the cameras and recorder may be covered you might still have to pay the company to troubleshoot and fix issues coming from the wire and connections. When you install an IP based system from scratch, the entire system from wiring to security recorder is covered and you won’t have any out of pocket expenses for a long time.
As you can see these HD-TVI systems have both positives and negatives. If you have an older system and are looking to upgrade, please give us a call or email. We would be glad to come out work with you to see what type of security system is right for your home or business.