Security cameras are much more diverse than you may think.  The purpose we have in our head for our CCTV systems is the surveillance of people and property, but the truth is, they're used for a lot more than just that.  We don't always have to look at them as a way to avoid disaster anymore.

Nanny Cams

The "nanny cam", or "baby cam", is probably one we're all familiar with.  Most of them are designed nowadays to look far less like ominous security cameras, and more like your average baby monitor or webcam.  While their purpose may very well be to avoid some sort of disaster, parents are actually finding much more creative uses for them.  In the past, they've really been used as high tech baby monitors for the more tech savvy parents out there.  Now, with the help of a digital video recorder (DVR), or network video recorder (NVR), they can actually be used to capture those special moments for you so you can go back to them whenever you want.  They've become the more of the new-age video camera and act as their own camera man so you can focus on spending time with your children instead of watching their lives go by through a lens.

Barn Cameras

We have to say that this one took us by surprise with it's popularity.  In fact, this may be the most popular alternative method of using security cameras.  The concept is actually pretty similar to nanny cams.  In this particular case, cameras are used to monitor our friendly farm animals who are expecting.  As most of these animals require assistance, much like humans, to ensure a safe and happy delivery, being able to keep and eye on these soon to be proud parents is very important.

Mother Nature

We're not talking about taking security cameras to your favorite hiking spot.  Professional photographers who specialize is photographing wildlife will all tell you that it's not as easy as they make it look.  It often takes hours and hours of sitting in the same locations waiting for that shot that you all loved so much.  These same photographers often resort to setting up high resolution, and very expensive, cameras set to take snapshots when motion is detected.  Security cameras can be used in the same way for a significantly smaller price.  For those of you lucky enough to live in some of these beautiful areas, you know as well as we do that it's nice to get those things on camera and to be able to go back to them.  Animals are also very sensitive to the smell of humans.  The more you travel to the camera locations, the more likely those animals are to never return to those areas.  Having a more permanent set up, like security type cameras, is much more beneficial in the long term.

Manufacturing Plants

It's a technological age and regardless of your feelings towards it, people are starting to be replaced by machines and automated assembly lines.  As these machines are only programmed to do one thing, no matter what might be in the way, it's become a dangerous place for people to be wandering around.  This does not mean that we have to stop monitoring these areas.  Pan Tilt Zoom (PTZ) cameras have vastly grown in popularity here.  Having a camera that can look around the room similar to an actually human being completely removes the safety hazard of someone wandering around on the floor.

Sleep Studies

Camcorders used to be the go-to piece of technology for these studies, but as most of us living in this millennium know, things like digital cameras and even our cell phones ran over commercial camcorder features about ten years ago.  Security cameras far exceed the convenience, size, power consumption, reliability, and price of any camcorder rated below the ones used to make Hollywood movies.  Whether you want a high definition image, or have settled just needing something simple, security cameras come out on top on both levels.

This is not the full list of applications for security camera but hopefully you're starting to get that avoidance is not the only thing these tools are used for.  We're always ready for new challenges, so let us know what your ideas are and let us help get you started.

Don Stephens is a Technical Support Manager at CCTV Camera World, a leading Security Camera distributor located in Buffalo, NY. His area of expertise is in designing professional security camera systems for medium and large scale businesses, schools, and government projects.

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