PTZ Cameras

Commonly Asked Questions

What is a PTZ Camera?

PTZ stands for Pan Tilt Zoom, where the camera has motorized mechanisms that allow it to rotate up to 360 degrees, tilt up to 180 degrees, and zoom using a motorized optical zoom lens. Whether you are actively monitoring your property or using intelligent Auto Tracking and Smart Motion Detection, a Pan Tilt Zoom capable camera can greatly assist with surveillance of a large property compared to using a single security cameras without motorized mechanisms.

Motorized zoom lenses allow the user to enlarge and focus in on fine details such as faces or license plates in a parking lot. The wide variety of PTZ models that we offer have varying amounts of optical zoom and night vision. When connected to the internet, they can be controlled and viewed from anywhere in the world using a computer, phone or tablet.

Some PoE PTZ cameras also support advanced video analytics that allow intelligent detection of intruders and vehicles. Auto Tracking cameras can follow persons of vehicles as they enter or traverse your property. All of these features enable a PTZ camera system to cover a large area and provide peace of mind.

Pan Tilt Zoom security cameras can also be used for projects other than security. Some other uses include:

• Live stream cameras for church services or other places of worship
• Time-lapse cameras for recording the construction progress of a building or home
• Live streaming an event such as a concert, baseball game, or lecture to YouTube Live

How does a PTZ work?

PTZ video cameras have built-in motors that move a pulley based mechanism to point the camera and provide the Pan and Tilt operations. A separate motorized optical zoom lens controls the zoom function of the camera. Either of these functions are controllable in live viewing mode to position the camera to a desired position and vantage point.

To record video, it is best to connect them to a security camera recorder for viewing, recording, and control through a convenient and easy to use interface. PTZ IP cameras are network-based digital cameras that can be used along with a recorder or as a standalone camera for multiple uses such as viewing over a web browser or smartphone, live streaming to YouTube or Facebook, and recording to an internal memory card.

These cameras can be controller using a variety of methods:

• DVR or NVR recorder
• PTZ controller
• Smartphone or Tablet using our free mobile apps for iOS and Android
• CMS software for PC or Mac

How to choose a Pan Tilt Zoom camera?

There are four main features to consider when shopping for a PTZ for your home or business:

1. Resolution
2. Night Vision Distance
3. Zoom
4. Auto Tracking and Video Analytics

We discuss each of these features in greater detail below.

1. Resolution

How far you can see a face on recorded footage from any surveillance camera is determined by its resolution. Resolution for HD cameras is measured in megapixels (MP). The higher the megapixels a camera has, the greater the video detail will be and allow further digital zoom to see finer detail in recorded video.

2. Night vision

During the day a camera can see in color but in complete darkness it switches to black and white mode. The camera cannot see without having night vision that's provided by infrared LEDs. Pan Tilt Zoom cameras are available with varying degrees of night vision to see in darkness. Usually, the amount of night vision a camera has is related to the optical zoom power of the camera. For example, a 4X zoom camera may only have 50ft of night vision, whereas a 25X camera has 300ft.

3. Zoom

The amount of zoom a camera has determines the distance you can see clearly on live video. If you're monitoring long distances you may want to consider 25X zoom or more. For shorter distances, there are cameras ranging from 4X to 12X zoom. When choosing the level of optical zoom you have to ask yourself:

• How far do you want to see when fully zoomed in?
• What type of detail do you want to see at these distances? is it general detail of vehicles or intruders, or is it finer detail like faces or license plates?

To help you make an informed purchasing decision, in each of our camera product descriptions we mention the maximum distance for facial clarity. After actual field testing, we have developed the following table to help understand how far a 1080P PTZ Security Camera can see facial detail with varying degrees of optical zoom.

For further reading, we suggest reading our guide about how to choose a security camera to learn the difference between optical zoom and digital zoom.

4. Auto Tracking and Video Analytics

Our PTZ PoE cameras feature intelligent functions like video analytics and auto-tracking. Video analytics involves the use of AI technology to provide smart camera functions that allow auto-tracking of individuals and slow moving vehicles. For example, as shown in the video below, we use a virtual tripwire as the triggering event to start tracking a vehicle that enters a parking lot. For specific types of perimeter security, these two functions can prove useful and eliminate the need for multiple fixed surveillance cameras.