You want to use Closed Circuit TV (CCTV) for a variety of reasons:
Residentially, just the appearance of a camera on a property alerts the would-be burglar that this home will not be a push-over.
CCTV can even be installed in your cars!
Commercially, in banks and stores, they are used in stores to inhibit theft. They are also being used commercially to assist in the observation of people working with dangerous machinery. In amusement parks, CCTV system are often used to observe that people are not endangered when rides are started.
Similarly, on subway trains, CCTV cameras may allow the operator to confirm that people are clear of doors before closing them and starting the train.
Many businesses have reported that CCTV cameras placed on production lines increase production; employees feel they need to stick with their work as the boss might me looking!
Civically, CCTV has been used often to assist in apprehending suspects. A recent famous example of this was when the men alleged to be responsible for the 7 July 2005 London bombings were captured on CCTV. Also, the investigation or prosecution of various murder cases have been aided by the use of CCTV evidence; the more notable include the apprehension of David Copeland, the Soho nail bomber.
The first CCTV cameras were crude, boxy, low definition black and white systems that were fixed and not able to zoom and pan. Now, small high definition color cameras can focus to resolve minute detail, and, by linking the control of the cameras to a computer, objects can be tracked, to a certain degree, automatically. The technology that enables this is referred to as VCA (Video Content Analysis), and is currently being developed by a large number of technological companies around the world.
Right now, it’s a little bit cost prohibitive to be used by the consumers, but that is changing rapidly! Further, being that the technology is in its infancy, there are more than a few “bugs” in the system that further development will iron out.
A growing branch in CCTV is Internet Protocol Cameras (IP Cameras). These cameras allow homeowners and businesses to view their camera(s) through any internet connection available through a computer or a 3G phone, like an iPhone.
Modern CCTV can also work in poor lighting. In these circumstances, LED lighting is used for night vision.
IP cameras are also able to function on a wireless network. Professional security companies can usually get a home set up done in a day.
You can also get Integrated Systems that come with network cards built in. These allow users to connect remotely from the internet and view exactly what their cameras are viewing. Using this system, you can check in on your household or business from thousands of miles away.
You can pick these up relatively inexpensively now, as they have been under development for some time and now work quite well.
So, prices are coming down as the quality of the cameras and their use is going up!