DIY CCTV Installation Guide

March 20, 2011 By

CCTV systems are now been used in an increasing amount of domestic properties. Domestic CCTV systems offer the house holder an extra level of security and many CCTV installations are now been installed by the end user. Many home owners are buying professional DIY CCTV kits or CCTV packages and cutting out the CCTV installation companies, this often means you can install much better quality components for half the price of what you would pay for an installed system.

Installing your own CCTV system is straight forward and can be done in a number of ways. The easiest method is to use ready made RG59 cables that carry the cameras power and video signal to a CCTV DVR, which in turn is connected to your TV via a BNC to Scart connector. A CCTV DVR will allow you to record more than one camera’s images at the same time directly to an internal hard disk, while adding the time and date. The type of DVR you select for your installation will depend on the number of cameras you require or may need in the future, as standard they range form 4-16 cameras. CCTV DVR’s allow you create a split screen so you can see multiple cameras at once or you can just select the camera you are interested in. If you want the feature to connect your DVR to the Internet to allow remote viewing this too is possible. Configuring your DVR to allow you to see your property across the internet is becoming extremely popular and requires a little IT knowledge to configure the Router, Firewalls and your DVR.

Selecting the type of CCTV camera depends on your budget and the quality you desire. An external camera will have an Infra Red distance, this is the maximum the camera could see in darkness, bare in mind that the rating means there and back as the Infra Red has to reflect back to the camera for the image to be visible. Also its worth noting that IR Cameras don’t work too well if they are just pointing at grass, trees or bushes are these are very absorbent. Cheaper cameras usually have a fixed lens, these are the easiest to install but don’t offer the flexibility of a vari-focal lens camera that allows you to change the focal length. A CCTV cameras resolution is measured in TV lines ie a camera with a 540 TVL sensor will generally have a higher resolution that a camera with a 400TVL CCD image sensor. Although the quality of a CCTV camera depends on more that just the TVL rating, the lens, circuitry and build quality can be more determental. Also the best cameras at night use whats called an ICR filter, this is other wise know as a True Day Night Camera and these cctv cameras generally offer up to a 30% increase in image at night compared to non ICR cameras. Buy your cameras with care from a reputable dedicated CCTV supplier as the quality can vary enormously.

To install a system in your own home firstly work out where you would like to put the cameras and how far these points are from the likely location of the CCTV DVR recorder, work our how much cable you will need before you purchase your CCTV Kit to ensure you will have enough to reach your desired location. You will need a drill with a long drill bit, some ladders and just a little common sense!
Edwin Earl, a CCTV equipment installation specialist at CCTV Direct.

Filed Under: Computers and Technology Tagged With: , ,

DIY versus Professional Data Recovery

March 6, 2011 By

Data Recovery is one such issue for which there are numerous solutions being bandied about on the web. Data is so crucial that when we lose this valuable entity, the losses can be huge. That’s possibly the reason Data Recovery is assuming such importance today.

Every computer user has been faced with the situation of losing data. The time when you fail to backup data will invariably be the time when data is lost. While recovery of data is available 90% of the time, there is that 10% chance of losing data completely. Therefore, when one chooses between DIY data recovery options and professional services, one must know the pros and the cons of each.

DIY Data Recovery

DIY data recovery options are easily available and can be downloaded from the internet. Just keying in key phrases using a search engine throws up enough and more options from which to choose from. Most DIY products have step by step instructions laid out to help a user recover software. DIY Recovery software is extremely cheap and the procedure can be carried out from the convenience of one’s home. Especially when we suddenly lose data and do not have time to lose, DIY software can be a blessing in disguise. The pros of using DIY recovery software are affordability, convenience and the saving of time.

That is however, where the advantages of DIY software end. When one is a novice and needs to recover data, using DIY software can be tricky. To use any kind of DIY software one has to be fairly informed and know which product will be best suited for the kind of data recovery that is necessary. While the description of the recovery process is fairly detailed, it presumes that the user is clued in on different technology terms. If one or two of the steps are missed, then it can result in overwriting of data which will lead to permanent data loss.

There is absolutely no DIY recovery software that can fix the physical damage causing data loss. DIY software can help resolve logical damages.

If strange noises emanate from the system, it is best not to attempt recovery yourself as the problem could just get worse and one could lose data altogether.

Data Recovery Professionals

Data Recovery is an extremely painstaking and delicate process. Professionals who work with companies offering Data Recovery services are trained and highly qualified. Companies have millions riding on data and can ill afford to take chances and therefore trust only professionals to recover data.

Large data recovery companies have special “clean rooms” where data recovery is carried out. These clean rooms are specially constructed to provide maximum hygiene and constant temperature. Considering how valuable the information is, they cannot risk losing data through the infiltration of dust particles or fluctuations in temperature.

If the data to be recovered doesn’t involve mission critical files, then the professionals may also carry out the recovery process on site. To maintain clean rooms and hire professionals is not cheap. Since the overhead cost is high, professional services are also relatively expensive.

Choosing Between the Two

One mustn’t write off professional services as being too expensive and therefore choose DIY recovery options. If the data that is lost is valuable it is wise to check what professional services are available. Some companies do a free assessment and do not charge if data is not recovered. One can check with a company that offers this free assessment and if the problem is fairly straight forward, DIY software may be a good choice.

If the assessment reveals that recovery is going to be long drawn and delicate, keeping in mind the value of the data, trusting a professional may be the best option.

If data loss is due to physical damage to the computer, there is no choice to make and one should head to the nearest professional or risk losing data permanently.

Conclusion

If a user is fairly knowledgeable about internet technology and is confident of being able to recover data using DIY software, then there are several products available online. For a user who is not too comfortable, there are professional recovery services that will not cost the earth and might help save money in the long run.

Filed Under: Computers and Technology Tagged With: , ,

Diy Disk Cleanup Program No Programme Tech Need, No Tool Need

March 4, 2011 By

Have you ever noticed your computer system free space reduces from day to day? Does your computer runs slower and slower day by day?

WHY?! Because Windows will generate quite a lot of junk files during installing and using, For instance, temporary files. (*. Tmp, *. _mp) log files (*.log), temporary help files (*.gid), Windows file fragment (*. Chk), temporary backup files (*. Old, *. Bak) and other temporary files. Especially if you does not clear up the temporary file ” Temporary Internet Files ” of IE, the buffer memory file will take up the disk space more than hundreds MB. Not only have these junk files wasted the valuable disk space, but also made the system as slow as a snail. Can you tolerate this situation?! No! It is suffering! It is torturing! So you should clear up the systematic junk files regularly to keep the system “slim” and that will make the Net surfing smoothly and easily!

Now let us learn how to clean the systematic junk out! Just two simple steps to DIY your own Disk Cleanup program.

Click “Start”->”All Programs”->”Accessories”->”Notepad”, copy the follow text, click “Save as”, choose “Save in” as “Desktop” ,type the filename as “DiskCleanUp.bat”(Without quotes), choose “Save as ” as “All files”, then click “Save” button. Finish. Note: The file suffix name must be “.bat”.

That’s it. Your own “Disk Cleanup” program is done. Double click it will clear up junk files in your System. It may take 1 or 2 minutes until finish running.

The following is the file content.
======Copy the below lines(Exclude this line)=============================
@echo off echo cleaning the system junk file, wait a moment……
del /f /s /q %systemdrive%*.tmp
del /f /s /q %systemdrive%*._mp
del /f /s /q %systemdrive%*.log
del /f /s /q %systemdrive%*.gid
del /f /s /q %systemdrive%*.chk
del /f /s /q %systemdrive%*.old
del /f /s /q %systemdrive%recycled*.*
del /f /s /q %windir%*.bak
del /f /s /q %windir%prefetch*.*
rd /s /q %windir%temp & md %windir%temp
del /f /q %userprofile%cookies*.*
del /f /q %userprofile%recent*.*
del /f /s /q “%userprofile%Local SettingsTemporary Internet Files*.*”
del /f /s /q “%userprofile%Local SettingsTemp*.*”
del /f /s /q “%userprofile%recent*.*”
echo *******************************************************************
echo Junk files cleaned.
echo Need PC help? Visit http://www.pc-onlinehelp.com to fix your PC instantly
echo *******************************************************************
echo. & pause
=====Copy up to here(Exclude this line)================================

Double click this file whenever you need to clean those junk files. When screen displays” Junk files cleaned”, a “slim” system is back! See your fast system back? Do you think it useful?!

P.S. Someone ask me whether it will delete the critical files in windows? Answer: NO! It just deletes the junk files and never damages your system.

http://www.pc-onlinehelp.com provide the remote desktop support. Recover your PC instantly.
Lazy? You can download the file at http://www.pc-onlinehelp.com/thread-10007234.aspx

Filed Under: Computers and Technology Tagged With: , ,