IP Live Network Security Camera
When buying an IP Camera for security purposes, it’s important to take a closer look at the specification sheets provided by the manufacturer to buy the right one for your security purposes. The primary specifications that you should look for include resolution, lens, light sensitivity, noise, WDR, signal and more.

When going through the specifications, you should always keep in mind the application and goal of your IP camera system.

This is a review of the important IP Live Network Camera specifications.

Resolution
This is the exact figure of pixels in the sensor. Usually, there are vertical and horizontal pixels. The familiar term is “HD” and this includes 720p, 1080p and 4K.

Megapixel camera: a megapixel camera is an image capturing device with over a million pixels. The pixels are laid out in a matrix of vertical and horizontal pixels. This layout is called the aspect ratio. Aspect ratio can be 4:3 or 16:9. For example, a camera with a 1.2-megapixel sensor has 1280 horizontal pixels and 1024 vertical pixels, the aspect ratio is, therefore, 1280X1024 or 1.24 and this is close to the 4/3 ratio. A camera with 2 megapixels has 1920X1080 pixels and this aspect ratio is close to 16:9. The latest 4K cameras have wide aspect ratios.

HD Cameras: these are cameras that are either 720p or 1080p. 720p cameras have 1.0 megapixels. The pixel resolution can be 1280X1024 or 1280X800. 1080p cameras have at least a 2-megapixel sensor. 4K cameras have over 8 megapixels of resolution and have 4000 horizontal pixels.

The lens, electronic circuit and lighting affect the resolution of the camera. This is the reason we have IP cameras of different prices so be careful.

Low Light Sensitivity
When checking the specifications of an IP Live Network Security Camera, you will see the term lux. This is the least illumination or the lowest light level for a reasonable image. The low light level image can be dark and noisy.

When operating on the low light level, the amplifiers work extra hard and the circuit noise that has an effect on the video file can be present; this is commonly called signal to noise (S/N) ratio. Top camera makers add the relative level of the signal (IRE) to show the capabilities of the amplifier. Cameras with low IRE, the harder the amplifier works to give the signal a boost. If the noise level reaches 20%, the video can look very noisy.

Lens
IP cameras have lenses and this permits you to focus on the area that you want to check. There are wide angled lenses and narrow angled lenses. The lens affects the resolution, illumination and frame rate. Most cameras have a customary type CS or C to add third party lenses.

The lens angle is measured in millimetres and this usually is contingent on the sensor size and the distance from the lens to the sensor. The ability of the lens is depicted by the f-number – a lens with f1.2 passes more light than an f2.0 lens.

Other specifications include:
Wide Dynamic Range – choose a camera with a good WDR if the area under surveillance has challenging light conditions; anything closer to 120dB is great.
Frame rate - most cameras today have good frame rates to meet your surveillance needs.
Audio – this is useful when fixing an intercom to your camera where you must have two-way audio.
Input and output (I/O) – this is useful when controlling a relay for opening electric locks.

Understanding these specs will help you pick the right IP Live Network Security Camera.