IP CAMERA LEARNING & RESOURCE CENTER

When using a camera which can physically move, such as a PTZ or dome camera, image presets can be useful.  Image presets allow the camera to save the position that the camera currently occupies so it can be easily returned to the same position at any point.  Different cameras are able to save various amounts of presets.

Presets allow the user to move the camera to a position of interest with one click.  This has the benefit of letting a user see different views quickly, without having to manually pan, tilt and zoom the camera into the correct position.  Another advantage of using presets is that the presets can be named to correspond with the view they point at.  This allows the user to know what they are actually looking at.

Some IP cameras can also be set up to cycle through different presets, this makes it easier for a security camera operator to monitor positions of interest.  Another feature which could be useful for security monitoring is to have the camera automatically take a picture of each of the presets and send it to a server.

Pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) is a name given to a type of IP camera where the user can control the movement and position of the lens from a remote location using controls on an Internet browser or software application.

Panning refers to horizontal movement of the lens where tilting describes vertical movement. The process of zooming refers to the adjustment of the focal length of the lens to make a subject appear close-up or far away depending on the setting. Although a lot of cameras come with vari-focal lenses with focal length adjustment, a camera described as PTZ will almost certainly have an adjustable optical zoom.

Surveillance cameras with PTZ capability will often also support user defined preset positions which will allow the user to specify a number of positions that they can easily monitor. Preset positions can also be used with alarm triggers, so for example when a camera detects motion it can be directed to move to a specified preset covering an entry/exit point or a valuable object in the room. Some cameras also support guard patrolling and auto panning features which will allow the camera to move automatically between user-defined preset positions providing remote surveillance of a wide area with no user input. In conjunction with motion detection some cameras can even use their pan-tilt functions to follow moving targets.

The benefits of having a pan-tilt-zoom camera in a security application are obvious. Having a camera which can be controlled from a remote location enables a user to cover a much larger area with a single camera. This provides cost savings for any security system as one camera can do the job of many static cameras. Also, with guard patrolling and auto-panning functions the camera can automatically cover a large area when used for security monitoring or recording without any user input, ideal for covering large areas overnight.

When you’re looking to cover a wide area, or multiply entry and exit points in a security camera installation, often it’s either impractical or too expensive to install multiple single-view cameras. This is where PTZ-capable cameras come in.

A PTZ camera can be set to take in a number of set views or ‘presets’ and sequence through these views in a timed schedule. This means that many different areas of coverage can be viewed and recorded.

In conjunction with alarm triggering with PIRs, panic buttons, contact points or motion detection the auto-touring camera can be made to pan immediately to the appropriate preset position for the alarm for recording of the event, returning to its auto tour after a set period of time.