Getting Started — CCTV

What This Section Covers

This is the starting point for anyone at Wilsons learning CCTV. It explains what CCTV is, what systems Wilsons installs, what the equipment does, and what you need to learn at each stage of your development. Read this before touching any other CCTV documentation.

What Is CCTV?

CCTV (Closed Circuit Television) is a camera-based security and monitoring system where video is recorded locally to a recorder and optionally viewed remotely via an app or browser. Unlike broadcast TV, the signal stays within a closed system — the customer's site and their authorised devices only.

At Wilsons, CCTV is typically installed alongside intruder alarms to give customers:

• A visual deterrent to would-be intruders
• Recorded evidence in the event of a break-in, vandalism, or dispute
• Remote visibility of their property — home, business, or site — via a smartphone app
• Coverage of access points: front doors, driveways, car parks, gates, and outbuildings

Our Brand — Hikvision

Wilsons installs Hikvision as our primary CCTV brand. Hikvision is the world's largest manufacturer of CCTV equipment and has the widest product range of any supplier in the market.

Why Hikvision:

• Consistent product range across analogue and IP
• Industry-standard software ecosystem (Hik-Connect, HikProConnect, iVMS-4200)
• Strong distributor support and parts availability
• Competitive pricing at every tier
• Reliable, proven technology used across residential, commercial, and industrial applications

The Two System Types

All CCTV systems Wilsons installs fall into one of two types. Understanding which type you're working on is the first thing to establish on any job.

Type 1 — Analogue HD (HD-TVI over Coax)

The most common system type for residential and small commercial installs.

How it works: Each camera runs a single coax cable back to the DVR. The coax carries both the video signal and, on POC systems, the power for the camera. The DVR records all channels simultaneously, stores footage to an internal hard drive, and makes it available for live view and playback.

When Wilsons uses it: Standard residential CCTV, small business systems with up to 16 cameras, any job where running coax cable is practical.

Type 2 — IP (Network Cameras over Cat5/6)

Used for larger installs, commercial sites, or where the customer already has a network infrastructure.

How it works: Each camera connects to a network switch or directly to the NVR's built-in PoE ports. The camera is powered by the cable itself (PoE) and streams compressed video over the network to the NVR. IP cameras offer higher resolution options and more intelligent features, but the infrastructure is more complex.

When Wilsons uses it: Larger commercial installs, multi-building sites, jobs with an existing network, or where higher camera counts or resolution are required.

Key Technologies We Use

5MP Resolution

The majority of Wilsons' CCTV cameras are 5 megapixel (5MP). This means the camera captures images at 2560 × 1944 pixels — roughly five times more detail than standard 1080p HD.

In practice, this means:

• Clear identification of faces and vehicles at useful distances
• The ability to digitally zoom into footage after the fact and still retain usable detail
• A significant upgrade over the older 1080p (2MP) cameras that were standard a few years ago

5MP is the current sweet spot for Wilsons installs — good enough for evidence-quality footage without the excessive storage demands of 4K (8MP).

POC — Power over Coax

POC (Power over Coax) is Hikvision's technology for delivering camera power down the same coax cable that carries the video signal. On a POC system, you run a single RG59 or shotgun cable from the DVR to each camera — no separate power supply at the camera end.

Why this matters on the job:

• Faster installs — one cable to run, not two
• No need for individual PSUs at each camera location
• Cleaner finish — no power supplies in roof spaces or external enclosures
• Fewer failure points — no PSU to fail at a camera location

POC power is generated by the DVR itself. The DVR has a built-in POC module that pushes 12V DC down the coax alongside the video signal. Not all DVRs support POC — you must confirm the DVR has this capability before specifying a POC camera install.

Limitations:

• Maximum cable run is typically 200–300m on RG59, depending on cable quality
• Total POC power budget is shared across the DVR's channels — check the spec if running a fully loaded system
• Only works with POC-compatible cameras — standard HD-TVI cameras cannot be used on POC DVR channels without a power adaptor

ColorVu — Full Colour at Night

ColorVu is Hikvision's technology for delivering full-colour video in complete darkness, without the traditional switch to black-and-white night vision.

Standard cameras use infrared (IR) LEDs to illuminate the scene at night. IR light is invisible to the human eye but captured by the camera sensor. The result is a clear image, but it is black and white.

ColorVu cameras work differently. They use:

1. An F1.0 aperture lens — an extremely wide aperture that allows far more light into the sensor than a standard lens
2. Supplemental white light LEDs — visible light LEDs that illuminate the scene with a warm white glow

The result is full-colour video even in very low or zero ambient light.

When to specify ColorVu:

• Driveways, car parks, or gates where vehicle colour is important for evidence
• Any location where the customer needs to identify clothing colour, vehicle colour, or distinguishing features at night
• Anywhere the customer finds the "black and white at night" look unacceptable

What to advise customers:

• The white LEDs are visible — there will be a subtle glow from the camera at night
• The glow range is typically 20–40m depending on the model
• This is a deterrent benefit as well as a technical one — criminals can see the camera is active

Smart Hybrid Light

Smart Hybrid Light cameras combine both IR LEDs and white light LEDs in the same unit. This gives you (and the customer) a choice of operating mode:

Smart mode is the recommended setting for most installs. The camera operates in IR (invisible, no glow) by default at night. When motion is detected, it switches to white light — producing a full-colour image for the event, and also acting as a deterrent flash. It returns to IR after the event.

This is Wilsons' recommended camera type for most residential installs because it gives the best of both worlds.

Motion Detection 2.0

Standard motion detection works by detecting changes in pixels between frames. This creates a problem: anything that moves triggers an alert — leaves blowing in the wind, rain, passing headlights, animals.

Motion Detection 2.0 uses deep learning AI built into the DVR/NVR to distinguish between different types of motion. Rather than alerting on any pixel change, the system specifically identifies:

• People (human figures)
• Vehicles (cars, vans, motorcycles)

Everything else — animals, weather, foliage, lighting changes — is ignored.

The practical result: customers stop getting nuisance notifications and only receive alerts when a person or vehicle actually appears in the camera view.

This is a major selling point. Old-style systems that send alerts for every passing cat quickly get ignored by customers. Motion Detection 2.0 makes the alert system genuinely useful and keeps customers engaged with their system.

Not all DVRs support Motion Detection 2.0 — it requires a compatible Hikvision DVR/NVR with the AI processing capability. All current Wilsons standard DVRs support this.

The Competency Levels

The Installation Workflow

For a standard residential analogue HD install, the job follows this order:

1. Survey — identify camera locations, cable routes, DVR location, internet router access
2. First fix — pull coax cables from each camera position back to the DVR location
3. Second fix — mount cameras, terminate coax, connect to DVR, power up
4. DVR setup — set time/date, configure recording schedule, name channels, set up motion detection
5. Image setup — adjust camera aim, brightness, contrast, and field of view for each channel
6. Remote access — add DVR to Hik-Connect, register customer account, test remote view
7. Customer handover — show customer live view, playback, and app use; confirm they can access the system

Key Terms