There has been an influx of cheaper products come onto the market particularly from China. The basic rule of “you get what you pay for”‘ still applies but it does mean that people who have previously wanted a CCTV system, can get into one for a lot less than several years ago.
Two noticeable differences are the resolution of the cameras and also warranty periods that apply. Several suppliers are offering 3 year warranty and unfortunately this is not available with most of lower end of the price scale.
Most importantly what ever price range you buy you need to make sure they are all installed correctly. If they not set up right with the correct power supplies, cabling and terminations, you will not have a good system. I have had some real budget cameras on test now for 2 years now and they are still going strong and the images are generally quite good.If however you compare them to a quality camera side by side, you will see the difference. Again two sayings that come to mind, ” you get what you pay for” and ” pay peanuts. get monkeys”.
To be fair though, a budget system I believe is better than no system at all. Especially if it gives you peace of mind, assists in your property/business being more secure or monitored, whatever your reason for needing it. The ability to set up and view most systems these days on your smart phone via 3G or WiFi is a absolutely great feature that many enjoy the benefit of.
