Does CCTV Work without Electricity?

Wondering does CCTV work without electricity? It is quite obvious that there is a need to secure properties, whether it is your home, office, or commercial establishments. There are many ways by which one can secure their properties.

The method that the customers choose would depend on the type of properties and the types of protection and safety that one is expecting. Amongst the many options available, CCTV is considered to be the most popular and also is supposed to offer a number of advantages and benefits.

How Do They Work?

CCTV cameras make use of closed network technology for transmitting images from different locations to a central point. Even if the network is closed, these modern systems have the capability of allowing remote viewing.

They are also cost-effective and available in different price ranges and designs to cater to specific requirements and needs.

However, there are some questions that often come to the minds of the people and it would be interesting to know a few of them and find out answers for the same. One of the most common questions is with regard to the capability of CCTVs to work without electricity.

While the short answer is that not all CCTVs can work without electricity, there are some exceptions to this. We will try and learn more about does CCTV work without electricity over the next few lines.

Most CCTVs are hooked to Main Power Supply Sources

When a CCTV is installed, in most cases the cameras are attached to the main control panel with the help of the wiring that is concealed. The power to the main control panel and also the CCTVs come from the main power supplies.

Hence it is quite obvious that the cameras, the network, and the main control panel need a constant supply of electricity without which the entire CCTV unit will not be able to function.

However, technology has moved on and today there are many CCTV cameras that are aware about power outages and sudden power cuts.

To overcome such situations, instead of depending on a single source of electricity, the CCTV units come with backup battery systems apart from on board storage. This helps the CCTVs to continue recording even for a specific amount of time once the power supply has been cut off because of various reasons.

The recording time and the backup power supply to the devices is totally depending on the strength of the batteries.

Look for CCTV Camera That Come With Backup Battery

If you want your CCTV to continue recording even during power failures, always look for units that come with built-in battery backup and storage facilities.

Yes, it is quite obvious that you will not be able to view the CCTV recording during power outages, but once the power supply is restored, you can be sure that you will be able to playback the recordings and find out what has happened in the interim.

There are many homes that have captive power generating facilities in the form of inverters and generators.

This helps CCTVs too not only switch to these alternative sources of power but also continue recording the happenings when the neighboring homes are totally dark because of such power outages.

Investing in generators and power backup for homes is quite common and it is a sensible thing to do.

It will be a good idea to invest in a good generator set that can power almost all the important lighting systems, fans, and perhaps even air conditioning systems apart from the entire CCTV network and other security apparatuses that use electricity to do their job.

Battery Backup Systems Are Not Too Expensive

Many homeowners shy away from CCTVs with battery backup systems fearing that it might cost them a fortune. This is not the case. Technology has improved and this has resulted in more cost-effective methods coming in place.

This has enabled many CCTV manufacturers to offer complete units along with networking and cabling systems after extremely competitive rates.

They also offer backup power supplies that last for a few years and if you are ready to spend more, you could get batteries with more powerful backup storage capabilities.

Does CCTV Work without Electricity? – Conclusion

CCTVs are designed to work best with a constant supply of electricity. Hence, they cannot run on their own without power supply to the cameras and other related equipment and accessories.

However, in the case of temporary electricity problems and power outages, backup batteries or generator-based power supplies could make a big difference.