IT ALL STOPS!
NO power to your house or business, means no power to your cameras, or recorder, or router. The whole system is “DEAD”. So the camera security protection that you were relying on to protect you, doesn’t!
Unless, of course, you have a UPS (uninterruptible power supply) to keep everything working.
When people get quotes for CCTV camera systems they are often price conscious, and the UPS is left out of the quote to make the quote look more competitive. The extra expenditure on a UPS may seem unnecessary, but when the power goes off, you’ll be very glad that you have it.
What’s so good about a UPS? The UPS contains large rechargeable batteries inside it, continually being charged by the mains power. When there is power loss, the electronics in the UPS convert low voltage battery power to normal house hold power to run the system.
UPS prices start at less than $200 for a basic unit that provides protection to safely shut down the recorder without losing precious recordings. For a system with an NVR (recorder) with 4 cameras, you could pay upwards of $250 – depending on how long you consider necessary for the system to operate during a power failure. You would need to do some maths on what you equipment you are connecting to the UPS to work out how long you want it to last, and make your decision based on the results. Bear in mind, that a UPS provides battery back up to ensure data is saved by ensuring the cameras, NVR and internet router remain powered up and functioning during brownout, blackout or over-voltage. It also offers protection from surges and spikes.
Another great feature of a UPS is its internal software that senses a blackout and can shut down NVRs connected to them before it runs out of power itself, safely writing unsaved data to disk, and issuing shutdown commands to the operating system.
If your CCTV camera system is a key part of your security, then this is an essential addition to maintain your protection equipment so that you don’t lose vital video footage, get a good UPS.