This question can be a frequent point of confusion when talking with people. To help, let's start with some definitions as that might help.
This stands for "Closed-Circuit Television" and is the most commonly used acronym to refer to any type of video security system. It literally means any type of video network that is not broadcast. Almost like your Intranet / LAN (local area network) vs Internet / WAN (wide area network). Originally these cameras were wired with coaxial cable and hooked up to video monitors and some type of video recorder. Now though, the term can refer to almost any type of video security system regardless of the technology used.
These were the original types of cameras and they often relied on coaxial cables with another source for power. There's not much more to say here other than this is a very dated approach for a number of reasons. If you find yourself hooking up coaxial cables with separate power and wiring each of those into hardware from 1999, it's probably worth googling for a few minutes to find some alternatives :).
While the first CCTV cameras used coaxial cables, modern camera systems moved to the common IP (Internet Protocol) standard to give them more flexibility for deployment especially to leverage a company's existing IP network. This meant that cameras could be managed on the same network as other network gear like Wi-Fi. This is the most modern approach for deploying cameras.
The term "wireless" can have a couple different meanings. The first meaning pertains to Wi-Fi cameras which you are seeing more and more of especially in the consumer space. The second type of "wireless" means literally no cords including power. These are popping up on the consumer side as well with cameras like the Arlo which are rechargeable. True wireless cameras have some interesting applications and are extremely flexible to setup. It's something we're interested in at Rhombus, but they have some practical business limitations that we're still exploring like what do you do if the battery runs out.
How do I want to connect and power these cameras?
How much video storage do I need?
Do I want something completely on-premise or a solution that leverages the cloud?
If you are in the market for a new system, my only recommendation is to at least avoid the analog systems and to check our favorite option out.
In the end, CCTV is really a blanket term that can apply to any type of video security system. Analog cameras were the first iteration of cameras used and IP cameras are the latest which can be hooked into an IP network either via cable (Ethernet) or wirelessly (Wi-Fi). Wireless cameras just refer to which wires you want to remove (internet and/or power).
If you are currently using an ethernet cable with your security cameras, why not use that same cable to supply power? Power-over-ethernet (PoE) is increasing in popularity (rightfully so) since organizations are constantly looking for ways to modernize their infrastructure. In this blog post, we’ll dive into 3 things you should know about before making the switch over to PoE.
Rhombus products are designed to create safer and healthier spaces. From smart cameras to environmental sensors to best-in-class integrations, your safety is our number one priority. This month, we’re thrilled to introduce two additions to the suite of Rhombus solutions!