Glossary For CCTV Surveillance

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T1 : A T1 line is a grouping of 24 ISDN “B” channels. The channels could be used individually, or, combined into a bandwidth of 1.544Mbps (24 x 64K). T1 lines are typically used by business to provide high speed connections for WANs.

Fractional T1 : This is part of a T1 (using some of the channels). Price varies with the amount of the pipe you use.

T3 : A T3 connection has a bandwidth of 44.73Mbps. This is a fiber optic connection and typically connects ISPs to the Internet and to each other. A NAP (Network Access Point) is where ISPs connect to each other to exchange information.

Task Manager : This is the Windows Task Manager program that allows you to view Applications, Processes, Performance, Networking and Users information. Right click on the lower Windows Task bar and select Task Manager from the popup menu. Task Manager can be very useful for checking CPU usage and network traffic in a video network.

TCP/IP : This is an acronym for Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol. This is the most common protocol for communicating through the Internet.

Technical Support : This refers to the organization and individuals that provide after sale support for installation and repair of products and systems.

Telemetry : The system by which a signal is transmitted to a remote location in order to control CCTV equipment. Example: To control pan and tilt and zoom functions, switch on lights, move to preset positions etc. The controller at the operator position is the transmitter and there is a receiver at the remote (camera) location. The signal can be transmitted along a simple `twisted pair' cable or along the same coaxial cable that carries the video signal using UTC.

Text : Refers to any form of alpha-numeric input that is displayed or recorded.

Thermal Camera : Thermal cameras don’t see light, they see heat. Providing a black and white image the camera can detect the body heat of an individual in the image. These are night vision cameras that can highlight an individual hiding in the bushes because of the heat difference. These are very expensive cameras with value for specific purposes.

Thumb Drive : A small USB memory device. Connect it to a USB port to import and export files. These devices are commonly used to export video from a DVR, upgrade firmware, etc. These are also called Flash Drives.

Thumbnail : Refers to a small individual camera image.

Time-lapse VCR : A type of video recorder that can be set to record continuously over long periods. This can be anything from two hours to 960 hours, achieved by the tape moving in steps and recording one image at a time. This means that if set to record over long periods much information is lost and only occasional images are recorded. On receipt of an alarm signal these machines can be automatically switched to real-time mode. Most DVRs mimic this same capability.

Total Zoom : Refers to camera zoom capability. This is the total of optical zoom and digital zoom. Example: Optical zoom 36X and digital zoom 12X = 432X total zoom.

Touch screen control : A system by which all the camera controls are displayed on the screen of a special monitor. To control any function simply requires the screen to be touched at the appropriate symbol which can be to select a camera or pan, tilt and zoom. The system is computer driven and can include maps, diagrams etc. that are automatically displayed according to the alarm received.

Tour : Refers to PTZ control: You can select a series of cameras, Presets and Patterns into a tour. This will switch from one camera, preset or pattern to another in the order and for the time selected. The result is a tour (the name is derived from a guard tour where the guard physically goes from location to location) of video from a central location.

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