Life Expectancy of Security Cameras

By Tony Breedlove

Security camera
i cctv security camera. image by wrangler from Fotolia.com

Many homeowners are installing security cameras in and around their homes. Since this can represent a significant investment, it is helpful to know the life expectancy of different types of security cameras.

Tube Sensors

Cameras with tube sensors last only one to two years. However, most consumer security cameras are CCD (charge coupled device) sensor cameras.

CCD Sensor

According to the experts at Info Systems Security, CCD sensor cameras have a life expectancy of from five to 25 years.

IR Cameras

IR (infrared) cameras are designed for night surveillance. Most of these use CCDs for image acquisition, which have the same life as standard CCD cameras: 5 to 25 years.

IR LEDs

IR cameras use infrared LEDs (light emitting diodes) to illuminate their field of view. LEDs can last for up to 20,000 hours, which is about two years of 24-hour use. The daytime operation of these cameras still function after the LEDs burn out.

Replacement

If a camera goes bad, it can be replaced for comparatively little money, since the greatest cost of a security camera system is the wiring installation and the security DVR (digital video recorder).

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