How Motion Detection Cameras Work [Video]

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Monitoring your data centers and building access points with CCD cameras can represent a boon to your overall security, but you need to know a little about camera terminology to make the best use of them. Don’t think about “aim and shoot” when you think about these cameras. Think, instead, about how you might go about detecting motion in a series of still images.

First off, let’s examine the term “CCD”. This stands for “charge-coupled device”. A CCD is a silicon chip with a surface that is divided into light-sensitive pixels. When light hits these pixels, tiny electric charges are generated. With enough of these pixels, you can get a fairly high resolution image. With adequate “sensitivity” (a term to be defined further down in this article), you can detect motion even in a dimply lit room.

Initially designed as a …