Avigilon CCTV Cameras: Dual Head vs PTZ

The CCTV security industry is growing at a phenomenal rate. The video surveillance market is expected to reach 90 billion euros by 2026. However, very few companies have gained worldwide market leadership.

One such company is Avigilon, part of Motorola Solutions’ mission-critical ecosystem. Its most recent H5A camera line features next-generation object detection technology to help you stay focused on potentially critical events.

However, choosing a CCTV camera type for a particular application may not be easy as some products are very similar. In this article, we discuss the main differences between Dual Head and PTZ solutions.

What Is a Multi-Sensor Camera?

It is a CCTV solution that provides up to 360° viewing. However, unlike a fisheye camera, it uses several image sensors to do so. An example of this type of security system is the Avigilon H5A Dual Head Camera. It is a low-profile dual-sensor surveillance camera that provides IR illumination enhancing safety in hard-to-secure places such as stairwells, hallways, parking lot entry and corner intersections.

Pros:

Seamless view from multiple streams. Each image sensor records its footage. Then the camera creates a single, panoramic video. As a result, it provides a greater level of detail.

Unique focus of view and zoom capabilities. Each sensor can zoom in on specific areas.

Cost-effectiveness.

Cons:

Increased risk of failure. Multi-sensor cameras use more hardware that is more complex than the regular single-sensor panoramic camera.

Potential blind spots. Eliminating or minimizing view gaps, and finding the optimal focus of view, can be challenging.

Not suitable for smaller spaces. In smaller environments, multi-sensor cameras might run into coverage problems. Fine-tuning the sensors is often challenging or unfeasible.

Less cabling and installation.

What Is A PTZ?

Pan-Tilt-Zoom device can rotate up and down, left and right while zooming in and out when needed. PTZs are often deployed in larger spaces, such as bike and pedestrian lanes or highways, that require a full 360-degree view.

Pros:

Large field of view. PTZ cameras usually monitor large areas. Nonetheless, most businesses install them alongside fixed or panoramic cameras to prevent the risk of blind spots.

Higher definition zoom. These surveillance cameras can zoom in and identify vehicles, people, and other objects.

Remote control by operators. In some environments, the ability to monitor security incidents and suspicious activity, or track a person of interest from a remote position, is highly beneficial. It is especially true if your security team monitors several locations from a central command centre.

Motion-triggered auto-tracking. The camera’s ability to zoom in to track a vehicle or a person could be handy. Restricted parking lots, museums and banks use this feature to trace anyone who enters the area between certain hours.

Ready for indoor and outdoor use. The most advanced CCTV solutions like Avigilon H5A PTZ camera have an IK10 rating for impact resistance, NEMA 4X for dust, water and corrosion resistance, and IP66 and IP67 for water resistance. Therefore, they can ensure the best possible protection in different environments.

Automatic scanning. Usually, PTZ cameras operate by changing scanning positions. It allows us to monitor specific areas more closely.

Cons:

Gaps in coverage. These cameras may miss the incident due to an automatic motion schedule that has it focused elsewhere.

Command latency. Many such models suffer from lags between the time an operator changes the focus and the time camera responds. It can lead to gaps in security coverage.

Surveillance blind spots. Many PTZ cameras are configured to go through a cycle of preset motions. Sooner or later, the camera will miss a person of interest or incident as it will face the wrong direction.

Errors and malfunction. Even the most advanced surveillance cameras may fail. For example, often unexpected on-camera movement might cause it to break off the tour and monitor a wrong or random area.

Maintenance costs. They are less durable than fixed cameras due to their many moving parts.

Advanced analytics, CCTV systems, and smart access control systems are designed for public safety and enterprise security. PTZ and multi-sensor video surveillance cameras help to find and share critical events faster, so you can respond to hazards with adequate speed and decisiveness to keep people and assets safe. If you need advice on choosing the optimal security solution, please, do not hesitate to contact our team of professionals.