You’d think shopping for a security camera would be simpleall it has to do is view and record the spots around your home or business, right? However, there is actually a wide degree of variance in the security camera market. If you want to make sure you end up with a quality device, you’ll have to know some details about what you’re looking for.First, you should decide if you want to go wireless or not. Wired security cameras have an advantage in that they experience no interference, but they are limited in the distance they can be installed from the security monitoring system. Another bonus of wired cameras is that there doesn’t have to be a power supply at the spot where the camera is installed. With wireless cameras, outdoor devices will transmit up to 1600 feet, while indoor devices will only achieve 40-50 of that. Since most wireless cameras operate on a 4 channel frequency, it is difficult to use more than four cameras together. One note: if you’re planning on installing your cameras outdoors, you’ll want to be sure that they are specially designed to withstand moisture and weather. These are referred to as integrated cameras.Picture quality and color are two more important considerations. Your choices in this area will depend on the environment your camera is in, as well as the function. If your camera will need to pick up license plate numbers or faces from far away, it’s a good idea to go with a higher-resolution picture quality (between 480 to 570 TVL). High image quality cameras have 420 to 480 TVL, and standard cameras will fall between 380 and 420 TVL. Color cameras will be more expensive, but they will work better in heavily lighted areas and also make it easier to track people or vehicles down. You should discuss all of these aspects with a security professional to make sure your chosen camera has everything you need.