Technical Dictionary

Ping – a common name for a mechanism testing the computer network; it uses a basic working principle similar to echolocation (to ping - means to use the ping mechanism).

Power over Coaxial (PoC) is a technology that supports simultaneous transmission of power, high-resolution analogue video signal and OSD control signal over coaxial cable at the distance of up to 400 m.

Current efficiency of the power supply is the maximum current the power supply should supply to the load, while maintaining all the parameters specified in the data sheet (output voltage, power etc.) and operating within the operating conditions (temperature, humidity etc.).

A parameter defining the ability of a power supply to feed the connected devices with a required power expressed in watts (W) or volt-amperes (VA).

A power transmission distance is the maximum length of a power transmission line in which the voltage drop at the cable does not affect the operation of a supplied device.

The range of an IR illuminator depends on the type of illuminated surfaces and type of illuminated objects.

A parameter defining the image size expressed as a product of the number of horizontal and vertical pixels, e.g. 1024x768. The parameter applies to all the display devices, e.g. monitors, displays as well as recording devices, e.g. photo cameras, video cameras and different types of recorders.

A type 45 Registered Jack – an 8-pin connector used as a port in most network devices, e.g. modems, routers, network adapters, patch panels or IP cameras. RJ45 connector is crimped on a twisted pair cable (8-conductor data communication cable) and a flat telephone cable as a termination.

ROI (Region of Interest) allows to compress a region selected from image to maintain the highest possible quality. It reduces bandwidth use and storage capacity required, and also reduces the risk of losing critical image data (due to high compression).

A data transmission standard using a two-conductor cable.

SATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment) – is a serial computer bus interface developed by Serial ATA International Organization, intended for communication of mass storage devices, i.e. hard disk drives or optical drives in PCs, CCTV recorders etc.

A system can be classified into four grades. Grade 1 – the lowest risk of burglary and robbery, Grade 2 – for installations with low or medium risk, Grade 3 – for installations with medium or high risk, Grade 4 – for installations with high risk of burglary and robbery.

Sense Up – is a function extending the light measurement time by the camera sensor at low lighting conditions. The light is adjusted with an electronic shutter. With incorrect settings, any moving objects in the image may be blurred.

SNR is the power ratio between the signal strength and the noise level in a specific band.

A parameter defining the number of photosensitive elements (pixels) in an image sensor of each video camera or digital camera. The matrix size of the image sensor is given in megapixels (Mpx) and corresponds to the size of the image created by the device.

Sound intensity level is a sound “loudness” level measured in decibels. It is measured with a sound level meter (decibel meter).

Voltage frequency – a parameter defining the number of periods for alternating voltage waveform expressed in hertz (Hz). In Poland it is 50 Hz at 230 V.

A parameter defining how many hard disk drives and a total capacity that can be connected to the dashcam. Hard disk drive capacity determines the available recording time.

The designers of power supplies use different methods to prevent short circuits and overloads. The protection should guarantee safety of both the power supply and the load.

Devices converting the mains voltage (alternating voltage) to constant voltage, with the process taking place on a switching regulator including a quick keying system with switching transistors and a high-frequency transformer.

A tamper contact indicates if the device cover is open or closed and is often used in burglary and robbery alarms and restricted access systems. The tamper contact is marked as TMP tamper in the diagrams, instructions and directly on the devices.

Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol – A suite of network protocols used in the Internet to connect different computers, operating systems and software in a single network.

Telcordia SR-332 is a model to calculate (predict) the MTBF parameter, which was developed in the telecommunications industry for the purpose of estimating the reliability of equipment in the industry.

ONVIF aims to standardize the communication protocol of monitoring devices in the IP systems.

The Delta-Opti company test, allows you to easily compare illuminators of the same power.

A power supply using a transformer as the main component fed with voltage. Its main task is to match the output voltage as required by the supplied system.

Any device, to transmit and receive radio waves, must be fitted with an antenna. Many modern devices have a built-in antenna (e.g. mobile phones). Several antenna types are currently available. They are also classified in different ways.

Unique 125 kHz is an RFID standard for transmitting/receiving data via radio waves at 125 kHz carrier frequency. Data exchange does not require optical visibility of the proximity card and the proximity reader, required by the barcode systems.

Universal Serial Bus is a type of communication port used to connect multiple devices fitted with this connector. It has been developed by Microsoft, Intel, Compaq, IBM and DEC in the mid-1990s. This universal connector is currently one of the most popular connectors used in computer, multimedia and industrial devices.

A standard for display devices, monitors and TVs specifying the layout of mounting holes for installation of an additional wall or desk mount.

Introduced in 1987, VGA is an analogue image transmission system using three RGB components. Thus, it is susceptible to interferences, in particular during transmission of high resolution images via low quality cables. The standard has been gradually replaced by HDMI.

Currently in CCTV systems are used the following standards:
PAL(NTSC), AHD, CVI, TVI, HD-SDI, EX-SDI, IP.
See the standards comparison.

A parameter describing the cable properties and defining resistance of the cable against the wave vibrations.

A systematic relationship between the direction of the electric field vector’s oscillation (E) in an electromagnetic wave and the direction of wave propagation is referred to as the polarisation.

Attenuation refers to any decrease in the propagated signal power that does not affect its waveform.

WDR (Wide Dynamic Range) - a function providing high quality images in unfavourable lighting conditions.

White balance (WB – White Balance) - a parameter that allows to render actual colours in different lighting conditions.

Summary of the review of different dashcams.

Test results.

Example videos recorded in day and night conditions, pros, cons and general rating.