The Difference Between A PTZ And An IP Camera

A few years ago now, CCTV cameras were launched and brought to the market. Still, there were listed very few choices that you can choose in between them! First of all, I would like to tell you why I mentioned CCTV and what are CCTV cameras!

Basically, CCTV is a shortcut word for closed-circuit television. The CCTV systems use analog cameras. On this group of cameras take also place the PTZ cameras and IP cameras. Even though they might look somehow the same, there are some important differences that distinguish each of them.

In this article, you will find some of the most important things that you should know about these two types of cameras; PTZ and IP.

The basic question that I am going to respond to in this article is What is the difference between PTZ and IP cameras? There will be some division of the most important features that they include, and their differences!

The Main Differences Between PTZ & IP Cameras

Installation Process

An important difference between these two types of cameras is the installation process. PTZ cameras require time and a lot of precision in order to be put wherever you chose to. It is important to know that if you make any type of mistake during the installation of PTZ cameras, they may not work properly and it indeed takes a lot of time so that you can install it how it should be again.

However, when it comes to the installation of an IP camera, it is quite easy and you can install it yourself without the need to ask for help. They can be more easily mounted and once done, it works pretty well.

Coverage Area/Movement

The coverage area is one of the most important things that you should know about these two types of cameras. In theory, the coverage area of a PTZ camera is way larger than that on an IP camera. PTZ cameras can easily move, as it means Pan Tilt and Zoom, while IP cameras don’t have this ability, meaning they cannot move on their own.

You can only put one PTZ camera and with the ability to pan tilt and zoom, you won’t have any blind spot, with the other types of cameras, in this case, the IP cameras, since they cannot move, it is better to put more on a particular place so that way you avoid blind spots.

Picture Quality

The picture quality is important in anything that you are about to purchase. When choosing a camera, it is the first thing that you should look at, and also it is the case when choosing any PTZ or IP camera. Since PTZ cameras move and zoom on their own, it is known that when zooming, it can blur a little bit so that it in a way breaks the quality, and it is not perfect anymore.

Therefore, IP cameras don’t have an issue with this. IP cameras are known as the best CCTV types of cameras when it comes to picture quality. Since they are fixed cameras (not moving), they don’t bring any type of shake that may blur your picture or video in this case.

Operation/Control

This is the most important thing that makes these two types of cameras fully different from one another. When using a PTZ camera, you should and need to be there so that you can full control over the camera, if you are not there you can’t control it in any way. IP cameras meaning Internet Protocol, have impressive control! You can control them wherever and whenever you want. They receive control data from an IP network, and they can be easily connected with whatever type of internet.

Cost

When it comes to the price tag of PTZ and IP cameras there is a big difference! PTZ cameras are known as cameras that come with a super expensive price and compared with IP cameras they still remain that title! Plus, PTZ cameras are more likely to be damaged because of the movements so they need repaired often; meaning more money.

The IP cameras, on the other hand, come with a lower price tag, and with fewer chances to be damaged. In my opinion, this is a big and important difference between these two cameras.

Verdict:

As you can notice above, there are some similarities, but mostly there are differences between PTZ and IP cameras. The coverage area is one of the parts where PTZ cameras shine, but however, when it comes to the other things that I mentioned, seems like IP cameras deserve to be mentioned as better.

Related: The Best PTZ Cameras For Church

I really hope I answered your question What is the difference between PTZ and IP cameras, I hope that when choosing one, you will have a clearer idea.