Turret Security Cameras: A Complete Beginner's Guide
Turrets are some of our most popular security cameras we sell, and for a good reason. In this blog post, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about turrets.
What is a Turret Camera?
A turret security camera, also called an eyeball camera, is a small camera with a ball and socket design. It gets its name from the fact that the ball-like camera can pivot in any direction inside its socket mount. This offers a ton of flexibility when it comes to installation, as you can easily aim the turret’s lens anywhere you need to. Since these cameras tend to have a compact form factor, installing turrets is usually fast and easy.
Turret Cameras vs. Vandal Domes vs. Bullets
The unique design of these cameras offers many benefits over other camera types. To better explore the strengths of turrets, it will be helpful to compare them and contrast them with other popular security camera types.
Vandal-Dome Security Cameras
Vandal domes are security cameras that are covered in a protective glass dome. These cameras are incredibly tough and durable, resistant to all kinds of vandalism (which is where they get the name vandal-resistant domes, or “vandal domes” for short.
Vandal domes are excellent cameras because they are so tough and durable. They’re also nice and compact, since everything is hidden behind that dome. Often times it’s hard for someone to see where the vandal dome’s lens is pointing. Even if they can see where the lens is pointing, it’s impossible for someone to tamper with the lens, unless they’re able to open or destroy the glass dome. Which, again, is difficult to do due to the IK10 vandal-resistant rating.
However, that glass dome does have its drawbacks. At night, the infrared lights tend to cause some glare or reflection on the glass dome, causing less-than-ideal nighttime imagery. This can range anywhere from a minor annoyance to serious visibility concerns.
Bullet Cameras
Bullet cameras, on the other hand, have a long, cylindrical shape. These cameras jut out from their installation sites and are usually pretty noticeable. At a glance, anyone can see where bullet cameras are pointed. These cameras are also easy to manipulate and vandalize.
However, bullet cameras tend to have better image quality than vandal domes. These cameras aren’t restricted by their glass dome. There is no infrared glare, and it’s more difficult for moisture to enter into your camera’s lens. So while the design may not be as ideal as a vandal-dome, bullet cameras shine when it comes to performance.
Turret Cameras: The Best of Both Worlds
This is where turret cameras come in. While these aren’t as vandal-resistant or as tamper-proof as vandal domes, turret cameras do maintain the compact dome design. These cameras look great and can be relatively inconspicuous.
However, since there is no glass dome, turret cameras rarely have to worry about IR glare. The image quality of a turret rivals that of a bullet, since it’s able to see incredibly well 24/7.
In other words, the turret camera has all the strengths of vandal domes and bullet cameras without the weaknesses. This is why we recommend turrets to any of our customers who don’t already have a form factor in mind.
Turret Camera Installation
Not every turret is the same when it comes to installation. Some turrets come in three pieces, while some come in four. But the basic principles are the same. Most turret cameras have a socket-like mount, a ball-like camera, and some sort of retaining collar or sleeve to hold the ball into the socket. The camera pictured below has an additional tightening ring, which is used to hold the retaining collar into place.
Where to Install Your Camera
When determining where to install your turret security camera, you’ll want to keep a couple of things in mind. First, viewing angle. You’ll want to install your camera in a location where you can get the most out of your camera’s field of view.
Second, you’ll want to keep accessibility in mind. Unlike a vandal dome, your turret’s lens will be visible and accessible. Even if your camera is tightly secured, someone could push the camera’s lens with enough force. Be sure to install your camera in a place where it is out of reach.
For more flexibility when it comes to installation, you can also use a camera mount or junction box. This gives you the ability to install your camera on a flat surface regardless of the installation site. You can use a wall mount, a ceiling mount, or a pole mount to achieve the desired camera position.
Installing Your Turret’s Socket Mount
The first step in installing a turret camera is to install the base. This is usually as simple as screwing the mount into place with three or four screws. The mount can be installed vertically or horizontally, depending on the intended orientation of the camera.
Positioning Your Turret’s Eyeball
The ball of the turret is the camera itself. This is where all of your cables will be attached, so if you’re running the cables through the side of your camera, be sure to position the camera into place before you fully tighten the mount.
Since the camera is in a spherical shape, you have complete flexibility with your lens’s orientation. You can position the camera however you like to get the best viewing angle from your camera. Don’t worry about getting the angle perfect at this point. You can always come back later and adjust the viewing angle if you need to.
Securing Your Turret’s Installation
Once you have the ball and socket positioned right where you want it, you’ll need to secure your camera. Different turrets may go about this step in a number of different ways. For some turret cameras, you’ll screw a sleeve into place, holding the ball into the socket. For other turrets, you may need to hold the sleeve in place and fasten that with a locking ring-like mechanism. Once everything is in place, you can usually loosen the sleeve slightly so that you can fine-tune your camera’s position. Once everything is right where you want it, you can lock everything down.
Weatherproofing Your Turret
If you are installing your weatherproof turret outside, you’ll want to make sure that your network cable connection is not exposed to the elements. If it is exposed, be sure to weatherproof your camera using the sealing grommet that came with your security camera. Check out the video below for more explanation about how to weatherproof your camera.
Turret Cameras at Nelly’s Security
We have several turret camera options to choose from here at Nelly’s. All of our main camera lines have a few different turrets. In this section of the blog post, we’ll walk you through each of these three brands.
H-Series Turrets
H-Series is our original and longest-running line of security equipment. These cameras are great for just about anyone and any situation. When it comes to turrets, we have a couple of options for you to choose from.
The great thing about H-Series fixed lens turrets is that these have an extended infrared construction, or EXIR. We also have a couple of additional turret cameras in our H-Series line with specialized features.
What is EXIR?
EXIR, or extended infrared, is a unique design where the turret’s camera lens and IR LED are housed behind two separate windows. Why is this a big deal? Well it has to do with infrared glare.
Remember when we compared turrets with vandal domes? One of the strengths of turrets is the fact that there is no infrared glare since there is no glass dome over the camera. However, our H-Series turrets take this a step further and move the IR LEDs out of the lens housing completely.
The result is incredibly crisp and clear night time imagery. Check out the sample footage below to get an idea for how extended infrared works in our H-Series turret cameras.
Our H-Series EXIR fixed lens turrets range from FullHD 1080p (2MP), 1440p (4MP), all the way up to 4K UltraHD (8MP).
H-Series Specialized Cameras
We do have two additional turrets in our H-Series line that have specialized features: we have an active deterrence turret camera and we have a NiteColor turret camera.
Our active deterrence turret camera has a few standout features that make this an incredible option for anyone looking to make their security camera as noticeable as possible. This turret has an onboard strobe light and siren, so you can let potential intruders know that they’re being recorded. Even if you didn’t want to purchase this camera for its active deterrence features, this is still an amazing camera due to its smart motion detection filters. This camera does an excellent job filtering out motion caused by human agency (either human body detection or vehicle detection) from motion caused by other sources, such as animals and shadows. This turret camera also has a built-in microphone and can handle two-way audio.
Our NiteColor turret camera has an absolutely insane low-light sensor. In other words, this camera can see really, really well in the dark. With just a little bit of ambient light, you’ll be able to view your camera feeds in color 24/7. If there is no ambient light at all, this turret also has an integrated floodlight to lighten up your scene. The customizable floodlight also makes this a great driveway camera, since you can essentially turn this into an automatic dawn-to-dusk light. Like the Active Deterrence camera, our NiteColor turret also has a built-in mic.
Both our Active Deterrence and NiteColor turrets have a high definition 4MP resolution.
H-Series Varifocal Turret Camera
If you’re looking for a turret camera with a zoomable lens, we do have one option for you here with our H-Series line, the NSC-2H8-DMZF1. This is a 4K UltraHD turret camera with a convenient 4x zoom range of 2.8-12mm.
If durability is important to you, this is an excellent camera for you. Like most vandal domes, this motorized lens turret is fully IK10 vandal-resistant, meaning it’s a great camera for any surveillance situation where vandalism is a possibility.
This camera also has an integrated junction box, which means you can have cleaner installations and better cable management without investing in any additional products.
H-Series Turret System
If you’re interested in an H-Series turret, you may want to consider purchasing an entire system of these cameras. Our system bundles come with everything you need to get your surveillance system up and running. You’ll have your cameras, a Network Video Recorder, a hard drive for your recorder, and all the cables you’ll need for your system. You can choose between a complete four-channel system, an expandable four-channel system, and sixteen-channel system.
Who Is H-Series For?
Our H-Series turrets are great for anyone looking for a professional-grade security camera. These have an excellent set of features. That said, there can be a bit of a learning curve with these cameras. If you’re a complete beginner, or if you’re a bit of a technophobe, you’ll want to check out our R-Series turrets.
R-Series Turrets
R-Series is our economic line geared toward lower costs and easier operation. These cameras don’t have as many bells and whistles as our other cameras, which means this is perfect for anyone on a budget or anyone without much technical experience.
When it comes to R-Series turrets, we only have two main choices: fixed lens or motorized lens.
R-Series Fixed Lens Turrets
Our R-Series fixed lens turrets are incredibly popular here at Nelly’s Security. If you’re looking for just a simple and affordable camera to install at your home, this camera just might be perfect for you. There’s not a whole lot to them. They have excellent image quality. They’re simple to set up and use. There’s a great mobile app that makes viewing your cameras remotely nearly instantaneous. Check out the short video below to learn more about these R-Series fixed lens turrets.
Our R-Series turrets come in FullHD 1080p (2MP), 5MP, or FullHD 1080p (8MP).
R-Series Varifocal Lens Turret Cameras
Like their fixed lens counterparts, the R-Series motorized lens turrets are low cost and user-friendly. Pretty much the only difference between these two models is that motorized varifocal lens. This is a great option if you need a camera with more variability when it comes to viewing angle and detail. When the camera is zoomed all the way out, you’ll get a nice and wide viewing angle with a 2.8mm lens. When the camera is zoomed all the way in, you’ll have a cropped angle with a 12mm lens. But you’ll also be able to see in greater detail.
We have two options when it comes to these varifocal cameras: 5MP and 4K UltraHD (8MP).
R-Series Turret Systems
If you like our R-Series turrets, you can purchase these in a full system as well, either four, eight, or sixteen channel. Like the H-Series systems, these bundles come with the cameras, recorder, hard drive, and cables.
Who Is R-Series For?
Again, R-Series is focused on affordability and user experience. With that in mind, these cameras are great for anybody who only needs the most basic features available to them. When it comes to installation scenarios, these cameras work best in residential applications. That said, these cameras can also be used in small business scenarios, as long as you don’t need more than 32 cameras.
If you do need more than 32 cameras, or if you are looking for the most feature-packed cameras we offer, then you’ll want to take a look at our Uniview products.
Uniview Turrets
Finally, Uniview is our newest product line here at Nelly’s Security. These products are professional-grade and feature-packed. They offer flexible installation options, as these cameras work great in residential applications, small business scenarios, and even large corporate settings.
We have a few different Uniview turrets to choose from that essentially fall into two main groups: Prime I and Prime II.
Uniview Prime I Turrets
Right now we only have one Prime I turret, although we will be getting more in stock in the coming weeks. Uniview’s Prime I turret is a 4MP fixed lens security camera. It has some standout features that make this one of the best fixed lens cameras we offer here at Nelly’s Security.
First, it has a built-in microphone, which is unique among the rest of our standard fixed lens security camera. This turret also has a slot for a microSD card with edge storage capabilities.
But the main feature that sets Prime I turrets apart from Prime II turrets is NDAA compliance. That means this turret is constructed with trusted products, so these cameras can be installed on U.S. government properties.
Uniview Prime II Turrets
Our Prime II turrets are not NDAA compliant and they do not have built-in microphones. However, they do have a wide array of smart events that aren’t available on the Prime I turrets, including people counting and face detection.
What sets Prime II apart is the fact that these cameras are available in a variety of resolutions. When it comes to Prime II fixed lens turrets, we have these available in FullHD 1080p (2MP), 1440p (4MP), and 4K Ultra HD (8MP). We also have two Prime II motorized lens turret cameras, available in 1440p (4MP) and 4K Ultra HD (8MP).
Uniview Turret Systems
Our Uniview turret systems, like H-Series and R-Series, come with everything you need for a complete four, eight, or sixteen channel system. These bundles are built using the NDAA compliant Prime I turrets.
Which Security Camera is Right For You?
We’ve given you all the information you need to know about turrets. I hope this blog post helped you feel more confident in what you’re looking for in a security camera. Maybe you came to the conclusion that turrets are perfect for you. If that’s the case, I hope you’re able to find the turret you’re looking for! Or maybe you’ve reached the end of this post and come to the conclusion that you’re in the market for another kind of security camera. That’s okay, too! I would encourage you to browse our online store. We have all different kinds of security cameras.
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Let us know in the comments below what your favorite type of security camera is and why! We’d love to know more about your video surveillance experience, and you might help out someone else.
