Basics of CCTV — Foundations Every Installer Needs

This section covers the underlying concepts that every CCTV installer, technician, and system designer needs to be fluent in before touching a camera or DVR. The lessons inside are short, practical, and built around the questions that come up on real sites — not textbook theory.

What you will work through

The fundamentals start with the DORI categories (Detect, Observe, Recognise, Identify) used by EN 62676 to specify the level of detail a camera must deliver at a given distance, then move into resolution and pixel density, frame rate trade-offs, and how lens focal length translates into actual coverage on a floor plan. Power budgeting closes the basics out — calculating PoE class requirements, voltage drop on long cable runs, and when to step up to a local power supply.

How this fits into a full CCTV course

The Basics of CCTV module is the entry-level half of a structured installer pathway. Within bhcourses.ie, this section sits inside BH’s full CCTV Course, which collects the complete sequence of modules — storage sizing, IP cameras, NVRs, troubleshooting — into one pathway students work through end-to-end. The same material in extended form, with worked examples and exam-style questions, is on our UK sister site at the CCTV Basics module on bhcourses.com.

Who it is for

Apprentice electricians moving into security work, IT technicians taking on physical-security responsibilities, and existing CCTV engineers who want to formalise their grounding. No prior security qualifications are assumed.