Security-Kits :: Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Index:

I have looked through the Security Kits, and I have not found one that meets my exact needs. Can I customize my order?
Do you offer installation with your products?
Do you sell any wireless products?
What methods of payment do you accept?
Do you offer Volume Discounts?
How do I become an affiliate dealer or distributor of your products?
What shipping method do you use?
How long does it take to get my order after I place it?
How much do you charge for shipping 2nd Day Air or Overnight?
What is your warranty on your products?
What is your return policy?
What is your advanced replacement policy?
What is your repair policy and what can I expect?
What is your policy on lost time and or money?
How much video and or recording time can I get with Digital Video Recorders?
Do Digital Video Recorders support audio and how does it work?
Can I watch my CCTV Camera system from a remote location?
What is the difference between EZWatch Professional Grade and EZWatch Business Grade products?
What are your minimum system requirements for EZWatch Pro 4.0?
I already have EZWatch Version 3.1. Can I upgrade to EZWatch Version 4.0?
What is the maximum cable length for a camera run?
Do I need to have power at every single camera?
Can outdoor cameras be used indoors or vice versa?
What kind of connectors do your cameras use?
Are my current CCTV cameras and or system compatible with your hardware?
What is your address?

I have looked through the Security Kits, and I have not found one that meets my exact needs. Can I customize my order? [Back to Top]
Yes, each of our Security Kits can be modified as you choose. Of Course, you will be required to pay any price differences. All you need to do is call our toll free support number during our extended support hours and ask for a sales associate.

Do you offer installation with your products? [Back to Top]
All our systems are designed as 'Do it yourself' installations. Each pre-packaged kit comes with comprehensive instructions which make the installation simple enough that the majority of our customers can install it themselves. We also offer unlimited technical support over the phone and through our web site.

However, if you feel you would be more comfortable having a professional install the system we recommend that you log onto www.professionalbids.com and request a bid from an experienced installer.

Do you sell any wireless products? [Back to Top]
Our GE Burglar Alarm Systems utilizes fully supervised spread spectrum technology to provide reliable wireless communication. Our Ranger line of wireless intercom systems provides secure wireless communication at up to 1,000’. We also have wireless cameras that utilize Internet Protocol to provide transmission distances up to 200'.

What methods of payment do you accept? [Back to Top]
We accept Paypal, VISA, Master Card and American Express. We also accept Cashiers Checks, Money Orders, Personal or Business checks. Checks can be mailed to us but the order will not ship until the check has cleared the bank (Takes up to 7 business days). We only accept purchase orders from government funded entities. We do not ship products C.O.D.

Do you offer Volume Discounts? [Back to Top]
In addition to periodic sales discounts, we offer discounts to security dealers based on total sales volume. The prices on our web site already represent the lowest possible price you will find. Quantity discounts for end users are available but they are based on very large orders, normally over $10,000. No refunds or rebates can be issued if you buy more products later. Ask your sales representative for more information. We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone.

How do I become an affiliate dealer or distributor of your products? [Back to Top]
For more information on becoming an affiliate or a dealer, please call 1-888-370-4287 and ask for dealer sales, or send an e-mail to sales@security-kits.com

What shipping method do you use? [Back to Top]
Security-Kits.com uses UPS for fast reliable shipping. UPS ground shipping in the 48 States and Canada is free on all orders. Shipments to Hawaii and Alaska are only available using UPS 2nd day Air. On all orders except UPS Ground to the lower 48 States and Canada, the buyer is charged for the shipping costs. We will ship to anywhere in the world via UPS worldwide express with the cost being added to the order. You may be responsible for additional customs/duties/taxes when shipping items outside of the United States.

How long does it take to get my order after I place it? [Back to Top]
Normally, your order will ship within 2 business days and depending on your location, it will take anywhere from 5 to 7 business days for your shipment to arrive. 90% of our orders are delivered to the customer within 7 business days. UPS red and blue orders receive priority status and will usually ship the same day that the order is placed.

For all orders shipping UPS 2 day or overnight, please call our representatives for assistance. Our UPS pickup time is 3:00 pm MST. Please call at least 2 hours in advance for orders shipping overnight or 2nd day.

Although the majority of our products are always in stock, occasionally products are temporarily un-available due to high demand. Our Sales Representatives will always inform you if a product is temporarily out of stock.

How much do you charge for shipping 2nd Day Air or Overnight? [Back to Top]
That is determined by the weight of your package and your zip code. We ship from our warehouse in Salt Lake City Utah. Shipping is calculated at the time of sale.

What is your warranty on your products? [Back to Top]
All of the products we sell have a one year parts and labor warranty from the time of purchase. Extended warranties can be purchased for 4% of the sale price for each additional year up to 3 years. Our warranty covers all product malfunctions and or defects. Our warranty does not cover acts of nature, crime and or misuse. Examples are lighting strikes, vandalism and improper installation and or use. Our warranty will not cover anything that has been smashed, broken or burned. We reserve the right to determine if the product is within warranty or not.

What is your return policy? [Back to Top]
If for any reason you are not satisfied, any item may be returned within 45 days from the date of purchase for a 100% in-store credit. If you wish to return the item for a refund a 20% restocking fee will be applied. A RMA number (Return Material Authorization) must be received prior to returning any equipment. RMA numbers are only issued by our customer support department. All products must be returned in new condition and in its original packaging, otherwise additional restocking fees may apply. Return shipping costs are the responsibility of the shipper. Absolutely no refunds will be provided without a valid RMA number.

What is your advanced replacement policy? [Back to Top]
All items purchased within 45 days are eligible for our advanced replacement. If a unit fails, a return service label is sent to the customer; once our RMA department verifies the faulty unit has been dropped off at a UPS shipping location, a replacement part will be sent out. All conditions for return still apply - The unit must be in its original packaging and in the exact condition it was received in, otherwise additional fees may apply.

What is your repair policy and what can I expect? [Back to Top]
All defective products that are within warranty are eligible for return for repair. You must call one of our representatives and have them issue an RMA number. All items being shipped back must be packaged correctly for them not to be damaged in shipping. We are not responsible for what happens to items during shipping and will not cover any damages due to shipping. We are also not responsible for any lost items in shipping. All items must have the RMA number written on the box to be accepted.

We will do our best to get your repair or replacement sent to you as soon as possible. In most cases, products are repaired and shipped within 2 business days. All repairs are sent out using UPS 3-day shipping. Repair time is dependant on shipping time and whether the item is in stock. All DVR repairs are performed by professional technicians with 1000's of hours of bench experience. All DVR's sent in for repairs are tested for 24 hours before being sent back out.

What is your policy on lost time and or money? [Back to Top]
We do our best to ensure complete customer satisfaction and to make sure that our products meet your requirements and are delivered in a timely manner. We also warranty our products and back up them up against defects. Our technical support representatives will do their best to support any technical matter that comes up in a timely manner. As such, we are not liable for any lost time and or money during installation. Our products, installation guides and handouts have been proven by thousands of successful do it yourself installations. Therefore, Security-Kits.com will not be held responsible or liable for any damage to persons or property including, lost time or money caused by misuse, misapplication or incorrect installation of any of our products. For more information please reference our terms and conditions as well as our end user license agreement.

How much video and or recording time can I get with Digital Video Recorders? [Back to Top]
Gauging how much video you will be able to digitally record is a mathematical equation based on several variables. The variables include the file size of the digitally recorded images, the total number of images per second that you are recording and the size of your hard drive.

The file size is based on the compression, or video quality that you are recording. Less compression provides a larger image, but creates a larger file size. More compression creates a smaller file size, but limits the quality of the recorded images.

The total number of images per second that you record will have a great effect on how long you will be able to store images. If you are recording 30 images per second 24 hours a day from 16-cameras, you are going to chew through a hard drive in no time. In essence, at that recording rate, you would be recording 28,800 images every minute (16ips x16cameras x 60seconds). If the images are set to the highest quality, thereby creating a large image file, an 80-gig drive will last about a day. Most people will choose to record about 5 to 7 images per second at a medium quality setting. This provides very usable video and still provides for longer term storage capacity.

Enabling the Video Motion Detection Settings in the Digital Video Recorder will also increase your storage capacity as the system will only record when the cameras see activity in the field of view. In addition to making the video easier to review, this can increase your on-line storage from days to weeks.

With all of that said, there is one constant to this equation. The larger your hard drive, the more video you will be able to record. A 200-gig drive will undoubtedly hold more images than an 80-gig drive.

Do Digital Video Recorders support audio and how does it work? [Back to Top]
Yes, most digital video recorders (DVR’s) support audio recording. It varies by manufacturer, and is sometimes optional, but most provide at least one audio channel and some will even provide an audio channel for every video channel. In most cases, you will need to add an audio microphone to the camera location and hook it up through the PC's sound card or microphone input.

Can I watch my CCTV Camera system from a remote location? [Back to Top]
Being able to remotely monitor your home or office from a remote location is one of the major benefits of digital video systems. Remote Access simply requires that the main computer/DVR on-site is equipped with a Network Interface Card and a high speed internet connection. The system will work with dial-up and satellite but the connections with those are very slow. Dial up and Satellite only works about half the time. A static IP (Internet Protocol) address is highly recommended.

From the remote viewing location, you can use a laptop or remote PC with a high speed internet connection and use either Internet Explorer or in some cases a remote client software package that was provided with your DVR.

What is the difference between EZWatch Professional Grade and EZWatch Business Grade products? [Back to Top]
There are quite a few differences between the Professional Grade and Business grade systems, but the most notable are the framerate, audio recording, and video compression. Business Grade systems offer 7.5 frames per second per camera, recording and viewing. Professional Grade systems offer a full 30 frames, allowing for more fluid motion with no 'gaps'. Business grade systems also offer 4 audio input per four cameras; on a 16-camera system this would translate into 4 audio inputs total. Professional grade systems have the same amount of audio inputs as they have video inputs; so a 4-camera system has 4 audio inputs, a 16-camera system as 16 audio inputs, etc.

The last major difference between the two systems is the compression that they use. The Business Grade system uses MPEG-4 compression for all of its recordings. MPEG-4 is a standard that has been in use for quite some time and is used by a very wide variety of security products. The professional grade, however, uses a newer compression type called H.264. This allows for higher compression (smaller files) without reducing the image quality as much (Clearer images). There are additional, minor differences between the kits - for more assistance please contact our customer support agents at 1-888-370-4287.

What are your minimum system requirements for EZWatch Pro 4.0? [Back to Top]
EZWatch Pro 4.0 utilizes a Microsoft Windows Operating System. Windows XP and Vista are the only Operating systems that we currently support. XP is preferred. We do not support Macintosh or 64-bit versions of Windows. EZWatch requires an AMD or Intel processor of 1.6 GHz or faster, dual-core is recommended but not required. 256MB of system memory is required as well as 80 GB of hard drive space. You will need 1 to 4 available PCI slots within your PC depending upon which kit you plan to use.

There are many different types of hardware and computers out there. We cannot possibly test every single configuration; therefore we cannot guarantee that our product will work on every single system.

I already have EZWatch Version 3.1. Can I upgrade to EZWatch Version 4.0? [Back to Top]
EZWatch 4.0 is a complete upgrade from 3.1. There are no patches or updates for version 3.1. Version 4.0 requires new capture cards to run. You would need to purchase the new cards in order for the software to run. Version 4.0 is not backwards compatible. You can't run it with any other software or any other capture cards. Version 3.1 boards only work with 3.1 software. The same goes with all our other software and boards. In order to upgrade, you must purchase the new hardware and software. No Exceptions. See our company policies for more details.

What is the maximum cable length for a camera run? [Back to Top]
The maximum recommended distance for RG-59 Coaxial Cable is up to 600 ft. You can extend that length up to 1000ft with RG6 cable. Longer distances can be achieved through the use of Universal Twisted Pair (UTP) Converters, Fiber Optic Transceivers or Video over IP Converters. Ask your sales representative for more details.

Do I need to have power at every single camera? [Back to Top]
All of our video cameras are low voltage and require 24Vac Power, but you don't need to run or have an AC power outlet next to each camera. Each of the 1 to 4 camera kits come with plug-in transformers and our 8 to 32 camera kits, are provided with multi camera power supplies that can be mounted in a central location. Our pre-made cables have a combined coaxial cable and a power cable which are run to each camera. If you are providing your own cable, an 18-guage 2-conducter cable is all that is required to power each camera. Of course, this is in addition to the coaxial cable which carries the video signal.

Can outdoor cameras be used indoors or vice versa? [Back to Top]
Outdoor cameras can be used indoors but indoor cameras cannot be used outdoor. Dome cameras should not be used outdoors unless protected completely from the elements.

What kind of connectors do your cameras use? [Back to Top]
All of our CCTV cameras have BNC connectors for video and 12VDC connectors for power. Our cameras are designed to run on RG59 or RG6 coax cable. The video capture cards provided in our DVR’s have BNC connectors on the back.

Are my current CCTV cameras and or system compatible with your hardware? [Back to Top]
Provided that you’re existing system uses BNC style connections, it should work. Our hardware works with most other CCTV equipment but we do not guarantee that it will work with every system.