4K vs 1440p vs 1080p Security Cameras

When it comes to a comparison on these types of cameras, then you might be thinking that the case is closed as the 4K camera is going to be able to give you a better resolution than any other type of camera that is out there on the market.

It’s not as simple as that though, as there are many other factors that come into play when determining what the best option is for your situation.

Which produces the best image?

A good place to start with the comparison is with the image quality and the explanation of why 4K is the best option but also why the other camera types can still produce a great image. In terms of a comparison between the three, the difference is nearly twice as much quality each time.

A 1080p camera will have just over two million pixels per image whereas a 1440p camera will have just over 3.6 million, so is able to produce a much smarter image. You can see how much of an upgrade 4K cameras are when you know that they are able to produce nearly 8.3 million pixels per image, which is a significant difference.

With security cameras though, you are not trying to shoot a movie and instead you want to be able to identify number plates, faces and anything else which might be a security concern. While 4K would clearly be the best choice for this, 1440p is still able to do a great job but the quality with 1080p can be too low for anything other than a short distance.

So I should just choose 4K, what about the cost?

The biggest downside to 4K security cameras is a fairly obvious one, as it is with any product when you have a higher level of quality, and that is cost. 4K cameras are still significantly more expensive and the cost has yet to come down to a level that most people would find acceptable.

If you have a large budget and want the absolute best, then 4K is going to be the best choice but for most people, they start to think about a compromise in terms of the balance between quality and price. An important point here is that the difference in cost between a 1080p camera and a 1440p camera is significantly less than the difference between 1440p and 4k.

This is where many people would opt for a 1440p camera in order to find the middle ground and pay a little extra for quality but not too much that you are stretching your budget. An important caveat to the cost comparison though is that 4K cameras are able to cover a wider area, so there are circumstances where you may need fewer cameras than with the other two options.

The other big advantage of 4K

As we alluded to there, 4K cameras almost always have a wider lens than the other two options, which means that they can cover a wider area and therefore you have a higher level of security than you otherwise would have done.

Covering every inch of a premise can be difficult and sometimes you require two cameras very close together in order to prevent a blind spot. A 4K camera can overcome this issue with having a wider angle and therefore covering a lot more space.

The importance of this can depend on the area that you want to cover. If you just wanted to record a doorway then it wouldn’t be much of an advantage but if you wanted to cover every part of a property then it can be extremely useful and could allow you to cut down on the number of cameras you need.

Can you support 4K cameras?

As with any improvement in technology, you need to have the infrastructure to be able to support it and that is very much the case with 4K cameras for a few important reasons. You need to be able to have the bandwidth, storage, and compatibility in order to utilize it.

It used to be the case that 4K security cameras would take up a lot more bandwidth and storage than the other two types but thanks to an advancements in technology, this is now much less of an issue. You want to make sure you look for H.265 video compression as this is much better than the old models which had H.264, as the new technology is 50% more efficient.

In terms of compatibility you just need to remember that you still need to play that image back onto a monitor. If you have an old monitor which isn’t able to show a 4K image in the highest resolution then this is going to be a complete waste of having a 4K camera. Whatever option you choose, you need to ensure you have the technology to match it.

So which one is the best option?

This comes down to a few key factors such as your budget, the quality that you want to have and the area that you want to cover. If you have a low budget and need a deterrent then a 1080p camera would be a good choice and also has the added benefit of being able to be battery powered.

For most scenarios though, 1440p is going to be a great choice as they are very affordable and able to give you a high-quality image. It will be able to pick up almost all the details that you will ever need in a security scenario, including such details as number plates. For most security scenarios such as the home, small businesses, and construction sites, a 1440p camera will be good enough.

There is no doubt though that 4K is the king when it comes to quality and you also get an increased field of view to go with it. As long as you have the budget to spend on your security system and the technology to support it, then a 4K camera is going to be able to give you better security protection than any other camera.