How To Tell If Security Cameras Have Audio?

When it comes to cameras, they can be used either only for surveillance or communication or both. It depends if your camera has audio connectivity or not. If you want to just keep an eye on your property then cameras without audio will be enough for you but how do you find out if the cameras you installed can record audio or not? Here are some ways to tell if security cameras have audio.

How To Tell If Security Cameras Have Audio?

Firstly, let us see the different types of microphones built in a security camera:

1. External Microphone

When there is a large area to be covered like a traffic zone, it is best to use an external microphone. The cameras are built with a port in which a microphone can be tethered but the downside is that these can be heavy and very evident. It can either be placed to pick sounds from the direction of the lens or all directions.

2. In-Built Microphone

Cameras are usually built with a microphone inside with a small hole to let it record sounds satisfactorily. They are best suitable for indoor installation as they might not be able to differentiate the multiple sounds outdoors thus defying the sole purpose of the feature.

3. Zoom-Microphone

Though it has not been used much, this feature allows you to zoom in to a subject and listen to its sounds. It needs manual monitoring or audio analysis for this feature to be of use as someone or something needs to zoom in to the subject. It will also cancel the surrounding noises as you zoom in so you can hear the audio with better quality.

4. Google It

The simplest way to find the features in your camera is to google the model. You can always find the model name on the packaging and if you put that input in google, it will give you all the details regarding the camera. You can go through the details thoroughly to find out if it can record video or not.

5. Peak Around Camera

If your camera has an external microphone then it might be really easy to spot it if you peek around the body. There is usually a small hole to create housing for the microphone. Although if there is an internal microphone(built-in), there will not be any evidence of it externally.

Whether you can find the microphone depends on the type of camera you have, that is, the body of it. Cameras are sometimes built with audio iris which tells that it has audio.

6. Take A Recording

You can always try and check through a recording. Most of the brands have an application through which a customer can access the working and footage of their cameras.

Record a video with some vocal activity going around the camera and see if you can hear anything in the recorded footage. Cameras have a fixed range till which they can record the audio, you can test that as well following the same procedure as above.

7. Scroll The App

The application you use to control your cameras can prove to be very helpful in this scenario. If you open the app and scroll down. You will either find a mute or speaker button if your camera has a microphone.

Some cameras may come with a speaker so you can talk back as well as hear from the other end. You can even disable the audio recording function if you wish to use the application

8. Chat With Representative

If nothing works out for you or you don’t want to struggle at all, you can always reach out to the manufacturer and they will guide you with everything and anything. They can tell you how to enable and disable the audio features for your camera.

You can approach customer support either through the said application or through their website. Make sure that you know the exact model of your camera as it will make the task easier for you and them to assist you.

Why Audio Security Cameras Are Better?

a. Extra Protection

Having audio features in your security camera can elevate the protection standards of your property. If there is an unusual activity around your house, you might wanna hear what the people are talking about. It can help you decide what action to take as sometimes a stranger might be there looking for some kind of help and could accidentally trigger some kind of security alarm.