All security cameras have a visual feed that is connected to a recording and display device. But there is a downside to this system, which comes in the form of the camera lag time. Camera lag is the delay between the camera viewing the image and its subsequent recording and visual output on a display device.

One of the most surprising things about camera lag is that the cost or quality of the camera doesn’t determine the severity of the lag. Even the most expensive cameras have lag times that amount to 5 to 10 seconds or more.

This can be an especially dificult deal with when using a motion detection device. Many cameras can correctly pick up and transmit the motion that they detect, however the images they record don’t always include what actually caused that motion detector to trip. When purchasing a camera always make sure the lag time is not a potential issue.