How to Hook a Surveillance Camera to a Computer Monitor

Use your computer monitor to monitor your surveillance cameras. With the help of a camera video to VGA converter box, you can view video streams from your surveillance cameras on both LCD and CRT monitors. The VGA converter box uses a built-in video processor to smooth out grainy video and adjust the clarity--making a high-resolution device like your computer monitor a high-quality upgrade over a standard surveillance monitor.

Connect your surveillance camera to the VGA converter box via an RCA video cable. Plug one end of the cable into the yellow composite RCA port on the converter box and plug the opposite end of the cable into the yellow composite video port on the camera.

Connect the converter box to your computer monitor via the box's VGA port. For CRT monitors, plug the monitor's built in VGA cable into the VGA port on the converter box.

Use a VGA-to-VGA cable to connect an LCD monitor to the converter box. Run the VGA cable from the VGA port on the converter box to the VGA port on the back of the LCD monitor.

Use the three-mode resolution switch on the side of the converter box to set the video quality and resolution of the converted signal--your monitor will likely support all three resolution modes.

Plug the tip of converter box's power adapter into the red DC power port on the converter box--plug the transformer end of the cable into a power outlet. Power on the surveillance camera, the VGA converter box and your monitor.