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What to know when buying a CCTV Camera System

Camera Surveillance Systems have evolved. The cameras are more powerful, and the Recording hardware and Software have grown in sophistication. This article offers an overview of what to look for when purchasing a Camera Surveillance System.

Where and what do you want to record?

If you just need to gather a general idea of what your employees are doing, then a basic camera will capture that just fine. But if you need to be able to read a license plate from 50 feet away, then you will require higher resolution. If you will need to rely on your video as evidence, then you have two options. You can use high resolution cameras to capture clear video from further away, or a higher number of cameras can be installed to increase the chances of recording closer to the action. A good decision will always be based on the goal of the Camera System, as well as making the system cost-effective.

What technology can be leveraged to meet these goals?

A Digital Video Recorder (DVR) are the computer that all the cameras “feed” to. DVR’s can up to TeraBytes of memory, and can have as many as 64 cameras, although much depends on the specifications of the cameras.

How much Experience is necessary?

Cameras come with many different options these days. Your security expert should be well versed in the camera specification requirements to meet your needs. This is not something that can be trained, designing a camera system properly is only learned by installing several systems beforehand. This is because the way that cameras interact with software on the DVR is something that takes tinkering and hands-on experience to completely understand.