How Should You Pick a Video Surveillance System for Your Company?

Dec 21, 20225 min read

Every business needs to be secure. With cameras that offer computer-like features like motion sensors, remote viewing, and mobile notifications, video surveillance systems are more sophisticated and efficient than ever.

More effective techniques of recording and storing data have also been made possible by technological advancement. Small business owners have inexpensive access to extremely strong surveillance systems. Read on for our guide to video surveillance systems if you're in the market for one but aren't sure where to begin.

What should I take into account considering buying a video surveillance system?

Before choosing a video surveillance system for your company, you need to take into account several variables.

Installation

You can install your surveillance system if your company is small and you don't need to monitor a lot of space or set up many cameras. Larger companies with numerous sites and complex installations want to hire a pro to perform the installation.

Pricing

The number of cameras you need, the size of your company, the type of storage you want, the length of time you want to keep videos, and the features you want, such as video analytics or motion detection, all affect pricing.

Classification of camera

Internet Protocol (IP) and analog cameras are the two main categories of cameras used in video surveillance systems. The use of IP cameras, which provide additional features and capabilities, is replacing older analog cameras in some applications. Networked IP cameras can perform additional services including video analytics, automatic warnings, and higher-definition image capturing.

Size of the storage

Your surveillance system's storage requirements are determined by the required quality and the length of the videos. A hard drive, an external hard drive, or local storage on the camera's internal storage drive or cloud-based storage are all viable options for storing.

Customization

The majority of providers offer a high level of customization, so you can quickly adapt a system to the demands of your company. There is a solution for everyone, whether you require a comprehensive system to monitor numerous places or a few cameras to monitor your storefront.

Features

Video surveillance systems can be equipped with a wide range of features, such as night vision, intelligent motion detection, and pan, tilt, and zoom (PTZ). Determine the characteristics your company requires, then choose the cameras and surveillance system accordingly. For instance, if you primarily need a system to watch your business at night, get one with good night vision and constant notifications.

Business sectors that require protection

The type of the camera you require depends depend on where you intend to deploy your surveillance. For instance, you'll likely want a weatherproof exterior camera with PTZ capabilities and motion alerts if you need to keep an eye on your back door.

What to consider while selecting a camera?

Resolution

When choosing a camera, this is one of the most crucial factors to take into account. You need an IP camera if you wish to capture images in high definition at least in 720p.

Frame rate

This is also another crucial feature of a camera: the smoother the footage, the higher the frame rate. A motion picture is created by stitching together several still photos into a video. The less often a picture is taken, the choppier the video will be at lower frame rates. Real-time is commonly measured in terms of 30 frames per second.

Models

Security cameras come in a variety of forms. The most popular types include PTZ cameras, which allow for remote control of the field of view, dome cameras, which are frequently affixed to ceilings, and bullet cameras, which are the rectangular boxes you may see emerging from walls.

Indoor/outdoor

Certain security cameras are designed exclusively for indoor use, thus they won't withstand Mother Nature as well as their outside counterparts. Buy waterproof cameras if you intend to use them outside. Otherwise, moisture or dirt will obstruct the clarity of your video feeds or, worse, could break the camera.

Lighting

Many security cameras use low-light infrared (IR) photography, which enables them to record quality video even when it is dark outside. A camera's ability to capture clear, detailed footage at night improves with the number of IR LEDs it contains. Make sure your camera has enough IR LEDs if recording video in the dark is important.

Audio

While some cameras barely pick up any audio, others do. Some even include two-way audio capabilities, allowing a viewer on the other end to speak with someone in the camera's field of view.

What to look for in a video recorder?

Storage capacity

The number of cameras in your system, the resolution of each camera, the amount of archived material you wish to retain, and how long you expect to keep recorded footage all affect how much storage you require. If more than one camera is filming at a higher resolution, the video will soon fill up your storage. When you reach the system's capacity, you can set a video recorder to overwrite the oldest film. However, if you're not careful, the system might delete stored footage that you still need.

Online storage

In addition to storing it on your video recorder, you can also store recorded video in the cloud. This has a few clear benefits, including greater storage capacity and remote access to your recordings. By storing your films in the cloud, you can continue to watch them even if your hardware is lost, stolen, or tampered with.

Compatibility with cameras

Not every camera is compatible with every video recorder. Although IP cameras are used by NVRs and analog cameras by DVRs, the compatibility issue goes beyond these differences.

Pros and cons of video surveillance systems

Pros:

Both your employees and consumers are secure thanks to the system.
Workplace crime is decreased via surveillance.
A surveillance system can keep track of employee conduct and stop violence and harassment in the workplace.
If workers are aware that someone is observing, they typically have a superior work ethic.

Cons:

Employees might feel uncomfortable with video surveillance.
Employees and security personnel may become less alert due to a false sense of security brought on by workplace surveillance.
It can be expensive to buy, install, and maintain a video surveillance system.
Employees may experience burnout at work as a result of feeling as though they aren't producing enough due to the increased scrutiny.