With increasing crime, round-the-clock remote monitoring has
become necessity as policing can’t be possible at all places and time. Closed
Circuit TV Cameras have become more of the need than luxury these days. The law
enforcement agencies want people to install CCTV surveillance cameras in their houses,
apartments and commercial establishments to check crime. Civic bodies too have installed
CCTV cameras at several sensitive and crime-prone public places to monitor/prevent
unlawful activities.
For retail business houses, it is essential to monitor the premises
to curb theft/pilferages, monitor workers or view customer footfalls for better
store management. However, one can’t simply visit a store and buy CCTV cameras for
his enterprise or home. One needs to analyze several factors before deciding to
install cameras. Let’s discuss a few important things to keep in mind before
buying a CCTV surveillance system.
Cheap can be Costly!
You may tend to settle for low cost cameras as service
providers can show you several unbranded CCTV solutions at a very attractive price.
While there is nothing wrong in buying things at lowest price, it is also
important to check the quality. For CCTV too, it is wiser to invest in good
quality system which will satisfy your security objectives. It is better to
choose a camera which has good resolution in terms of visual and recording and
also serve you for the next 3-5 years without any problem.
Go for reputed brands like CP Plus, Hikvision, Sony, Zicom, Dahua, etc., which may be little
expensive than unbranded (low quality) cameras but will serve you better in
terms of life cycle and return on investment.
Know your Camera Type
You can select CCTV cameras from the three types available
in the market - Analogue, High
Definition (HD) and Internet
Protocol (IP) cameras.
Analogue cameras provide basic low resolution images which are
suitable for simple monitoring and detecting people’s movement. These cameras
can’t be used to identify faces or specific things.
HD cameras are the largely used among all as it offer better
resolution than analogue and can provide images suitable to identify faces,
numbers and characters. These High Definition (HD) cameras, though moderately priced
higher than analogue, are ideal for most of the retail enterprises and residential
houses.
IP cameras offer high quality images using digital
technology. These cameras, though costly, can be used to detect theft or crime
in highly sensitive areas which house expensive goods or at public places where
one need to identify faces and numbers to solve crime.
Night vision cameras:
If you need to monitor your workplaces round the clock, it is better to go for
night vision cameras which offer very high resolution video footings even at feeble
light. Compared to normal day light cameras, these cameras are costly but have
immense use for commercial establishments and apartments to check crime and
pilferages during night.
Moving and static
cameras
A camera which can move constantly at 360 degrees can be
very useful at times, when wrongdoers may choose blind spots to carry out their
illegal activities. Though priced higher than static cameras, it is better to
install this rather than shifting cameras from one place to another or zooming
in and out. Static cameras are useful to detect theft when it happens within
its focal areas, as these cameras are installed to look at a particular direction.
But with automatic moving cameras, crime can be detected anywhere as it
revolves at 360 degrees.
Know what you buy
When you purchase a CCTV system, check with your vendor whether
it comes with recording facility, monitor and warranty, number of cameras, high
resolution, night vision, storage power, power cables and adaptors and installation
expenses. Make sure that you understand and check all these before signing the purchase
agreement.
Get professional
advice
Before you install the cameras, seek
professional advice. Ask them to survey your place to understand the
surveillance nature and need and ask them to give you a customized security
solution which should satisfy your work/house environments.
