Keeping your business safe should be your priority above all else. Your staff won’t work their best and your customers won’t want to work with you unless they feel like their wellbeing and property is being protected. One of the easiest and most affordable ways to make sure you have this covered is to install CCTV cameras on your premises.
This directly helps protect your business too, by deterring thieves and vandals. In the event that it doesn’t ward them off, you will have valuable evidence to help with any insurance claims or police investigations. However, the market for CCTV systems is vast. There are many different models at many different price points. With your business’s security at stake, it’s crucial that you pick the right one.
This guide will walk you through everything that you need to consider when purchasing a CCTV setup for your business.
- Your budget
Commercial CCTV systems run the gamut of prices from low-budget blurry options like you see on true crime shows to expensive, smart options that offer Bond-villain levels of surveillance and clarity. Where the system you buy falls on this scale will ultimately be determined by your budget, so this is a good place to start.
If you are not planning to install the system yourself, remember to factor the installation cost into your budget. Some vendors offer both CCTV and installation while others only sell the equipment.
- Image resolution and quality
This is the first thing most people think about when comparing CCTV systems. It makes sense; clearer footage will obviously be more useful if anything goes wrong. The number of pixels gives the best indication of the image clarity and level of detail you will be able to see, so this is a good figure to use to compare models.
- Field of view
Measure the space you want your CCTV to cover to help find the most appropriate lens type. Some offer a wide or even 360 field of view, while others are narrow and focused. You might need multiple cameras, which will cost more and could cause you to compromise on quality.
If you are planning to grow your business or change the layout, which could cause you to need more cameras in the future, look for a system that makes it easy to integrate new cameras.
- Recording capacity
CCTV storage devices only have limited memory space, also known as recording capacity. The less it has, the less time you can retain footage for before it will be overwritten.
The large number of pixels and a high frame rate will cause memory to be used up faster.
- Remote access
A popular option nowadays is a cloud-based CCTV system. This means all the footage is securely uploaded to the internet, and business owners can app on their electronic devices to view it from anywhere.
Conclusion
These are the essential factors to consider in order to install video surveillance for your business. Doing so can make you a significantly less likely target for criminals, which should give you peace of mind as well as your customers.
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