With so many different options to choose from – currently over 45 major brands of security cameras readily available online – it can be overwhelming to make a decision for your business. If you choose wrong, you may find yourself with an unreliable, inadequate system, to address your business’s surveillance needs. Or possibly worse, you may spend way too much on an overly complex system that requires an IT professional to operate! Don’t navigate this decision on your own, look at IMILAB Security products Now to help guide you through this decision.
Factors to Consider
There are many factors to consider when selecting your security camera system.
- What problem are you trying to solve, what do you hope to see on your cameras? Crime and theft is a common concern, and you may want to get a clear face shot of everyone entering and exiting a building, or potentially even read license plates of vehicles entering your lot. For employee monitoring, you may need more widespread coverage without the need for close-ups. If you expect some or most of your incidents to occur in the dark or at night, powerful infrared or super low lux cameras may be necessary. For businesses with on-site security actively monitoring the cameras, a pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) camera may be ideal.
- How many cameras do you anticipate needing, and do you expect to expand? We can generate a camera layout map to determine exactly how many cameras you will need, but in order to make the best recommendation for your business, we need to have a general idea. Many brands of cameras are suitable only for a small number of cameras and can be a hassle to view multiple locations at the same time. If you anticipate needing a large number of cameras, or would like to grow your facility or expand your business to multiple locations, this is something that should be considered from the start.
- Do you have an existing system in place? While IP systems are the next step up in technology, some brands offer hybrid systems that accept both IP and coax inputs. This would allow you to reuse the cabling from your existing system, saving the installation team tons of time which translates to a much lower installation price.
- How much storage space do you need? Many businesses just need to be able to come in on Monday and review footage from the weekend if they have an incident. Some businesses may not discover the need to review footage for weeks, months, or even years in some cases! Long term storage can be the biggest portion of the cost of some systems, so it is important to understand your need for storage.
- What is your budget? While you may not be comfortable sharing your budget with your installer right away, it is important to have a general idea. You can find cameras online for as cheap as $25 per camera; but that’s before installation, wiring, troubleshooting, and figuring out how the features work. That’s why it’s better to go with an installer. While the cost can be as little as $500 per camera, you’ll also receive professional installation and have the option to talk to a real technician about any problems that may arise with your system throughout its lifespan.
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