Blog

If you want to protect your business, you may wish to consider surveillance cameras. Through a surveillance camera, you can always keep an eye on what happens on the premises of your business.

But how do you choose the best surveillance cameras for business? There are many factors to consider in order to decide which camera or cameras are best for your business.

Consider the following to decide what cameras are best for your needs.

Conspicuous or Inconspicuous

The first thing you need to decide is if you want your cameras to be conspicuous or inconspicuous.

If you want to deter any possible intruders you may want to have a large camera that shows on the outside and the inside of your business. These large cameras will remind anyone with nefarious intent that they will be caught on camera if they dare to intrude.

One concern with a conspicuous camera is that an intruder may plan ahead to destroy the cameras so that they cannot be caught.

You may want to install inconspicuous or hidden cameras as an alternative. If you have the budget, you may wish to have both types of cameras.

The Area

The next thing to do is to consider the scope of the area that you need to record. You may want to record an entire lobby of your place of business. But you may not need to record individual offices - and this may be violating your employee's privacy.

If you have particular rooms where there is sensitive material, you may wish to have a camera that can cover the scope of the entire room. If you need to have several cameras to cover the scope you should purchase them. The more areas that are under the watchful eye of a camera, the greater protection you will have.

If you install cameras on the outside of your premises, you want to study how much scope you can legally cover in your jurisdiction.

Studying the laws of video surveillance is crucial before you install these cameras.

As you may be on a budget, you want to consider what are the most important areas that absolutely should have surveillance.

Video Resolution

It is imperative to consider the video resolution. For the clearest image, you want to go for the highest resolution. If you have a high resolution you can get a clearer image of any intruder.

If you just want to let any potential intruders that they are being watched, you may be fine with a low-resolution camera. Nevertheless, even with a low-resolution camera, you want as clear a video resolution as you can get.

Lower resolution cameras will be cheaper but if you have the budget, we recommend opting for a higher resolution as possible.

Lighting Standards

Before purchasing your cameras, you need to look at the lighting of your premises. You want to test your cameras to see how they function with your current lighting standards.

You want to consider if your camera can avoid recording any glare. You want to consider if your camera picks up reflections. If your cameras are outside, you want to consider whether it can pick up a clear image when the sunlight is strong.

During the dark, you will want to ensure that your camera is able to still record a clear image of an area. You want to ensure that your camera is equipped with night vision technology.

Do You Need Audio?

You may also want to consider purchasing cameras that have audio compatibility.

This way, if an intruder or group of intruders break into your business you can record any conversation that they have. This may make it easier for law enforcement to track down and arrest the intruders.

If the level of audio reaches a certain threshold after your business is closed, this can alert you that the premises have been broken into. You will be able to call law enforcement right away.

Wi-Fi Compatability

You want to consider purchasing cameras with Wi-Fi compatibility. If your business has a strong internet connection, you will be able to take advantage of these cameras.

The major advantage of a Wi-Fi camera is that you can upload your video footage to a cloud storage service. Some Wi-Fi cameras may also have the option to control the camera using an app on an external device such as your smartphone.

Hidden Cameras

We briefly discussed hidden cameras in our first tip. We highly suggest you consider at least a few hidden cameras if you can. These will make sure that if your cameras are destroyed by intruders, that there will always be additional back up cameras that can record them.

There are many nanny cams that can easily be hidden (or be made to look like other office objects) and can keep an eye on anyone inside your business without you knowing it.

Some examples of hidden cameras can include a clock with an in-built camera. You can also purchase pens that have in-built cameras. Even smartphone chargers can have in-built cameras.

These hidden cameras should be strategically placed throughout your office. Ideally, they should be placed in an area that is away from a more conspicuous camera. This way, they will be harder to spot by an intruder.

As we mentioned in our first tip, the ideal situation is to have a combination of different types of cameras. You want larger ones that deter intruders and hidden ones that catch them in the act if they decide to destroy the larger cameras.

Choose the Best Surveillance Cameras for Business

Now that you know how to choose the best surveillance cameras for business, you are ready to choose the cameras to keep a watchful eye over your business.

We encourage you to research the features of each camera to determine if it suits your needs.

Reach out to us and discuss how we can help you set up your surveillance system!