COMMON CCTV MISTAKES

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Whether you run a shop, operate a restaurant business, worry about your car at parking in front of your office or simply want to keep an eye on your house while you are away, the simplest solution is often to get a professional CCTV. 

Once you have made a decision to get a video security system installed to protect your home or business, take some time to think what your main objectives are. What time of day is the threat the greatest, so you can choose the right cameras for the job. Do you want cameras mounted in obvious locations that stand out and deter potential perpetrators, blend into your décor, or both. Only when you have formulated a rough plan of actions move on to the next step – choosing the right equipment. 

In the list below we have gathered a few DO’s and DON’Ts and some most common mistakes and misconceptions around getting a CCTV, which may help you find your way around in an infinite variety of camera types available in the market. 

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• Megapixel mania. The more megapixels the better, right? Well, it depends.  4K/8/12MP cameras are great in daylight and would give you a clear and sharp picture. However, a simple 2 MP camera may be as good, if not better, for low light conditions and night recordings. So if your greatest threat is likely to be at night, look for cameras with better night vision or starlight features, which in the end of the day may be a simple 2MP camera. The most important features for getting a good image in a low-light environment are: sensor model (i.e. the larger is a sensor the better, i.e. sensor sized 1/3” is better than 1/4”), f stop (the lower is the number the better, i.e. f1.8 is better than f3.5), lens quality and software/firmware.

• Mindless brand preference. Every manufacturer and brand has its pros and cons and not a single system can do it all, so look at the characteristics of a particular product not its name. Although big brand names are often associated with a standard of quality, in the end of the day most of video surveillance products are manufactured in China from the same materials and using the same technologies. 

• ‘Amazon effect’. It is not uncommon for people to invest into buying an out-of-box video security kit on the cheap just to realise to their disappointment that it is pretty much useless. Most common issues include poor quality, low resolution or too wide-angled cameras. No use in identifying faces or car plate numbers. 

• Too few cameras. There is little point in having a CCTV if it does not provide full coverage leaving blind zones. At the very least, each of your doors/windows on the ground floor should be captured. As an illustration, for a large house with a garage, you would probably need at least 6 cameras. 

• Don’t mount CCTV cameras too high. Usually less than 8 feet is high enough to get a good angle of view.

• Not recording all the time. Motion detection and video snap shots do not mitigate this requirement and saving bandwidth and storage is not a good enough reason.  

• Reliance on Wi-Fi cameras. Wi-Fi signal can be interrupted, hacked or jammed reasonably easily making your security vulnerable to a determined criminal. If hacked, a Wi-Fi camera can become a tool for the criminal to know when you are out to plan the attack.  

• Reliance on indoor cameras to see the outdoor area through the window. Although it may work during the day, at night you won’t see anything as IR signals are typically reflected from a window glass.

• Use dome cameras for outdoor areas. Dome cameras have more glare and IR reflection issues, so turret/eye ball cameras should be preferred.

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We take the time to understand your requirements so that we can provide you with the right products without compromising on quality. So if you need assistance, our customer service team would be pleased to provide both any pre-sale consultation as well as post-sale technical support you may require. 

Alternatively, if you want to explore the world of security on your own, then we invite you to have a look at our blog where we answer some FAQs and explain technical terms in a simple language – the difference between IP vs analogue CCTV; pros and cons of Bullet vs Dome vs Box vs Panoramic/Fisheye cameras, technical advantages of PTZ, Covert, Easy-Install and 4K cameras, innovative uses of Thermal and Heatmapping CCTV etc. 

If you don’t know which camera to choose or just want to know a bit more about security cameras in general, we recommend you have a look at our “CCTV for dummies” blog series which provides a simple step-by-step into the CCTV world and you don’t need to be an engineer to understand that.

We also have a range of security products at trade prices for installers, sole traders, resellers and other trade clients. We have everything your customers may need. If you wish access our trade price list, please get in touch to receive your own unique login details. 

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