Top Tips for Installing CCTV Systems

Installing CCTV systems in your business or residential property offers a lot of benefits for security and more, but many people end up installing CCTV systems that don’t meet their needs. These top tips from one of the nation’s top CCTV installers gives an overview of what you need to know and do when you’re setting up a security camera system.

Plan Ahead

Before you start shopping for a single CCTV camera, sit down with a pad of paper and figure out your objectives. Is it your intent to conduct surveillance? Monitor problem areas on your property? Deter shoplifting? You’ll need different types of CCTV equipment for each of these aims, so knowing why you want CCTV will help you choose which pieces to buy.

Locate Your Cameras Correctly

A CCTV camera that doesn’t capture what you want is virtually useless and a complete waste of your money. The best surveillance camera in the world won’t do you much good if all it captures is the top of someone’s head. Walk through your property and figure out exactly where you want to watch. When you mount your cameras, remember this advice from professionals who install CCTV systems. Consider the focus and distance of the security camera range when deciding where to place it. If you’re installing a front door CCTV camera to identify callers, for example, the camera should be fairly close and at eye level.

Choose the Right Camera and Lens

The camera and lens determine how well you’ll be able to capture what you’re monitoring. Once again, knowing your purpose will help you choose the right security camera. Keep these points in mind when deciding on the focal length and quality for your cameras: the bigger the focal length, the farther away you can focus your camera. The most common focal length for security cameras is 3.6 mm, which will give you a 72 degree field of view. That’s sufficient for most residential and small office applications.

Choose the Right DVR

The two basic recording choices for CCTV systems are stand-alone DVR and PC-based DVR software. In general, stand-alone DVRs are more compact and less expensive, but provide fewer options for use. PC-based DVRs provide you lots and lots of options for image processing, surveillance, recording and storage, but are generally more expensive than stand-alone systems. Keep in mind the number of cameras you’ll be installing and, suggest most CCTV experts, opt for more connections than you’ll need.

Get Professional Help

While it’s certainly possible to install a simple CCTV setup yourself, if you’re installing anything more complex than a single camera and DVR or a put-in-place surveillance camera with wireless transmission, you should get help from a professional with experience installing CCTV systems.