With the rising incidents of building and establishment insecurities in Kenya, it’s becoming hard for building owners to trust security providers with their security systems. Stumbling on plenty of CCTV brochures with product shots, specs and different prices plus the extensive CCTV surveillance cameras and recorders may be formidable which does not make it easier for the clients either to make an informed decision of choosing the best CCTV solution for their home or business.
Below are some of the factors to consider before installing a security camera.
PRICE
At the back of your mind, you have to know that cheap is expensive so purchase the best value of CCTV camera system within your business or personal budget. Don’t be rational when buying a CCTV camera because of its value without putting into consideration if it’s even branded, its advisable to invest in the best quality, a small, entry-level system that will allow you to add more cameras in future by working with a reputable security company which will be in a position to provide a wide range of cameras and recorder options made by reliable and respectable manufacturers.
WARRANTY
A reputable security firm will sell a CCTV surveillance camera and recorder with a warranty of up to two to three years and in addition, offer either a free professional installation or self-installation option. Avoid retailers who give a warranty of six months which you may find it hard to fight for if the cameras fail in that time frame and still sell unbranded cameras.
UNDERSTANDING CAMERA CAPABILITIES
Upon CCTV camera selection consideration of lens size, wide-angle degree and memory for data storage should be mandatory. For every millimetre of lens size how far away in metres the cameras will be able to view its object (focal length). The degree of a wide-angle lens will determine the field of vision and shorten the focal length as the angle gets wider. A good example is a 60-degree wide-angle, 5mm lens that will accurately identify an object to up to 5 metres but will lack enough range to view the neighbours’ property to the right or left. As the lens size increases the field vision on the right and the left decreases, while the range at which an object is noticeable increases. The storage capacity can be increased by hard drivers or network-attached storage devices to an unlimited capacity.
CAMERA TYPE
They are three types of CCTV surveillance cameras
- Entry-level analogue camera
- High Definition (HD)
- Internet Protocol (IP)
With the advancement in technology prices of CCTV cameras have dropped bringing Entry level, HD and IP in the realm of small-sized business and home budgets.
ANALOGUE, HD and IP COMPARISON
Quality of imagery desired and your present and future security needs are key to deciding which of the above to choose. Analogue provides lower resolution imagery suitable for detecting people and monitoring areas, an HD camera provides high-resolution imagery that identifies characters and numbers and can be used effectively for legal purposes through evidence recording.
Higher resolutions offer a highly enhanced image which makes it easier to zoom in and retain the quality to identify the objects and key details like car number plates which can be shared with respective government authorities and security companies for investigation purposes.
DECIDE WHAT YOU WANT THE CAMERA TO SEE
Do you want the CCTV to capture cars in front of your establishment or someone ringing a bell? Technology advancement offers solutions for dynamic range, 360-degree vision and the handling of different lighting conditions.
SELECT THE BEST CAMERA POSITION
The landscape of your business/home property and security needs will be key on deciding where to place your camera, usually, the CCTV camera is placed near the door or gate so as to gather data about people and vehicles entering with another additional camera to cover “weak spots”
SUPPORT LIGHTING
Surveillance cameras usually record colour during the day but at night unless there is sufficient lighting it turns to black and white thus its very important to support outdoor lighting like LED lights, for colour definition to interpret correct data of objects like car colour and the colour dress of people. Low light cameras that don’t need lighting support making it cost-effective using lights.
INSTALLATION COST
CCTV camera installation goes beyond the purchase of the camera after settling down on the type of camera to use. The recorder costs, cables, connectors, uninterrupted power supply, cost of labour and commissioning of the unit making it important to ask the entire cost of installation and running cost of the CCTV surveillance camera.
ASK PROFESSIONAL ADVICE
Lastly before committing one has to seek the advice of a security professional who will assess your property showing you recorded footage from different types of cameras enabling you to get the full image on quality and pricing.
ZM Engineering is a reputable company that prides itself as the leading CCTV surveillance camera installer, distributor and consultant in Kenya with the best, quality, accurate and cutting edge CCTV surveillance in Kenya. For CCTV surveillance installation don’t hesitate to get in touch with our dedicated team who will give you undivided attention and advise you effectively.