Where do i start when choosing CCTV? - CCTVAustralia

Before starting to compare systems, sit down and consider your CCTV needs carefully. First, consider what you want to monitor. General comings and goings? Vehicles? Do you want to see faces, merchandise, crowds? Once you decide what you want to see, choosing components will become easier.

Be aware that there is different grades of electronics and that if you are serious about implementing a long lasting quality CCTV System stay away from the cheapest is best options as they are more than likely made in a Sweat Shop somewhere in Asia. You the customer can have serious consequences such as overheating, catching fire, failing power supplies, footage not recording at certain times cameras overheating cameras just stop working just to name a few problems.

Next decide if you want Professional Grade equipment which is made for performance & preferable to Consumer Grade equipment which is made for price. Quality can refer to both how detailed the image is and how fast the frame rate is. Frame rate is simply a measure of how many individual pictures make up the video. If you are still a believer in Consumer Grade CCTV which is specifically designed for a pre-selected price range then you will be purchasing Low Grade Electronics.

Think about how your system will be remotely accessed. Will you simply record at all times, and only review the tape when a problem occurs? Or will you have a dedicated employee watching for trouble? Also, with multiple cameras, you have the option of connecting each to its own monitor, or combining multiple images onto one monitor. A wise choice is to allow the system to record at all times.

You should also decide whether your priority is to deter potential crimes or to catch perpetrators. Both can be important, but your priority will influence your purchasing decisions. If you are more interested in deterring certain activities, large, visible cameras are your best bet. Trying to catch criminals on a DVR Recorder without them being aware of it requires hidden cameras, which cost more both for hardware and for installation. If your monitoring target is internal, you run the added cost of having to hide and secure the recorder and monitor as well. as a general rule most business owners will show their cameras to the public & staff as a pre-caution.

There’s a lot of choice, and technical talk which can be confusing, but as an important point you should really use a licensed security company & installer to make sure that your future system is installed correctly. At CCTVAustralia we are happy to discuss these options and help you chose the right solution for you – please call us on (08) 7325 3100 or fill in our online quote form and we will be happy to