In recent times, the need of surveillance cameras has just changed from a ‘want’ to a ‘necessity’. Today, every business owner is smart enough to apprehend that it is better to invest in the finest surveillance system available on the market shelves as opposed to filing a complaint of a break-in, running after the criminals, and then, taking the case to the court of law.
However, while deciding on a surveillance system, a lot of questions are likely to inundate you. Well, no need to fear! We have narrowed down those questions and have prepared answers for them in order to direct you in the right way.
So, let’s learn the top 5 essential things that a business needs to know before installing a surveillance camera system.
1. How much area would a surveillance camera cover?
We have broken down the answer to this in two steps:
How far a camera can see depends primarily upon one thing – the lens of the camera. Bigger the lens, the greater is the distance up to which the camera can see. Take the case of 3.6mm lenses; they can see approximately up to 12 feet distance. But, if you consider 6-60mm lens, then you can zoom all the way up to 70-100 feet.
How wide would be the field of view of the camera depends upon two things? First is the size of the image sensor, and next is the lens.
The larger is the image sensor; more is the light that is allowed to enter into the picture and better would be the final outcome. The most common image sensors are 1/4” and 1/3”.
Another important factor is the lens. A 3.6mm lens can see approximately 80 degrees wide, whereas a 50mm lens can see only 5 degrees wide. Such a large difference is justified with better clarity and zoom capability. You can put it this way that the increasing lens size lets you see across a larger distance, but the scene gets narrower.
2. Is battery backup critical for your security camera system?
If you are not ready to burn your bucks and get broken into, then surely you need a battery backup! The very fundamental purpose of installing a surveillance system is to keep around the clock watch on what matters the most. What would be the use of your high-end system if somebody gets into your home during the power outage?
The uninterruptible power supply with 1000VA or more should be your backup plan. Keep two things always plugged into your battery-backup ports – your DVR and the power supply. This way you will always be watching through your cameras and capturing everything on your DVR. The increase in the VA rating means that you can record for longer hours.
3. Which one do I need, fixed lens or Varifocal surveillance cameras?
Almost all the customers get overwhelmed by this question but get underwhelmed with the answers now.
One simple answer to this query is that if you are confident about what you want to see then, you may go for fixed lens cameras. You just need to decide on the distance & width of the scene and accordingly you can buy & install video monitoring equipment. However, in case you have inaugurated a new store and are not sure at first which areas require more attention; at this time simply go for Varifocal lens camera. With these, you will have the liberty to change the focus and the width of the scene as and when required.
4. If a security camera is focused at 10 feet, does that mean I can’t see anything beyond that?
The answer is, No! If a camera is concentrating on first 10 feet, it means that the center of the focus is exactly at the 10 feet distance. Now, anything beyond this distance gradually starts getting a little unclear. Theoretically, you can see up to infinity, but the point is that you cannot distinctly focus or detect things that are farther away from 10 feet.
5. Do I need an infrared security camera?
It depends! Video equipment employed for indoors is predominantly used to keep an eye on your employees (or workers), and this happens mostly during the office hours. After the shifts end, you would not need video monitoring at all. Thus, concerns related to daytime indoor security do not require night vision capabilities, so you don’t need to get your hands-on infrared cameras.
However, if you need to monitor your premises 24/7 then, you may need to invest in infrared cameras which are known to illuminate the scene even in absolute dark conditions. The brilliant night vision in these cameras is achieved with the use of IR LEDs and ICR technology. Another advantage of using infrared cameras is that their discrete look and faint red glow of IR LEDs helps in deterring potential criminals.
Conclusion:
There you go! Now, allow security cameras to do the needful for you in preventing break-ins, thefts, and catching the culprits!
This article is written by Rohan Sharma. He is a gadget wizard, an active blogger, and an eminent speaker. With more than 10 years of experience to his credit, Rohan has always been a pertinent contributor to the security industry. He is associated with Revo America, a well-renowned security products manufacturer and retailer.
