Nowadays there are so many reasons that may warrant for a CCTV camera installation.
CCTV Cameras are truly the security backbone in homes and businesses premises. They provide around the clock watch and they are considered the third eye when it comes to 24/7 security monitoring.
When deciding on the type of CCTV surveillance camera system to install in your premises, there are a few significant factors you need to consider to help you choose the best security system.
However, as you will see, choosing a surveillance system is not an easy task. This is because, you have to carefully think about many options before you make the final decision.
In this article we will look in depth the major considerations to make when thinking of a CCTV installation for your home or business.
Some of the factors include:
10 Factors To Consider When Planning For A CCTV Camera Installation
- Consider the Areas To Be Monitored
- Types Of CCTV Cameras To Install
- Number Of Cameras
- Technical Specifications Required
- Storage
- Budget
- Warranty
- Future Expansion
- Choose Either Wired Or Wireless CCTV Camera
- Installation
Consider the Areas To Be Monitored
When planning for a CCTV camera installation, This should be the first factor to consider.
First, Identify the most prone areas that need to be monitored.
The easiest way to do this is to divide your home or business into zones. starting with the most sensitive areas.
Each zone should be allocated a single camera. Taking into consideration the maximum distance each camera should cover.
This will also help determine the type of camera to install since different cameras are designed to fit different areas.
Types Of CCTV Cameras To Install
Nowadays, There are many different types of CCTV cameras available. Each of this models serves a special purpose depending on where its installed.
Some cameras have special protection for rain, sun, dust and even special physical reinforcement like metal housing
Other cameras have high quality images
Generally, when it comes to protecting your home or business, there are very many CCTV Camera types to choose from.
This can be categorized in three bold categories.
Categories Of CCTV Cameras Available In Kenya
- Bullet CCTV Cameras
- Dome CCTV Cameras
- Pan Tilt & Zoom (PTZ) Cameras
Bullet CCTV Cameras
The bullet CCTV cameras are long and are cylindrical in shape.
They are good for outdoor use.
Their major advantage is their ability to view long distances during both day and night.
This camera also feature a protective exterior enclosure which is usually made of metal or plastic. This enclosure help to shield the camera against dirt, direct sun, rain, physical damage and other environmental elements.
Also included in the product packaging are the mounting accessories. The camera can easily be mounted on walls, and then adjusted to focus on a certain direction.
They come fitted with either fixed lenses or adjustable lenses.
This lens are backed up by Infra-red (IR) lights to aid in night vision.
The whole camera is compact and the image quality is good.
Maintenance is minimal but it requires periodic check for dust accumulation on the lens.
Dome CCTV Cameras
The dome cameras are short and round in shape. This type of cameras are good for indoor use.
They are easy to mount on ceiling, walls, in room corners, and corridors.
Their major advantage is the ability to view large angles which helps to cover a big room area.
The cameras are also equipped with infrared diodes which usually surround the lens and aid in night vision. This is a big advantage
if you want to set up a 24 hours surveillance
Pan Tilt & Zoom (PTZ) Cameras
The PTZ cameras allows the camera lens o be tilted in several directions Either(left, right, up & down).
The camera also have the ability to zoom images and bring them closer.
This types of cameras are used where live monitoring is employed. The operator can even lock on moving targets and even zoom up-to
x36 to further investigate a certain target objects.
The camera also have night vision, and the image quality are in High Definition (HD).
CCTV Cameras can further be sub categorized into the fallowing.
- Analogue CCTV Cameras
- High Definition (HD) Cameras
- Internet Protocol (IP) Cameras
The Analogue CCTV Camera
Analogue CCTV cameras are the type of cameras that uses analogue video signal to capture surveillance video footage.
This Analogue cameras are usually wired to a digital video recorder (DVR), which decodes and record the video footage.
High Definition (HD) Cameras
This are cameras that are capable of capturing high definition video surveillance footage up to 1080p resolution (1920 x 1080 pixels).
With more image resolution, it means there are more details in the image captured.
You can actually zoom the image without losing the picture quality.
This cameras are ideal for use in number plate reading, individual facial recognition, or capturing evidence of crime.
Internet Protocol (IP) Cameras
This type of CCTV cameras employ the a local network to connect and share data.
IP Cameras offer flexibility when you want to expand your security system.
In this CCTV camera types, only one cable is used for both power and data. This cable connect to a network video recorder (NVR) where
all data is recorded.
The option you will choose will be determined by your current and future security needs, quality of the images you require as well as the
budgetary restrictions.
Number Of CCTV Cameras
The number of CCTV cameras to be installed should be a major factor to consider.
This number will dictate the size of DVR to be used.
Many sizes are available, This include 4 channel, 8 channel, 16 channels and so on.
This number also help to estimate the size of cables to be used, and other extra accessories as well.
CCTV System Technical Specifications
Consider the specification of each camera.
This include:
- The distance captured by each camera
- night vision capabilities
- Camera Maximum capturing angle
- Colored vs Black and White
- Weather Protection
- Wall Mounting Accessories
- Ability to connect to the internet
CCTV Camera Video Storage
Depending on the amount of footage that you require, you may need to choose a system with big storage if you require long duration
recording.
Storage space is dictated by the hard disk drive included in the DVR.
Budget/ Funds Available
Although not a major factor, the budget at hand is still a significant factor when choosing a CCTV camera system to install.
Depending on the features, a CCTV system can have a huge difference in cost.
The main goal is to choose a CCTV system within your budget, This system should give you value for money, yet it should provide
all the security requirement that you need
So, Although many CCTV cameras are affordable, Choose your CCTV camera wisely depending on your budget.
Even with tight budget restriction, Other important factors to consider at this stage is to choose a system that will be easier to
expand later.
Its always good to go for a high quality brand, instead of cheap models which will make you regret later on.
Product Warranty
When choosing a CCTV camera system, choose a brand that offers a warranty support for at least one year.
A supplier offering warranty support for his products means he have trust in what he sells
This will be of great help if the system breaks down.
Future System Expansion
As with all security systems, there reaches a time when you require to upgrade. When this time comes, you don’t want to overhaul your whole CCTV system, rather you want a scenario where you will just upgrade it and give it more life.
As an example, if you require about 4 CCTV Cameras for your system, you can go for a 8 channel digital video recorder(DVR) system.
This will help in future if you want to add more cameras, you wont buy a new DVR kit, rather you will just buy additional CCTV cameras.
This will be very cheap and easy to implement.
Choose Either Wired Or Wireless CCTV Camera
Depending on where you want to install the CCTV Camera, you may opt for the wireless CCTV camera kit.
In this type, you can place the camera anywhere within a network range without worrying about running cables.
All the CCTV cameras in this network are connected to a central recording video recorder.
However, for the camera to function, it must be powered in a certain way.
Common power connections include:
- Solar power,
- Battery powered type, or the camera can be permanently connected to the
- Mains power supply.
Wireless cameras are good in situations where physical cables present a lot of challenges.
More so, it must be noted that wired CCTV Cameras always deliver very high image quality as compared to the wireless type.
The overall maintenance in wired CCTV cameras is also minimal
CCTV Camera Installation
Some CCTV systems are easy to install and you can easily Do It Yourself.
However, You may require an expert to help you in some installations.
The cost of installation will vary depending on where the cameras are being installed.
Other installation cost includes, accessories required.
Therefore when listing the CCTV system requirements, its good to discuss the installation chargers with a technician in order to get the exact total cost of the project.
Here at Secuway, we supply all of these different types of CCTV, SPY Cameras and more to our customers.
We are the best providers of high definition CCTV design, installation and maintenance. Working throughout Kenya,
we really know about CCTV and can recommend, supply and install the best type of CCTV camera for your premises
