CCTV Systems for Your Driveway

As the prices for CCTV systems comes down and the technology available gets better, the number of people choosing to use CCTV systems to help keep their homes secure is increasing at a rapid pace. Among the most common uses for a CCTV system is driveway and home approach surveillance. If you’re looking at CCTV systems for the purpose of increasing your home’s safety, a driveway security camera should be included in your list of considerations and configurations

Why Use a Security Camera in Your Driveway?

In most homes, the driveway is the main approach to the house, but isn’t viewable from every room in the house. Having a view of your driveway allows you to monitor those who are coming to your home. Having a CCTV system monitoring your driveway provides a number of other benefits.

When you have security cameras trained on your driveway, you have more than a view from inside your home. Remote view CCTV systems, for example, allow you or a monitoring company to watch your driveway and house approach from anywhere. The latest technology in security camera systems includes ways to notify you if there is activity in your driveway. You can set up your CCTV system to send a phone message, a text or an email if there is any activity there during hours that you choose to monitor and receive alerts.

In addition, most CCTV systems not only monitor but also record activity. That allows you to go back and review the people who have come and gone while you’re not at home, and, more importantly, provides a visual record if someone vandalizes your property or steals your car. With car break-ins in residential neighborhoods at an all-time high, security camera footage from driveway CCTV systems can be an invaluable aid in capturing thieves.

What You Need for CCTV Systems for Driveway Surveillance

At a minimum, your driveway surveillance system should consist of a PC-based DVR system with a monitor and a single bullet security camera, all of which are available at a reasonable price. In fact, you can easily set up a security camera to monitor your driveway for less than $500 if you shop carefully. At that price, you’ll have a black and white adjustable security camera that you can mount outside your home, and a network enabled security system that you can monitor from anywhere that has an Internet connection.

The modern PC-based DVR CCTV systems are easy to configure so that you can fill all of your security needs. For more information about the capabilities of today’s CCTV systems, contact a dealer of security systems and CCTV cameras with your questions and needs.

CCTV Systems Protect Your Employees

Many employers in the retail and food sector consider installing CCTV systems to monitor the workplace and employee interactions with customers. There have been occasional dustups about the practice in various publications. Some experts allege that such measures – CCTV camera surveillance and security cameras trained on the employees – shows a marked lack of trust in employees and damages employee morale. While there are situations where this is true, there are many good reasons for installing a CCTV system with which your employees can agree and which they will support. If you’ve decided to install security cameras that will be monitoring employees as well as customers, these reasons can help you explain your decision to your staff in a positive light.

CCTV Monitoring Employee-Customer Interaction Protects Employees from False Claims

Everyone’s heard the dictum that the customer is always right, but we all know that it’s not true. More often than not, your employee was in the right and the customer was abusive, combative or just mistaken. A security camera that monitors employee-customer interactions can serve as a final arbiter, proving conclusively when the customer was wrong. Any cashier who has been accused of pocketing cash when a customer complains of being shortchanged should welcome the monitoring.

A CCTV Camera Can Help Weed Out Bad Apples and Reward Excellence

Most employees understand that “shrinkage” affects the entire staff. When the manager or owner suspects that part of the shrinkage is the result of employee theft, everyone is under suspicion. Mounting a CCTV camera can help pinpoint which staff member is responsible and remove the suspicion from everyone else. Even more importantly, CCTV monitoring can help you pinpoint examples of excellent service among your staff so that you can praise and reward it. You can even compile training videos from security tapes to help new employees understand the level of service and professionalism that characterizes your store.

Honesty Can Alleviate Hard Feelings Among Employees

Covert surveillance with hidden security cameras has its place, but secrecy can really damage the employer/employee relationship. Being honest and upfront about your reasons for installing a CCTV system can improve trust rather than damaging it. If everyone knows that someone is stealing from the till, for example, you won’t fool anyone by only speaking of the advantages for employees. Pointing out that the cameras are also there for their own protection certainly won’t hurt, though.

There are many configurations and types of CCTV systems that can serve your purpose. Do your research and find the best security camera system for you.