CCTV systems keep your eyes everywhere

If you run an entertainment venue, you know how hard it can be to have eyes on everything that might happen. CCTV systems are among the best ways to put more eyes in areas that need the most surveillance. Choosing the right surveillance camera, monitor and recording options for your CCTV systems can be confusing unless you plan out your needs ahead of time. When you know what you expect from your CCTV system, you can choose the features you want and need.

How Many Areas?

The first thing you need to decide is how many security cameras you’ll need based on the number and size of the areas you need to cover. Think strategically. Ideally, you’d be able to provide total surveillance camera coverage of your entire club (with the exception of those areas the law prohibits you from placing surveillance cameras), but few small businesses can manage total coverage under their budgets. If you need to pick and choose, figure out the areas where trouble is most likely to start and prioritize them for a CCTV camera. Once you know how many cameras you’ll need, you can start looking at receivers.

Choosing a Receiver

Most small businesses today choose PC-based CCTV systems because they can provide a lot of storage space, but DVR-based systems are also popular. Decide how much surveillance footage you want to store and choose a recording method that offers the best solution. Keep in mind that DVR disks occupy far less space than videotapes, and hard drive storage – while limited – can be the best solution of all if your storage space is extremely limited. Consider backup methods, and of course, choose a display or receiver that can handle input from the number of cameras you’ve decided you need.

Resolution and Light

In a performance or entertainment venue, you’ll probably want to choose CCTV camera options with low light or IR recording capabilities. Beyond that, you’ll need to strike a balance between the amount of resolution you need and the size of the files you’ll be saving. Higher resolution gives you more detail, which can be important in your business. On the other hand, high resolution generates very large surveillance files.

Don’t forget to include your outdoor areas when deciding on the number of cameras your CCTV system should have. If you have a parking lot for patrons, it can easily become a magnet for dangerous and even illegal behaviors if you don’t provide a surveillance camera. Finally, if your venue checks IDs at the door, consider CCTV systems that allow you to store still photographs alongside your video data. Capturing ID information at the door can provide proof that your doormen are adequately checking identification if you ever face a challenge to your policies.

Five Reasons to Install a CCTV System

CCTV systems are among the most popular options for providing high-tech security in retail, hospitality and home settings. Small CCTV systems are very affordable, and the technology is advanced and simplified enough that many home or business owners can install their own security cameras and set up their own CCTV security system. While installation may be easy enough for the experienced do-it-yourself enthusiast, selecting the right CCTV system can be a bit more complicated. These questions and answers can help you choose among the many CCTV camera and security systems on the market.

What Do You Want It to Do?

Your choices about cameras, recording systems and just about everything else will depend upon one simple thing: what do you want your CCTV system to do? What do you hope to achieve by installing a CCTV camera and security system? In general, people purchase a security system for one or several of the following reasons:

Record Footage of Criminal Activity

Recorded security footage is invaluable in helping to stop shoplifting and vandalism and useful in helping police investigation. Depending on the quality of the video recorded, CCTV systems can also be instrumental in securing a conviction.

Reduce Shrinkage

Shrinkage is one of the most constant overhead expenses for any business. A security camera is useful in capturing the identity of customers who leave a restaurant without paying or drive off without coming in to pay for their gasoline purposes. A recorded security video can provide the information needed to hold the thieves responsible.

Monitor Staff

Most business owners are amazed to find out just how much shrinkage and loss is the direct result of employee theft, inefficiency and waste. A CCTV security system allows managers and business owners to monitor staff when they’re not on the premises. If you’re planning to install a security camera system to monitor staff, be sure to check the laws regarding surveillance camera placement and any required notifications in your state or province.

Protect from Liability

The hospitality industry and retail industries are frequently targeted by scam artists who hope to make a quick buck with a slip-and-fall accident or by accusing employees of wrongdoing. A CCTV system can help you prove or disprove the truth about allegations in this type of legal issue. A system that watermarks the recorded footage with the time and date can be especially useful in these cases.

Reduce Insurance Costs

Nearly all insurers will provide healthy discounts to business and home owners that secure their premises with CCTV systems. CCTV security helps reduce loss and enables investigation into possible insurance claims. That reduces the likelihood of false claims, which makes insurance companies happy. When they’re happy, they charge you less money.

Once you have a good idea of the reasons you want to install a CCTV system, you’ll be able to lay out your needs to a salesperson or consultant who can help you choose the right security cameras and recording system for your needs.

How A CCTV System Can Help Protect Your Home and Loved Ones

When most people think of CCTV security systems, they usually imagine the complicated systems used by law enforcement in big cities or by big corporations or retail stores. Those systems can cost tens of thousands of dollars and provide a very specific type of security. They rely upon a manned security office with a person watching the CCTV feed to identify breeches of security. Obviously, those high-end CCTV security systems aren’t for everyone. They’re neither necessary, nor cost effective.

Advances in CCTV technology and security camera technology, however, have brought the prices for video security systems and surveillance cameras within reach of any small business owner and homeowner. If you’ve never considered the ways that a CCTV security system can keep your home and loved ones safer, consider these ideas.

Front Door Security

People who live in condominiums or apartment buildings without a visual security system have no way to determine who is ringing their doorbell without leaving their apartment and going to the door. A CCTV camera and monitor allows tenants to check and see who is at the door before ringing them in or going downstairs and exposing themselves to danger. A wireless security camera system is much easier to install than a wired CCTV system, and is affordable enough for even those individuals who own a three-family home. The added security makes your building safer and adds value to your property.

Remote Surveillance

A recent local news story highlighted another advantage of installing a home security camera. A local businessman had installed an inexpensive security system and a separate surveillance camera in his home. One afternoon when he was at the office, he got a notice that his security system had gone off. Using his web browser, he checked the feed of his security camera and spotted burglars in his living room. He immediately began recording his screen and notified police of the burglary in progress. The police caught the burglars in the act and the video was instrumental in convicting them of the crime.

Outdoor Approaches

A well-placed CCTV camera can keep an eye on your driveway or your backyard, serving as both a deterrent and a protection. A visible security camera is often enough to keep burglars and vandals from targeting a home because few thieves want to risk being caught on camera.

Stories like these are becoming more and more common as homeowners become more aware of how affordable it is to protect your home with a CCTV system. If you haven’t ever considered a surveillance camera or CCTV system, take a closer look at how a little security can make your home a lot safer.

Choosing the Best CCTV System for Your Needs

As the cost of CCTV systems has come down, more and more people are choosing to install CCTV security in their homes and small businesses. There are many different types of security camera and CCTV recording systems, each of them best suited for different types of applications. Choosing the right system for your needs requires knowing your expectations and understanding a little bit about the capabilities of various types of surveillance camera systems.

Do You Want Surveillance or Security?

Surveillance camera and security camera are often used interchangeably, but there’s a fine point of difference. If you want to keep an eye on things going on in a location, you want a surveillance camera. CCTV cameras used for surveillance may be hidden or obvious. Generally, though, if you want a security system that provides a deterrent, you’ll want to choose a security camera and CCTV setup that you can set up in plain view. Most burglars will avoid a home or business that is obviously protected by a security system.

Will Your Security Camera Be Indoors or Outdoors?

If the area you want to cover is outdoors, such as your driveway, parking lot or back yard, you’ll want to choose a camera with a weatherproof housing. You’ll probably also want a security camera with the capability of recording in low light situations, or a camera with infrared capabilities.

Do You Want Real-time Surveillance, Recording or Both?

CCTV systems with DVRs or hard drives can hold a great deal more data than old-fashioned videotape security systems. There are many different configurations for cameras and DVRs, as well as many different types of software you can choose to control your security camera and recording equipment. Be sure to choose components that are compatible with each other.

Will You Be Watching a Small Area or a Larger One?

A fixed security camera will work fine if you’re focusing on one small area and don’t need to change your view at all. If you want to cover a wider area or want to be able to zoom in or out, you’ll want to choose a PTZ (pan-tilt-zoom) surveillance camera to give you more options for surveillance.

Wireless or Wired?

Wireless systems are easier to install and deploy and more versatile than most wired systems. Wired systems are also usually more expensive than wireless or IP-based CCTV systems. On the other hand, wired CCTV systems are more secure and less prone to being hacked.

Choosing the right CCTV system can reduce your insurance premiums and increase your security. Take the time to shop carefully and find the best CCTV camera for your needs.

CCTVs: Cost Effective and Useful

CCTV security systems are one of the most cost-effective ways to protect your business from loss, according to security experts. According to one security consulting firm, up to 80 percent of people would consider stealing something if the chances of being caught are low enough. Without a good CCTV security system in place, your business is at a much greater risk of loss and theft from both customers and employees. A quality CCTV camera can protect your business from loss in more ways than one.

Protect Against Shoplifting

A visible CCTV camera provides an excellent deterrent to shoplifting, say security experts. The simple presence of a security camera is enough to discourage most shoplifting attempts. A combination of visible and hidden security cameras can greatly reduce shrinkage in retail stores because of the deterrent factor.

Reduce Employee Theft

The U.S. Department of Commerce estimate that employee theft contributes to about 30 percent of business failures. While it’s never pleasant to think your employees may be stealing from you, the consequences of blind trust could be the loss of your business. A surveillance camera can be a visible deterrent. A hidden security camera can help you pinpoint the sources of your loss.

Protect from Litigation

In a litigious world, evidence from a surveillance camera can be vital protection for your business if you find yourself involved in a lawsuit. A security camera can reveal the truth in situations where customers accuse your business or employees of mistreatment or claim that they were injured on your premises.

Protect Your Employees

A surveillance camera in vulnerable areas can help protect your employees from attack and injury. Video surveillance of employee parking areas, which are often removed from plain sight of your place of business, can be invaluable in protecting employee vehicles from damage and theft, and in protecting your employees when they walk to their cars after closing time.

Improve Efficiency

Video surveillance can help you pinpoint areas of inefficiency in your operations. Sometimes, employees fall into a routine way of doing things that reduces efficiency and productivity just because it’s always been done that way. A CCTV camera can help you or a consultant analyze your business routines and pinpoint changes you can institute to increase productivity and efficiency and reduce the chances of injury.

Thanks to improvements in technology, CCTV security systems are more affordable than ever. The cost of installing a CCTV camera and DVR will quickly be offset by the savings your business realizes in reduced theft and increased efficiency and safety.

Five Reasons to Install a CCTV Security System

Did you know that according to the experts, a CCTV security system can stop up to 67% of break-ins and burglaries? When a major CCTV camera maker surveyed 30 convicted burglars, two-thirds of them said that they avoided properties with an obvious burglar alarm or CCTV camera in evidence. Despite that, only about 9 percent of homeowners have a CCTV security system installed in their homes. If you’re not one of them, maybe one of these four other reasons will be enough to convince you.

Out of 1,000 homeowners questioned in the same survey, 25 percent of them had been the victims of a burglary. One in five of those said they would never get over the burglary and more than 50 percent of them said they still worry that it will happen again. In fact, based on the answers provided in that survey, burglary is more stressful than divorce, job loss, moving and getting married. Isn’t it worth the small cost of a CCTV camera and DVR to avoid all that stress and fear?

A stolen car can have far-reaching effects. Most stolen cars are never recovered, and when they are, they’ve often been damaged or destroyed. Even if you have theft insurance, you’ll have to deal with the hassle of a replacement. It can take weeks to get through all the paperwork for the insurance. In the meantime, you’re driving an unfamiliar vehicle, probably at a high cost. If you rely on your vehicle to get to work, a stolen car can put your job in danger. And, say experts, having your car stolen has unexpected emotional effects. And of course, your car insurance premiums are likely to increase. A CCTV camera trained on your driveway could avert the whole problem. Car thieves are every bit as wary of being caught on camera as burglars. Those that are caught on camera are far more likely to be caught in real life as well.

A security camera can allow you to check in on your kids and your home while you’re at work. If you chose an IP security camera, you can log in from any Internet-enabled device and make sure that everything is going well at home. The peace of mind and increased safety is priceless.

The cost of a CCTV security system is far lower than you’d expect. New technologies have brought prices well within the budget of nearly any homeowner – and your insurance company will often decrease your premiums if you install a burglar alarm and CCTV camera system.

Why leave your family and belongings unprotected when it’s so easy to reduce the chances of burglary by almost two-thirds? Talk to a professional about CCTV cameras and security systems today.

Five CCTV Camera Features to Look For

The price point has come down considerably on CCTV security systems and cameras. The best CCTV systems are only as good as the security camera you choose for them. Today’s surveillance cameras offer lots of features and options that can improve your overall security, if you know what to look for. These five key features can make a big difference in the quality of your CCTV security.

Night Vision or Low-Light Viewing

If your camera will ever be recording in low light situations, look for a camera with a low lux rating. The lower the lux rating, the better it can see in the dark. This can be important if you’re using CCTV to monitor outside. If you want a camera for total darkness, choose one with a 0 lux rating and a built-in IR illuminator.

Minimal Wiring

Even a wireless security camera requires a power outlet. If you’re installing a new security system, look for cameras that require minimal wiring. It’s always easier to pull one wire than to route two.

The Right Style

Your camera doesn’t have to be a fashion standout, but its style should suit its intended purpose. If your intent is to deter shoplifting or warn intruders away from your home, choose a bullet camera mounted very visibly. If you prefer your surveillance to be unnoticed, there are many covert security camera styles available.

Adjustability

Choose a security camera that suits your needs. If you only intend to monitor a limited area, a fixed surveillance camera may be just fine. If, on the other hand, you need to keep watch over a wider range or want to be able to get a closer look at suspicious activities, choose a PTZ security camera that can be panned, tilted and zoomed to get different views of the area.

Viewing

Consider whether you only want real-time monitoring or whether you need to record surveillance for later viewing. If the latter, choose a camera that can record captured images to a hard drive or DVR. Likewise, if you want to be able to view your camera feed remotely, choose a web access or IP CCTV camera that will allow you to access the video feed and control the camera from your Web browser, smart phone or other media device.

In addition to those key features, you should also consider such things as durability, picture quality and, for an outside CCTV security camera, weather resistance. When you take the time to  consider your needs, you’ll find it much easier to find the right surveillance camera for your security needs.