Are you in an area with a higher-than-average crime rate, or a lot of foot traffic around your office? Or are you interested in protecting high-price items stored in your office? There are many benefits to installing a security camera system, and many choices with several varieties of features and uses. Finding the right cameras that fit your needs can seem daunting at first, but with a few key items to think about you can find the best security camera system for your office.
It's necessary to understand what your security requirements are to find the best system that works for you. Knowing if the cameras will reside outdoors or inside your office, how the cameras will be positioned, and what type of resolutions you require are all important to think about when considering a camera system.
How many cameras you need to cover the most vital regions of your office is also an important variable in finding the best solution. Do you need to cover only the front entrance to your office, or are you trying to cover every possible hallway and angle in and outside of a large building? With these factors in mind, you can begin to plan and build out the best security system for your office.
Finding the Right Camera
There are three main camera body styles:
- Dome Camera’s – This style camera is suitable for both indoor and outdoors. They are useful also in environments where they could potentially be at higher risk for damage or vandalism. The camera is housed underneath a clear dome to protect the most important hardware from external factors. Typically dome style cameras will also come with an anti-vandalism threshold rating such as IK-10. They also tend to include options for wider viewing angles compared to bullet cameras.
- Bullet Camera’s – These cameras are more of a box style, housing the camera inside a boxed chassis where it can be angled or aligned. Bullet cameras have the screw placements located behind the camera itself. Bullet cameras have a slightly narrower viewing angle, enabling them to have greater number of long-range options. They also may offer a variety of features such as license plate identification, or less IR bounce back.
- Turret Camera’s – This camera type is similar in some ways to the dome style camera, where the camera sits within the body of the mounting kit. However, turret cameras do not have a clear dome surrounding the camera itself. These cameras do not have a clear dome surrounding the camera, and are typically easier to install.
Most modern cameras will offer a range of features as well including Day and Night color vision, H.264 and H.265 compression, audio in and out, remote viewing, and a range of resolutions from 1080p to 4K quality video.
Using the Right Technology
Best practices when implementing your security camera system is to also use network Ethernet based cameras. It is not recommended to use wireless options for your cameras. Connecting your camera system through Ethernet to a central NVR has several advantages. Using Ethernet you can power your camera’s and obtain video through a single cable.
A network-based video records (NVR) also provides the added benefits of encoding the video to a more suitable compression for higher storage rates, and helping establish remote viewing when connected to the internet. Most modern camera systems will have an app available from major app stores for iPhone, Android, and Windows to download their associated app and view your cameras from a remote computer or smart device.
If you’re thinking about installing a new security camera system for your office, it’s always a good idea to consult the experts! Natural Networks is a Managed IT Services provider and we have installed hundreds of security camera solutions for our clients. Our technicians can install and implement a great security camera solution for your office from start to finish. If you’re interested in learning more, give us a call today!