Security cameras and video recording
Cameras are a network job as much as a mounting job, which is why they are often installed badly by people who only do one of the two.
Network
Cameras are network equipment
Modern IP cameras are computers on your network. Installed without thought they consume bandwidth, sit on the same network as your business systems, and sometimes ship with default passwords that never get changed.
We put cameras on their own segment, size the recording storage for the retention you actually want, and make sure the recorder is not quietly exposed to the internet. That is the same segmentation approach described under cybersecurity.
Coverage
Placement over camera count
More cameras badly placed is worse than fewer cameras well placed. Entrances, approach paths and the specific things you need to see matter more than total count, and a camera pointing into afternoon sun records very little.
For outdoor and remote sites, cameras can be fed over the same point-to-point wireless links we use for WiFi coverage.
Access
Seeing the footage when you need it
Remote viewing is the feature people use most and configure worst. We set it up so you can check a camera from your phone without leaving the recorder open to anyone who scans for it.
Privacy
Where cameras should not point
Cameras raise reasonable questions from staff and neighbours. Pointing a camera at a neighbouring property, or at a place staff expect privacy, creates problems that are easier to avoid at the design stage than to resolve afterwards.
We will say so if a proposed position looks likely to cause difficulty. Signage that cameras are in use is both courteous and generally advisable.
Storage
How much recording you actually need
Retention is a storage calculation: the number of cameras, the resolution, the frame rate and how many days you want to keep. Thirty days at high resolution across sixteen cameras is a very different disk to seven days across four.
We size it to the period you need rather than to whatever the recorder shipped with.
Night
Lighting and night performance
Most footage people actually need was recorded at night, and most disappointing footage was recorded at night. Infrared range, lighting at the approach, and keeping cameras out of direct glare matter more to usable footage than the megapixel figure on the box.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Can cameras run over our existing network?
They can, but they should be separated from business systems. We put cameras on their own segment so camera traffic and office traffic do not interfere with each other.
How long is footage kept?
That is a storage decision made up front. Longer retention needs more disk; we size it to the period you actually need rather than a default.
Can we view cameras remotely?
Yes, and it is the most common request. The important part is doing it without exposing the recorder directly to the internet.
Can you install cameras at a remote site with no internet?
Often, yes. A point-to-point wireless link from a building that does have service is usually cheaper than bringing a line in.