Commercial Surveillance Equipment, what to consider when choosing a Commercial Surveillance System
Surveillance cameras are primarily designed with the intent of providing security for a building, however besides the obvious advantages of having professional Surveillance Equipment, there are also many additional advantages. A Surveillance System can enhance the quality control of a company, provide valuable reference to help with continuous improvement processes, and improve employee efficiency. With professional Surveillance Equipment properly installed, a company can start to see a payback within 6-9 months of installation.
Setting up a commercial Surveillance System is a fairly easy process, if the CCTV System will be used of Security. Choosing cameras is generally an easy process, however there are a few things to consider in a commercial surveillance application. What are the lighting conditions? If you are operating in a darker environment you will need a Surveillance Camera with LED’S or that has built in infrareds. If you operate in a commercial setting that has a lot of drastic light transmissions from dark to light? If so you will want to make sure you are using a WDR (Wide Dynamic Range) Surveillance Camera. WDR Surveillance Cameras help remove any sun glare from a picture allowing you to see faces and specific details. Distance from the camera is another factor to consider, however in a commercial environment, where cosmetics aren’t an issue and there’s no need to try to conceal cameras, layout can be a lot easier, making it possible to place cameras as conveniently as possible.
Still, there are challenges when planning a surveillance project in a commercial setting. Areas that have warehouse ceilings or where the only mounting options are far away will need more powerful lenses, while darker areas may require low light cameras. Areas of sensitive testing or quality control will require higher resolution cameras, including varifocal lenses. A trained surveillance professional can help navigate the many options in choosing the correct camera for a specific application, but there are certain things to consider.
One of the most important of these points is weatherproofing/waterproofing; just because a camera is indoors does not mean that it doesn’t need protection. For instance, monitoring a process that uses liquids would necessitate weatherproof/waterproof cameras just as a matter of precaution, however a facility that has a lot of dust in an otherwise dry environment could prove very hostile to exposed lenses even if they never see moisture. Similarly, areas that have extreme temperature changes would also benefit from having weatherproof camera. This may seem like overkill, but if your cameras don’t work or function properly then your surveillance system is useless.
When installing a Commercial Surveillance system, it may be appropriate to include a Pan\Tilt\Zoom camera in the system, however even here they work best when narrowly applied. For instance, if it is necessary to proactively monitor an area where it is not safe to have a set of human eyes onsite, a PTZ along with a few fixed cameras can offer complete coverage, while providing the option of moving or zooming the PTZ. It is important to remember, though, that PTZs should never be used to replace fixed cameras; only to enhance them. Though they are some of the most versatile cameras available today, working alone a PTZ is at a disadvantage: if it moves, it instantly creates a blind spot.
When choosing a commercial surveillance system we suggest working with a surveillance professional to help choose the correct cameras for your project. The key is to think through what you want from your surveillance systems, explaining your needs and wants up front will allow you to plan and design a functional and cost effective commercial surveillance system.
Ryan Temple is the Director of Operations for PCSurveillance.net. PCSurveillance has been serving integrators and manufacturing customized Surveillance Systems throughout the US since 2002. You can read more of Ryan’s articles at http://blog.pcsurveillance.net/ Ryan can be reached at ryan@pcsurveillance.net
