Switching From Human Surveillance to Camera Surveillance

If your business is currently protected by human surveillance—security guards that patrol the premises or watch the doors—you might be looking to switch to a more efficient approach by using surveillance cameras.

Making a change of this magnitude is an important decision, and you should make sure to do it right. What are your priorities with security? To protect your valuable business assets, such as equipment or products? What about protecting employees who could be harmed during a break-in or other dangerous situation? 

Here is a checklist to go through as you research security cameras and surveillance systems.

1. Is the Camera Commercial Quality?

Most security cameras that can be purchased from store shelves are made for home use. They often only work well in excellent lighting conditions and have a limited range of functionality. They’re good for monitoring your pets or children, but may fail in the low light of a commercial setting and not give enough detail to identify a potential burglar or vandal. 

Commercial quality cameras are often more expensive and include higher quality sensors, which perform very well in all lighting situations. The higher price investment will often get you a product made from the commercially graded components, which are designed specifically to protect your assets. Luckily, purpose-built commercial security cameras are available for purchase or as rentals. 

2. Consider Mixed Lighting Conditions

Would your cameras be operating in mixed or dynamic lighting conditions? For example, would one camera cover the interior angle of a front door that is often opened and closed, admitting bursts of sunlight? 

With a lower-quality camera, these sudden lighting changes often cause gaps in the video feed. One section of the video, such as the door, will be illuminated correctly while the room around it looks dark. This can cause the faces of people in the doorway to disappear from the image, working at counter-purposes for the acquisition of the camera in the first place.

Commercial cameras should have high damage range (HDR) compensators to deal with changes in lighting conditions. They often combine the better hardware with additional software techniques that are able to create composite images, combining the best of each lighting condition. 

3. Choose Your Video Recording System

A quality commercial solution, which combines security cameras with surveillance systems, will often include a video recording device. This should store video feeds from all of your cameras. It may be wirelessly networked with the cameras and could include a video management system to organize recordings and potentially allow remote access to them. 

4. Upgrade Your Lighting

When making the change from human surveillance to camera surveillance, areas of your business or property may require better lighting. Floodlights in a parking lot, for example, can enhance the quality of nighttime video feeds. For some businesses, though, commercial-grade cameras are enough without additional lights.

5. Choose High-Resolution Cameras

Cameras with higher levels of resolution (more pixels per image), such as 1080p or 4K, are better for identifying faces and other features. They can also store more data, allowing you to digitally zoom in on finer details on a recording. 

However, 4K requires four times more recording storage space and a very good internet connection. Some businesses only require 1080p resolution to see the details they need and can opt to save money on their storage devices and internet requirements.

6. Investigate Speed of Deployment

How long will it take to deploy your camera system? Will it require weeks of work in order to switch from human surveillance to camera surveillance? Some camera systems require hard-wiring systems, video storage areas, wall mountings, and other changes to your workspace. All these requirements represent a large commitment of time and energy, as well as significant installation costs. 

By contrast, cameras from LiveView Technologies can be set up in minutes. Our systems are solar-powered and don’t require significant wiring. They can come attached to movable poles, tripods, or mobile trailers which can be adjusted to your needs as necessary. In addition, they send their video feeds to you wirelessly, allowing you to access your system from your choice of secure devices.

Our security systems are designed to protect retail locations, construction sites, infrastructure, crowds and streets, housing, and other locations. The best part? No internet connection required. See the possibilities for your business here, and get a custom quote.