How To Select A Video Surveillance System

A video surveillance system is a key piece of your facility’s security, and there are many things you will need to consider when selecting the right system for your needs.  Understandably, this can be daunting task for a buyer to go through simply based on the vast selection of camera styles and manufacturers to choose from.  To help you on your way, here are five questions to help you select a video surveillance system.

1. What Do You Want to Use the Video Surveillance System For?

There are countless security camera styles with many different features and capabilities to satisfy your potential needs.  Some common uses for video surveillance systems are:

• Perimeter security
• Theft and intrusion deterrent
• Surveillance of public events
• Monitoring of business operations
• Capturing security events

A properly designed video surveillance system gives a facility the ability to provide internal and/or external coverage of the building or property.  Different areas of your building may have their own special needs, and we recommend consulting a security integrator when deciding on a camera model to ensure that it will suit your needs.

A trained security integrator will work with you to consider the following:

• What are you attempting to capture with the cameras?
• Do you require indoor and/or outdoor cameras?
• Are there unique or changing lighting conditions?
• What is the distance to the intended camera target?
• Do you need visual identification or situational awareness?

2. Do You Need Your Cameras to be Intelligent?

Video analytics is a widely used feature in today’s security cameras.  These analytics can assist you in a variety of ways:

• Eliminate the need for someone to constantly monitor video footage.
• Provide alerts based on pre-determined trigger events.
• Assist with searching footage for specific events.
• Video verification.
• Distinguish animals or vehicles from humans.
• Identify unusual events from routine activity.

Video analytics is an incredibly useful tool that will make your video surveillance system perform more intelligently.  This will allow your system to work more efficiently, and reduce the workload required to manage the system.

3. Do You Want to Record to a Local Network Video Recorder or to the Cloud?

In the past, people used a Network Video Recorder (NVR) for local video storage. These devices, located at your building, could manage multiple cameras and record video footage. Recording footage requires a significant amount of data, and a security integrator will work with you to determine your storage needs, and develop a process for handling footage once your NVR reaches its storage capacity.

As an alternative, cloud-based recording is an increasing trend for many customers.  In this scenario, all of the video management and storage moves to a cloud-based server, which eliminates the need to have an NVR or physical server at your facility.

4. Do You Require Integration with Other Elements of Your Security System?

The capabilities of your video surveillance system are heightened when they are integrated to work in tandem with other elements of your security system.  When your video surveillance system is properly integrated, it can increase efficiency through collaboration, and can perform tasks such as push notifications on critical events.

5. Budget

The capabilities of your video surveillance system will be impacted by your budget.  It is possible to build a video surveillance system for almost any budget.  However, you may need to reduce or eliminate some of the features based on your available resources.  With that said, it’s very important to know what functionality and features are the most important to your system.  Furthermore, your security integrator should work with you to ensure that your system is future proof, which will allow your system to grow with you.

Learn More

• Introduction to Security Cameras

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