7 Things Your Boss Will Need To Know When You're Shopping For Surveillance Systems

If you’ve been tasked with finding and buying a surveillance system for your company, it’s important to know what you should be looking for and which factors matter more than others when making this decision.

We’re going to discuss that further below, and the 7 things mentioned should all be taken into account and considered before you go ahead and purchase any modern CCTV or commercial grade surveillance system. So read on now and find out more.

1. Resolution - What's the Footage Like?

First of all, you need to make sure that you have a surveillance system that’s going to offer good resolution footage. If the footage isn’t up to scratch, the system itself is not going to be of much use to you. So check the level of resolution the cameras output before you buy them. These days, you can get systems with 4K capabilities, and these are what many businesses are now opting for. That way, you can be sure the output of the footage is going to be of use.

2. Zoom Capabilities

When you’re looking back at footage or you’re trying to see something taking place in real time, you want to be able to zoom. That latter point is particularly important. If there’s something happening that’s cause for alarm or suspicion, it really helps to be able to zoom in on it and really see what’s going on. When you’re not able to do that, it can appear as nothing more than a blur on the screen, and that’s obviously not good enough at all.

3. Can it Withstand Harsh Weather? Is it Commercial Grade?

If you’re going to be putting up cameras and other elements of your security system around the exterior of your premises, you need to make sure that it’s going to be able to withstand the elements and cope with anything and everything that’s thrown at it. A commercial grade system will be able to stand harsher weather, but be sure to do your research and find out whether the system you choose is going to be likely to deal with that over the years ahead of you.

4. How Much Storage Will Your NVR Need?

Your Network Video Record or NVR will store the footage that your cameras record. If you want to avoid that footage being overwritten, you’ll have to make sure that you have enough storage in place and a plan for archiving it if necessary too. Creating a comprehensive strategy for all of this is a good idea, but it all starts with putting in place a system that’s going to be able to offer the storage capacity that you need it to offer, so don’t overlook that.

5. Who is Going to Install the System?

It’s important to think about who’s going to install your system because, after all, it’s not going to matter much how great your system and hardware is if it hasn’t been installed properly by someone who knows what they’re doing. So be sure to give this some thought and find the right professionals to assist you with the whole installation process. You need to work with qualified and experienced professionals who you feel able to put your trust in.

6. Does it Have Audio Capability?

Some businesses feel that it’s important that their surveillance systems have audio capabilities in place, but that’s not necessarily the case for all of them. It’s up to you to consider whether you feel audio is something that’s going to be important for you. If you don’t have this, you might regret it later. On the other hand, it’ll add to the cost and it might not be something that’s particularly necessary for you.

7. How Well Will it Perform at Night Time?

Finally, you should consider how the surveillance system you choose is going to perform at night. There are various options out there, but if you want your cameras and systems to perform well 24 hours a day, you need to make sure you have cameras that are capable of switching to night vision settings and to make sure that the entire system is operational at all hours of the day and night.

Each of these 7 factors are hugely important when it comes to choosing a commercial grade surveillance system that your company can rely on. Be sure to browse the options and take the time to explore how each of the systems under consideration might help you to protect your business better.