Purchasing a Surveillance System

by Ryan Temple

Looking to purchase a Surveillance System? If so please read the following to help avoid any costly mistakes! A surveillance system designed and installed correctly can not only provide protection to employees and peace of mind for an employer, but can be a great observation tool.

When choosing a surveillance system here are a few things to consider:

· How do you want to use the Surveillance System (observation, protection of employees, deterring theft, communication, or peace of mind)? Today surveillance systems are not only used for traditional surveillance/security for a business and employees. Many companies use surveillance systems for observation of employees and customers to become more efficient, better understand buying habits, and a way to communicate. So before choosing a system, think through what you want to use the system for today and what you might want it to accomplish in the future.

· How long do you want to store data? Video storage can eat up hard drive space fast! When choosing the amount of hard drive space, you first need to think through how long you want to keep the data? Then consider at what frame rate are you going to be recording at? Real time video is 30 fps. Video can reach about 7.5 fps before you start noticing the video getting “choppy”. However the higher fps the more storage space is required.

· What type of Operating System does the equipment use? Surveillance systems are divided into two groups; PC based and Linux (standalone) systems. PC based dvr’s use windows as there operating system. Linux (standalone) dvr’s have their own proprietary operating system. There is no right or wrong choice, PC based systems are more robust and have more features. Linux (standalone) dvr’s are less expensive, but have less hard drive space, and can’t be easily repaired.

· Will you need cameras with Infrared Lighting (LEDS)? LED/Infrared cameras will allow you to see a black and white picture in the dark. Without LED’s your picture would go totally black. Also consider the distance you want to see in the dark, LED cameras come in varying viewing lengths.

· Do you need the ability to access your Surveillance System remotely? Remote client access is very common in most surveillance systems today. These systems will allow you to view live video, make changes, operate a Pan Tilt Zoom camera, and even review past video.

· Is your System being built with quality parts (Intel, Seagate, and Kingston)? If you choose a PC based surveillance system, make sure the system is built with quality name brand parts. Using cheap and inferior products will cause you problems within 6 months of operating the system.

· Do you need the ability to pan, tilt, and zoom? If you plan on having a pan tilt zoom camera, then you will need to find out if your system can operate the ptz through it’s software. Some video surveillance systems require you to have a separate hand controller.

· What type of cable should I run? The two most popular options are RG 59 Siamese Coax cable or cat 5. RG 59 cable will carry an analog signal while cat 5 carries a digital signal. If you are looking to install IP cameras you will need to run cat 5, while analog cameras run on RG 59.

· Should I choose IP Cameras or Analog Cameras? Again, there is no right or wrong choice. Analog cameras are less expensive, but also come with fewer options than IP cameras. IP cameras are the future of video surveillance, however they are still cost prohibitive in most situations.

· What type of power supply do I need? When choosing a power supply you need to think about the distance, type of power, and ampage. All cameras are rated with a minimum power requirement, and if they are not able to pull that minimum requirement, they will fail. Distance, plays a large factor in choosing a power supply also. The longer distance the more voltage you will lose from the power supply to the camera. It’s recommend that RG 59 Cable not run further than 800’, while cat 5 can run up to 1,200 feet without being amplified.

These are just a few questions to ask when looking to purchase a surveillance system. The biggest mistake you can make is not planning and thinking through the installation and design of your system. Also make sure you purchase equipment from a company that offers technical support, because you will have questions!



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 on the Company Blog.

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