Not all camera systems are created equal…
We are just coming into summer and the main holiday period is ahead of us again. Those hot balmy days at the camping ground, soaking up the sun and having fun times with the children. The thoughts of going back to work are far away. Then the last day of the holiday finally arrives and we head home to unpack and chill out before heading back to work. We come up the drive and see that the garage door is open or the side window on the house is ajar. Into the house we go and the reality hits. We have been burgled.
MAKING A CASE FOR CCTV
Well, all of this could have been avoided if you had a CCTV system installed. Every year I hear the sad stories. It’s either the electrical contractor themselves or one of their customers. They have been burgled and they now want to get a CCTV system installed. What I can’t understand is why wait until it has happened. It’s not like burglaries are decreasing and those rotten scoundrels have gone out and got a real job. And who wants some unknown person going through their personal space when we are not around? You feel so violated.
People will say that an alarm system will suffice but these do not record faces or number plates. And how many people have dummy outside sirens and cameras. Give the burglar some credit. They would not have the opportunities if we did not make life easy for them.
YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR
So where do we start. Well by watching Police Ten/7 or similar programs. You will see that not all camera systems are equal. Basically you get what you pay for. With the cheap low end systems you see the images on the monitor in the shop. It looks OK. You record the images. When something goes wrong you play the recording back and the images are all grainy. You can’t tell if the person is red, white, or blue. That was a great system you were sold eh. But hey
it was cheap. In the end do you want to have a camera system for show, or do you want a decent system to actually capture the offenders?
IP HD SYSTEMS
Now let’s start by looking at IP HD systems where the cameras are PoE powered from the NVR. That is a cat6 cable is run from the NVR to each camera. The power and video is feed via this cable. Cameras should start at 2MP but my preference is for 4MP cameras. Make sure the brand you choose allows you to view the cameras on an App on your smartphone or tablet. Make sure you have a good size hard drive, preferably starting at 1TB. With a 4-channel system and the cameras recording on motion detection you should get 3-4 weeks of recording. Obviously, everything is dependant on the amount of motion activation around your property meaning trees, bushes etc. moving in the wind and setting them off.
SO WHAT SHOULD OUR TRADE BE DOING?
They should be upselling camera systems, along with LED sensor lights, every day of the week. Until we secure ourselves properly, the scum of society will have no reason to go and get a real job. For all the best advice call into your local Powerbase Branch and speak to someone about the options available.
P.S. The question gets asked from time to time about the need to have a security license. If people want to know about these please visit the Ministry of Justice web site for more information – www.justice.govt.nz