One of the biggest reasons for installing a camera / surveillance system is to be able to see and identify the people, animals, vehicles, and whatever else shows up in the video.
So why do some systems look like you’re tracking Big Foot?
There are three big factors when designing a camera system, and each one affects the other:
1 – Resolution – How clear are the images?
2 – Frame rate – How fluid is the motion?
3 – Archival space – How long do you want to be able to retain the video?
If you are a bank, fluid motion isn’t critical during a bank robbery. You don’t need 180 frames per second to watch the robber go from the front door to the teller. Nor do you need six months of archival space. You know that you’ve been held up immediately. However, a clear image of the robber is critical. You are willing to forego items two and three on the above list to concentrate your resources on item one.
If you are a retail establishment where someone is suing you for slipping and falling in your store, you don’t need extremely high resolution. You know who fell….it is the person listed as “Plaintiff” in the lawsuit. You also don’t need six months of archival space. The plaintiff will let you know immediately that they fell in your store. However, it is crucial to your case to be able to see if the plaintiff truly did slip and fall, or if they laid down slowly and are now claiming damages. You are willing to sacrifice some of the resolution and archival space to concentrate your resources on a higher frame rate.
If you don’t check inventory on a regular basis, whether at home or at work, and need to know if an products are missing, you may not need the highest resolution or to be able to track every single movement….but you may want to archive your footage for months until the next inventory check is made. Modern camera systems can be setup to record ONLY when motion is detected to help hard-drive space last longer and be more efficient. But if each camera is 4K, even peta-byte systems may not last as long as you need them to. You are willing to let go some of items one and two and concentrate your resources on item three, archival space.
If it is time to upgrade your “Big Foot” cameras to a modern system, or if you want to get the best camera system for your needs, we would be honored to help.
Guard Tronic
Proven Property Protection for 62+ Years
(800) 542-7866
info@guardtronic.com