Whether you have just purchased a CCTV system or you are currently looking to install one at your home or business, it is important to make sure that you are getting the most out of your CCTV system. The best way to do this is to hire a professional to carry out the installation, as they will have had many years carrying out CCTV installations at a large number of properties for clients with varying needs.
In this article, we will be listing some tips for getting the most out of your CCTV system, so you can ensure that your new security system is effective at protecting your home or business from criminals.
CCTV Placement
One of the most important things to consider when installing a security system is where you wish to place the CCTV cameras. For example, in a commercial property, you may wish to have CCTV installed indoors in order to protect your staff in the case of any violence, theft or otherwise inappropriate behaviour at the workplace. This CCTV placement is perhaps less necessary in a domestic property.
One of the most effective places to install your security system is so that the camera is aiming at your front door. In order to avoid any criminal damage, it is best to have this installed on the second floor. If you do not live in a multi-storey building then it may be worth installing your camera behind wiring to protect it against the advances of any vandals. It is said that around 34% of burglaries occur through the front door, so it is clear to see why this is a very important part of your home or business to monitor.
With around 22% of burglaries occurring in the back or side doors of a property, it may be worth considering installing cameras that can capture any activity going on here as well. This is along with any windows that may allow a criminal to enter your property, as around 23% of burglaries occur through a window. This is especially true for an entry point which is hidden from the public eye. Criminals will be much less likely to attempt a break in plain sight, as any passerby could alert the police as soon as they see any suspicious activity.
Other places to consider focusing your camera’s attention on include: Your garage, basement, second floor or driveway. When deciding on the placement for your CCTV system, it is important to work out your budget, so you can first install cameras in the most effective places, before moving onto less effective locations. It is also worth deciding which points in your property contain the most valuable items. For instance, if you had a music studio in your garage, it would be well worth installing CCTV here, to begin with, if you did not own any more valuable items in your property.
Finally, you also need to know the main reason that you are having your CCTV system installed in the first place. If you are using it as a deterrent then you will need to ensure that the cameras are clearly visible to any potential criminals. In other circumstances, you may wish to have a slightly less visible installation if you are worried about criminals potentially tampering with the system. If you have hired a professional to install your cameras for you then it is worth discussing with them the best option.
After selecting the locations that you wish to install your security system, it is worth viewing the live footage as you install it. Otherwise, you could end up installing a camera somewhere that may look great on paper, only to discover an obstruction that is blocking its view.
CCTV And The Law
Although you may be sick of hearing about it by now, there has been in a huge focus on the way people’s data is handled. Chances are, you will have read about GDPR or perhaps even had to do an online learning assessment at your workplace. For many, not having to deal with the relentless onslaught of emails sent from companies that you made one purchase from 10 years ago was a huge relief. Eventually, you will have inevitably given permission to another list of businesses looking to remarket to you.
For CCTV, you also have a legal obligation to not film people without them knowing. You’ve seen it before but when installing your CCTV outside of your property, you are required to have a sign, in plain sight, explaining that there is CCTV in operation in your premises. As with a lot of legal issues, it is important to fully understand the law surrounding CCTV, if you are looking to install cameras at your property. Another thing to consider is that anyone that you end up recording footage of has the right to view this. They must contact you within 40 days and you are able to charge them a fee of up to £10 for the trouble.
For a domestic property, it is also very important that none of your cameras is recording footage outside the boundaries of your premises. Although you may wish to do so, there are many issues that arise from filming outside of your property. One issue is that you may accidentally find someone’s bedroom or bathroom within the shot. This is actually more common than you may think and obviously this would be considered a huge breach of privacy. This is another reason that you should always check the live feed to your camera when you are installing a CCTV system.
You also need to ensure that you have clear motives for why you are installing CCTV at your property. For example, if you have CCTV in a commercial property in order to protect your staff from any inappropriate behaviour at work, you cannot then use this footage to monitor whether or not your employees are avoiding work.
Camera Features
When looking to get the most out of your CCTV system you also need to choose the right features to suit your needs. For instance, are you looking to record footage during the night, or is your CCTV only to be used to monitor customers during your opening hours? In any country that sees its fair share of bad weather, you may also wish to install a camera with weather protection.
Some cameras are also well equipped with a wide angle lens to survey a much larger area, for cameras aimed at a front door this may not be necessary but in other situations, this may be necessary. Again, the best way to ensure that your camera is suited to your needs is to understand the main reason you are looking to install the cameras in the first place. You will then need to discuss this with the installer or read the specifications of the camera that you wish to buy very carefully.
Conclusion
There we have it, this is a very concise list with some things to consider when looking to get the most out of your CCTV system. If you wish to find out more then there is a large amount of information across the internet. If you are still unsure, it is sometimes much better to hire a professional. DCUK Ltd has been installing CCTV for a large number of customers both domestic and commercial for many years. After all, you can have complete peace of mind knowing that your property is safe if you have the most effective security system at your property.