CCTV Cameras

Cameras are chosen by the question they have to answer, and the answers need different equipment. Recognising a face at a gate, reading a plate at a barrier, and seeing that something moved across a yard are three different specifications, and a camera good at the third is useless for the first.

Resolution alone does not settle it. What matters is pixels across the subject at the distance it will be, which depends on the lens as much as the sensor - a 4K camera on a wide lens covering a whole compound gives you less usable detail on a face than a 2 MP camera on the right lens covering a doorway.

IP cameras run on network cable with power over the same run, which makes them cheaper to install where there is structured cabling and more expensive where there is not. Analogue over coaxial is still the sensible answer for retrofitting a building that already has coaxial in the walls, and we will say so rather than selling the newer thing.

Night is where most installations disappoint. Infrared has a real range, usually far shorter than the specification suggests, and it reflects off rain, dust and nearby walls. Where identification is needed after dark, lighting is part of the camera specification.

Send a site plan or a sketch marking what each camera has to see.