5 things you wish you’d have known before buying a business CCTV system

CCTV cameras have come a long way technology-wise, so it pays to ensure that the security systems you buy are insurance-approved and give the best bang for your buck.

From ease of use to geeky stuff like storage and mixing old tech with new, we’ve got your building’s back, front, and dark bits by the side, too! 

As a company, we’re known for being straight-talking, so we’ll go easy on the tech speak so you can quickly get to grips with the must-haves.

1. Don’t buy any old CCTV camera system on Amazon

Don’t buy just anything. Sorry, you’re going to have to check the boring product blurb. To be fair, you might be one of those who loves product descriptions - if so, you'll love this.

You must match the security system to your insurance policy – small print matters.

You can read about insurance requirements here. But in short, you need to ensure the system you buy is up to British Standards and installed, maintained, and sometimes even monitored by an insurance-approved engineer/monitoring company. Otherwise, you might get caught in the small print with no payout. 

You also need to notify the insurer if you make changes to your security system, which might mean your insurance costs go down sometimes. See, there is good news.

2. Pick an easy-to-use camera system – apptastic

If it’s 3 a.m., you don’t want to log into a system that takes time to review. So, this is what ‘easy’ looks like:

• Does the CCTV system have an app?
• How much data storage do I need, and on what?
• Do the images and footage load quickly?
• Is it good quality? I want to see those faces!
• Can the camera move – can I have a quick room scan?
• Can I also turn off other alerts and systems remotely?
• Does the system connect with staff entrance and exit systems?
• Is it easy to download and send what I’ve recorded to the police?
• Can someone else monitor the system for me?

3. The burglar has a hoodie on, and it’s dark

Let’s take the example that the intruder is wearing a hoodie, and it’s dark. 

You only get glimpses at best of this person who is determined to cause you a big headache – so the camera quality is important.

So, you’ll need the following to ensure you grab a good image and take action:

• High-definition quality image.
• Notifications that the CCTV has spotted something moving (motion detection).
• Images are made smaller for viewing on your app (compressed).
• An option to add it to your computer network (IP for better and faster access/connectivity).
• 24-hour colour images with infrared night vision or additional lighting.
• One- and two-way audio (IP cameras) so you can tell the intruder you can see them.
• Connected to a remote intruder alert system to trigger an alarm or police response.

And you need to ensure that the intruder isn’t Bob, your ops manager, doing overtime. So, you can choose systems that integrate with staff clock-in systems, gates, and doors. You could also ask, “Is that you, Bob?” if you have cameras with two-way audio.

4. Fitting the CCTV cameras as instructed

Believe it or not, some insurance policies (and we’ve checked) contain small print concerning the setup of your security systems. 

That means that the system has an advised installation and setup to work correctly – the instruction manual. 

And like any industry, you can pay for engineers that are approved in that particular model of CCTV, such as Hikvision, in our case (other brands available). Add that to insurance-approved engineers, and you get a certificate to show your insurance company (SSAIB approved).

5. Cameras that work with old and new for growing businesses

You paid a fortune for security cameras a while back, so why replace the whole system? 

That’s okay. Pick carefully, and you can have a system that sits on your network and connects old cameras (analogue) and new (digital) ones in most cases.

You can then future-proof your system by choosing a security system that can link in with other features like access control – and add to the system as needed.

At West Mercia Security Ltd, we’ve been fitting alarms for over 40 years, and we’re insurance-approved – with SSAIB certification. Email us at email us or call 01384 396316.

You can see how we helped one of our customers with an insurance-approved installation here.

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