Have you ever purchased a car? Walked the lot, kicked a few tires? Of course you have. Maybe not so figuratively but you’ve done your due diligence. So what’s the difference between buying a car and selecting the right video surveillance cameras…not much really.
Do you need your car to go off-roading? Will this camera work at night? How much cargo can I carry? How much will I be able to see?
Think of your camera and lens selection in a similar way. Ask yourself these questions;
- Will I need the camera to be used in the day or night-time?
- What do I really want to look at and what will I be able to look at?
- Is this an indoor or outdoor installation?
There are more questions that can be asked. If you’re considering a certain brand of camera, most manufacturers offer a great lens and camera calculation tool online. Depending on how technically knowledgable you are, you may dive into such things as your ‘true resolution’, matching lens and chip sizes and then determining the correct iris for your deployment.
The point is, ask your provider questions…a lot of questions. Your video surveillance system is only as good as your questions – the answers provided (hopefully the best educated answers), your equipment, your installer/provider and your proper usage of the video surveillance tools.
So kick.