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Security cameras

Plan the view, lighting, cabling and retention before choosing a camera or recorder.

What would useful footage need to show?

Recognising that a person entered a yard is different from identifying someone at a doorway. Write the outcome for each view, then check distance, lighting and mounting. More megapixels alone do not establish usable evidence.

  1. Mark entrances, vehicles, stock and public boundaries.
  2. Define observation or identification needs for each view.
  3. Check power, cabling and available light.
  4. Calculate storage using bitrate and agreed retention.
Security camera planning questionnaireTurn security goals and site constraints into a supplier brief.Open tool

Decisions in this topic

Security CamerasPlan business CCTV around the image you needDefine the purpose of every view, check lighting and agree how footage will be retrieved.Security CamerasHow much storage does a business CCTV system need?Use bitrate and recording time, then allow for usable capacity and real scene behaviour.Security CamerasChoose low-light cameras using moving footage, not a bright stillBalance illumination, shutter speed, lens and scene requirements instead of judging night colour alone.Security CamerasPoE or Wi-Fi cameras for business premises?Compare the whole power and data path, recording reliability and installation cost.Security CamerasSolar and 4G cameras: budget for winter, outages and dataCalculate energy and connectivity as separate systems before relying on an off-grid camera.Security CamerasPlan access control around doors, people and safe exitDefine each door’s behaviour, credential lifecycle and failure response before choosing readers.Security CamerasHow many security cameras does a business need?Count distinct evidence tasks and sight lines, then test whether each proposed camera meets its job.Security CamerasWill CCTV identify a face? Use geometry, then test moving footageUnderstand pixel density, distance, angle and current planning terminology without treating a number as a guarantee.Security Cameras4K versus 4MP business CCTV: where the extra detail earns its costCompare useful horizontal detail, low-light footage and system capacity at the same task and field of view.Security CamerasHow long should a business keep CCTV footage?Choose a justified reporting and investigation window, then separately size and verify the storage.Security CamerasUpgrade existing CCTV without replacing useful equipment blindlyAudit the failed evidence tasks and compatibility first, then compare staged improvement with full replacement.Security CamerasChoose a business NVR beyond channel count and 4K labelsCheck recording bandwidth, decoding, storage, events and the way staff will actually retrieve footage.Security CamerasSecure remote CCTV access without handing out the owner loginChoose a supported access path, restrict permissions and plan recovery, maintenance and staff changes.Security CamerasCompare CCTV quotes on usable evidence and complete installationReconcile camera tasks, recorder limits, retention, installation and handover before ranking prices.Security CamerasWhat does business CCTV cost over five years?Include installation, licences, storage, maintenance, retrieval effort and eventual replacement, with assumptions kept visible.
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Send a short brief for a recommendation or itemised quote. Choose equipment only, installation or an existing-system upgrade.

BoxFreeIT and Security Wholesalers share ownership. Installation requests may be handled by the related Serious Security team, subject to location and scope.

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Start with one decision you can test. Keep a written record of the assumptions, the person responsible and the date you will review the result. Follow our starting path if you need an overview first.