Surveilling a business or even a residential property is incredibly important in the area of South Florida due to the unfortunate amount of break-ins. While security systems are becoming more and more popular not everyone knows what pieces of a security system are beneficial to them. The surveillance camera certainly is one of the must-haves.
But how can you tell a good quality surveillance camera from something that is going to malfunction? Having a quality camera is important for reasons we will discuss because it defeats the purpose otherwise.
Let this be your ultimate guide to security cameras in South Florida.
What are surveillance cameras?
Surveillance cameras take many different forms and can cover a variety of needs. Video surveillance used for a business is going to be different from a residential surveillance camera. Having said that, all surveillance cameras are cameras that are positioned indoors or outdoors to survey the surrounding area to keep the property as safe as possible.
Surveillance cameras can be relatively easy-to-use or there can be more complicated surveillance cameras in terms of technology. While we will break down these cameras in our section dedicated to types of surveillance we can note that they are thermal, infrared, etc.
Importance of surveillance cameras in Miami
There are a lot of reasons why residential and more importantly businesses in Miami should have surveillance cameras set up both indoors and also outdoors. We will see that the theme of safety is the biggest one but there are other important uses as well.
Safety
There are so many different ways that a surveillance camera provides safety for not only you but many others as well. You can cover yourself, your home and business, as well as guests and neighbors.
- The first thing to note is that you protect the home or the property. You don’t want intruders breaking in to steal products or information as well as cause damage to your home. With surveillance cameras being visible intruders are 300 times less likely to even consider breaking in.
- Arguably the most important thing is protecting the people that are inside the property the most. Whether it is family members or your employees and guests, you want to make sure that you provide them with the safest environment possible. Surveillance cameras that are a part of the security system do that.
- You also protect your neighbors. Interestingly enough surveillance cameras make the whole neighborhood safer because criminals that see just one security system or camera will stay clear of an entire area. This has a massively positive effect on your neighborhood and encourages your neighbors whether residential or business to do the same.
Convenience
There is a level of convenience that comes from having a surveillance camera or a few around your property both residential and commercially. Just like safety you can see that there are many convenient benefits below.
- You can remotely monitor your business or home to see if everything is in order from your phone. This can be good as alerts will come to your phone if an alarm or motion detector was triggered.
- It’s also good because usually, it allows communication between the remote access and whoever is in the home. So if you had a dog sitter coming over to feed your pup but she couldn’t find the food. You could easily check-in and communicate to her where that food is all through the surveillance cameras.
Aid the Authorities
Surveillance cameras help authorities get the bad guys off the streets. Without video footage, it can be difficult for police to find a suspect especially if there are no witnesses. They likely are not going to use forensics so video footage is their best shot. It also can help the authorities by altering them quickly if it comes paired with motion detectors and alarms.
Types of surveillance cameras
There are a lot of different types of surveillance cameras which can be overwhelming for some people. To go a step further there are many subcategories within these major types that can make a company feel like they don’t know what surveillance camera is going to best suit them.
We can summarize that these cameras are the most common types that can be found on the market:
- Wireless Indoor/Outdoor Cameras
- Wired Indoor/Outdoor Cameras
– Floodlight Cameras
– Doorbell Cameras
Doorbell Cameras
Doorbell cameras are typically reserved for residential properties but also have some use for commercial properties too. This is usually placed somewhere right around the top of the door and when the doorbell rings the camera becomes activated to show someone inside or remote who is at the door.
Where this can work particularly well for commercial properties is schools. Most schools don’t want someone entering while school is in session so having one of these allows for the admin to up their security before letting just anyone in.
Bullet Cameras
Bullet cameras really do look like a bullet and can be seen a lot of the time on the outside of commercial properties. This is because they allow for super long views of entrances so that even if someone is breaking in from afar, they can capture it.
Dome Cameras
Dome cameras are a typical type of camera that you may find in fact as a doorbell camera. They are also found inside a lot of commercial properties because they allow for a super-wide view of people inside that area. It also prevents customers or anyone from knowing where the actual camera is pointing because of the way it’s shaped.
Night Vision Cameras
Night vision should have its own category because there are so many different types of night vision cameras that can work in a number of scenarios. Regardless of whether you are looking for commercial or residential properties, night vision allows you to see the picture clearly at night.
Businesses that need more high-end technology may use something like a thermal camera or infrared imaging. These surveillance cameras use body heat or different light imaging to avoid the wrong detection.
What you should look for in surveillance cameras
While each of these categories may fit one scenario better than others, there are still some qualities that you should look directly at when purchasing a specific brand or surveillance camera. Here are a number of tips in selecting a quality camera for your needs!
- High Resolution is definitely something that should be considered investing in. While you don’t need 4k you do want the image to be clear enough so that you can see who actually broke in versus a blurry image. This is especially important for nightime where the camera may start to get a little fuzzy.
- Price (Sort Of) matters. If you buy something that is under $10 that’s probably going to give you exactly what you paid for. Having said that, just because a surveillance camera costs thousands of dollars doesn’t mean it’s a good one. Take a look at price and make sure that it matches in description and quality.
- Software Capability is something that is important especially for those looking to invest in a good system. The last thing you want to do is buy a system that is outdated. Surveillance cameras that have software updates are going to always update with you which means you likely won’t have to shell out extra money every few years to update it.
- Smart Home Capability is important regardless of whether this is residential or commercial. You want your new surveillance camera to be able to be paired with other parts of your security system such as alarms, access control, and other features. If it can only operate by itself you may want to consider choosing a different brand.
Surveillance cameras FAQs
Now that you have a better sense of what surveillance cameras are you may feel like you have an understanding of which type would best suit your property. It’s natural to still have questions about this technical topic. That’s why this section is dedicated to the most frequently asked questions regarding surveillance cameras.
Is it better to have wireless or wired surveillance cameras?
They both present their advantages and challenges so this is not a clear answer on which one is better. Most of the time a customer will work with a dual option or at the risk of having any issues. Wired cameras will give you the best absolute connection as you don’t have to worry about cellular data being spotty. They can however completely stop working in power outages or if the wires are cut in a serious breaki-n.
Wireless work on a network so you don’t have to worry about the above but if for whatever reason coverage was spotty you could experience delays or stopped footage.
How do I install surveillance cameras?
It is always best to let a trained and experienced security company do this for you because you run the risk of the entire system not working. If you are working with wired surveillance cameras this is especially true because it requires some technician work. If they run wirelessly you will still want to work with a provider because they need to help you set up on the network!
Is it normal to have several different types of surveillance cameras in one setting?
You can certainly have a blend of different surveillance cameras to ensure the ultimate safety to your property. For instance, you may want to install bullet cameras at the front entrance of your commercial property pointing towards the entry points. Closer to the door you may want dome cameras as they give the full view and don’t show visitors exactly where the camera is pointing.
From the FAQ section, you have probably gathered that who you work with when it comes to installing your surveillance camera system is pretty important. Here at Helios not only do we have an experienced team ready to help with the install but we also have an amazing Helios Product Showcase so that you can do a one-stop-shop for everything. We offer some of the highest products on the market that ensure the best prices and the best quality.
It’s The One Thing You Need
When it comes to an entire security system the one thing that really is crucial is a surveillance camera. Being able to see what’s going on and alert authorities immediately are super important. And if the authorities have already been alerted they can go back and see the footage to be able to have a better chance of getting the criminal off the streets. But by just having these cameras visible you reduce your risk of break-ins by 300%.
By keeping your neighbors safe and your loved ones or employees, you can feel a lot better. You also can feel a lot better by knowing that everything is installed correctly and functioning perfectly when it’s done by Helios!
