Are you looking to find the best security camera for monitoring and protecting your business? Choosing the right camera form factor and capabilities best-suited for your application will ensure you get an effective video security solution that produces optimal results. Below you’ll find different camera types, along with some of the features and benefits of each type of camera.
Dome Security Cameras are ideal for monitoring lobbies and reception areas, hallways, open office spaces, warehouses, parking lots, and driveways. Dome cameras have an unobtrusive design. The smoky dome obscures the camera lens, making it difficult for criminals to see which direction the camera lens is pointing at, so they are less likely to avoid being caught on camera. Many dome cameras feature an IK10 impact rating that offers protection against vandalism and physical impact. Dome cameras are easy-to-install and most can either be wall or ceiling mounted to provide the viewing angle needed for your location and application.
Bullet Cameras are also referred to as lipstick cameras, because of their slim, tubular form factor. Due to their small form factor, bullet security cameras are widely used for monitoring banks and other financial institutions. A bullet camera can be positioned discreetly in various indoor and outdoor locations—and are less conspicuous than traditional box cameras, and other types of video security cameras for monitoring a building. Outdoor bullet security cameras are popular choices for monitoring the perimeter of a building to deter vandalism, property damage and theft. Many outdoor bullet cameras offer an IP66 (or higher) weather-rated enclosure that provides protection from particles such as dust and sand, and harsh weather conditions, including rain and snow. Additionally, some bullet cameras feature a 3-axis or 5-axis bracket that is adjustable from three, or five different access points—providing flexible mounting and better positioning of the cameras.
Infrared Cameras (IR cameras), enable business owners to capture video in low light and at night, for around-the-clock surveillance. Infrared security cameras are available in a variety of IR ranges, to capture images at the distances needed for your security application. Some IR cameras can capture images in low light and at night—200′ and greater. Some IR cameras feature advanced infrared technology, such as Smart IR and Full Frame Illumination for enhanced low light performance. Smart IR (smart infrared (automatically adjusts the amount of infrared light used to illuminate a scene as the subject moves closer to or further away from the camera, resulting in optimal exposure, and a sharp, clear image that’s neither washed out or too dark. Full Frame Illumination (FFI) delivers a wider IR illumination spread and produces a brighter, clearer picture in low light and at night – without hot spots. FFI reduces video noise for a clearer image, along with reducing bandwidth consumption and video storage requirements.
Hidden Cameras. When combined with a video security system, hidden cameras provide an additional layer of security for businesses. Hidden cameras are disguised inside of everyday objects such as a smoke detector, floodlight, thermostat, or an AC adapter, and are virtually undetectable to the human eye. A hidden camera can be placed to monitor known business trouble spots, including cash registers and cash offices, warehouses, lobbies, supply rooms, loading docks, and shipping and receiving areas. Individuals are more apt to commit a crime when they don’t know they are being watched. Hidden cameras or spy cameras give business owners the covert advantage of protecting their businesses, because thieves and dishonest employees will be caught on camera—without knowing they are being monitored. Furthermore, if a criminal cannot see the camera, he/she will be unable to vandalize or block the camera, or spray-paint the lens to avoid being caught committing their crime.
Varifocal Security Cameras offer business owners the advantage of easy installation and greater flexibility (than fixed lens cameras). Varifocal cameras offer a range of focal lengths and provide the flexibility to easily adjust the focal length of the security camera, in order to alter the field-of-view. If you installed a fixed lens camera and wanted to change the field-of-view, you would have to un-install the camera, and re-install it to get the desired focal length, which could damage your walls and the camera itself. Varifocal security cameras are also equipped with an auto-iris lens, which makes the cameras better suited for capturing outdoor scenes during changing lighting conditions.
PTZ Cameras (Pan-tilt-zoom cameras) are ideal for monitoring wide-open spaces such as parking lots, business and school campuses, airports, and gaming casinos. Modern PTZ cameras are all-in-one surveillance packages featuring high-resolution video capture, powerful motorized zoom lenses, and high speed motors that can quickly reposition the camera up to 360° in seconds. It’s this powerful combination of features that enables a PTZ camera to replace up to four standard (non-PTZ) cameras for monitoring the same location. A PTZ camera is often referred to as a “speed dome” because of the ability to quickly pan/tilt in a different direction in less than a second. In addition to speed, PTZs are easy to control and can move very precisely when focusing on objects that are far off in the distance. PTZ cameras also offer powerful zoom capabilities, far greater than traditional fixed security cameras. Many PTZs or speed domes offer 10x (or more) optical zoom, and 36x (or more) digital zoom, with the ability to hone in on an image—and view in greater detail for facial recognition and license plate identification.
Choosing The Best Security Cameras for Monitoring Your Business
Regardless of the type of security camera you choose to monitor your business, resolution, distance, and field of view matters. Why? If you don’t have the right field of view, or high-resolution video, you won’t be able to capture the level of detail required for facial recognition, license plate identification, and court-admissible video evidence needed to try and convict criminals.
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Call us today to speak with one of our security experts who can help you find the best security cameras for your location and application at 877-830-9055.