Costly Mistakes to Avoid When Installing CCTV Cameras

Having a robust and modern closed-circuit television (CCTV) system is increasingly becoming an important component of every home and workplace today. 

They can also provide assistance to authorities in the event of a security issue, leading to a quick and efficient resolution of the issue thus protecting the business or home from major disruption.

If you are considering installing CCTV, here are some of the most common worst placement mistakes you should look out for: 

A police officer monitoring CCTV cameras mounted in Nairobi.

Kenyans.co.ke

The wrong height

Placing your surveillance cameras too low off the ground will limit the scope of what the camera captures.

Apart from the height, the CCTV camera should be installed at an appropriate angle so that the area is clearly visible on the monitor for maximum security.

Furthermore, there is no use in installing the camera if there is an obstruction that hinders the proper view of the area of interest.

As such, avoid areas where there are trees or where the sunbeam is high but instead place the cameras below a roof in a downward position.

Cameras facing each other

This can cause distortion of images due to one camera catching the infrared light of the other and effectively blinding each other. 

However, this challenge can be solved by installing cameras that automatically adjust for exposure because such cameras are able to compensate to a certain extent.

Strong or low lighting

Too much lighting may make captured images hard to discern while too little lighting might result in the same problem. 

Therefore, lighting for CCTV cameras should be based on the inverse square rule such that additional light should only be used to create an evenly lit scene in the camera’s field of view to ensure that the captured images are not too dark or washed out.

Choosing the wrong camera

Not having high-quality cameras is one of the biggest mistakes you can make when installing CCTV cameras in your home or business.

This is because if your image quality is too grainy to see what is going on, you might as well not have a camera at all. The cheap camera will not offer a good resolution and lens.

Not Securing the Security System

Having WIFI connectivity at your home or business premise helps you view the footage of your CCTV camera when you are away.

Be careful not to use your phone number, date of birth, or name as your password to reduce vulnerability to unauthorized access.

To ensure complete security of your security system, the password must not be known to anybody else other than you, and remember to change it from time to time. 

Not Having a Backup Power Source

Keeping your security cameras online during your property’s most vulnerable moments should be a priority.

Make sure to install a backup power source such as a generator or solar power system, when installing your cameras to avoid leaving your property at risk whenever there is a power blackout.

Interestingly, the Kenyan Ministry of Interior and National Coordination wants CCTV cameras placed across the country with the ministry being given direct access for monitoring.

Among the places recommended for mandatory placement of CCTV include offices, schools, universities, restaurants and pubs, shopping malls, and hotels to curb raising crime levels in public places. 

Under the draft policy, the Interior Ministry would establish a national CCTV coordination center that will register all installations in Kenya.

Owners of the various institutions will be required to remit to the ministry raw footage recorded by their CCTV cameras every three months. 

Footage obtained from CCTV cameras has been used by the police to identify crime suspects. In some court cases, they have been presented as evidence.

GSU officers caught on CCTV during a robbery on March 12, 2021.

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