Are the cameras hard-wired to power?
Having to regularly replace batteries if you are busy or the weather is bad requiring you to get on a ladder is a real inconvenience. Solar panels are vulnerable and won’t work on the north side of a building unless mounted on the roof.
What type of camera body is best?
Turret
Dome
Bullet
There are three common types of camera: turret, dome and bullet. We prefer turret cameras because they are easy to mount and adjust without having to open them. Having them open during mounting and adjustment would make them vulnerable in windy or humid conditions. Also, turret cameras are hard to mess with and knocked off their aim. Dome cameras have to be opened to mount and adjust. Bullet cameras are easy to knock off their aim.
Durability
If exposed to the sun, cameras should be white, not black, so the sun doesn’t heat them up too much. Also, our cameras have an IP67 (Ingress Protection). It means the camera is completely dust proof and waterproof during complete immersion in 3 feet of water for 30 minutes so the nastiest of downpours won’t harm it.
Camera Angles
An important consideration in choosing cameras is the angle of the lens. The wider the lens, the fewer the number of pixels that are available to capture a given object at a given distance. The fewer the number of pixels to capture an image, the less detail will be seen. Our standard fixed lens cameras have a 2.8mm lens, which provides for a 109 degree horizontal viewing angle. If a wider viewing angle is desired, we recommend installing two cameras to capture valuable detail. If a narrower viewing angle is desired, as in hallways or alleys, our variable focus lens cameras can be adjusted up to 12mm, providing a narrow angle of down to 22 degrees. This means you will see more detail further down the center of the view.
Video Storage
Our IP (internet protocol) cameras can have a 256GB micro SD card installed, which means plenty of storage to operate on it’s own without the need for a separate recorder. As an example, we have a couple of cameras installed at the pay station of a car wash which, with 256GB of storage, allows for about two weeks of recordings. Recordings take place upon motion. Areas of the camera view can be blocked out to prevent recording due to things like the leaves of a tree being blown by the wind. Also, the sensitivity can be adjusted to prevent recording to be triggered by small things like a bug or a mouse.
