Security Cameras and Equipment Are More Important Now Than Ever

With a downturn in the economy, now officially labeled as a recession, some people are being driven to do things they otherwise wouldn’t have. What is this? Many people are turning to an increasing trend known as shoplifting. Not making it right, many people who are scraping around to get by in life are now “taking” what isn’t theirs to begin with. This spells out big trouble for retailers. Some businesses have even gone out of business as a result. What can they do to curb this?

What many retailers and businesses are doing is utilizing the technology at hand, such as security cameras and shoplifting prevention gates, to battle this crime. Using a carefully planned cocktail of security equipment, shoplifting can be stopped in its tracks. Here are a few tips to help get you started.

The first piece of equipment you will need is a security camera. This doesn’t necessarily have to be a high-resolution camera. An inexpensive black and white model can be very effective. You can purchase a bullet camera or a dome camera to start with. Keep the cameras in plain site. Often times seeing a camera is enough to stop the crime before it begins.

Dome cameras use a tinted dome to prevent people from seeing exactly where the camera is pointed. This is advantageous by making an area seem better surveyed than it really is. Pick the most “hot” area of your store. This could be electronics, food, or wherever your highest ticket items are stored. This is a good place to start. Money permitting, try to put a camera in every corner possible, thus increasing the view and your ability to monitor the store.

Many people are intimidated by the idea of installing a camera. It is not as complicated as one may think. If you are able to hook up a DVD player, a gaming console or a stereo, you can probably hook up a camera. It is simply a matter of attaching a video and power cord and mounting the camera. Audio is an option for some cameras as well. If you are unable to run line through the ceiling of your business, many wireless options are available.

If you are only installing a single camera, a TV/monitor and recording device is all you’ll need. If you are installing more than one camera, which most people will, you will need to use a multiplexer. A multiplexer is an input device that you attach all your cameras to. The multiplexer then displays all cameras on one single monitor, allowing you to view all cameras at once or cycle between cameras. Similar devices are also available, known as switchers and quads.

Recording the video depends on your budget. On the low end, some businesses will hire someone to view the monitors, but none of the data is recorded. The next level up would be using a VCR. This allows businesses to record data, but you are limited to 8 hours maximum time. Next are the time-lapse video recorders. These are similar to VCRs, but use special tapes and technology that allow them to record video for dozens of hours.

At the top of the line are the digital video recorders (DVRs) that record the video onto a hard drive. Data on a DVR is easy to access and can record dozens and sometimes hundreds of hours of video, depending on the model. Many DVRs now have multiplexers built right into them, allowing businesses to attach cameras right to the DVR.

Security cameras are important parts of any business’s successful operation, especially in an environment such as we find ourselves in now. Contact Office Zone for more information on security cameras.

Reference Source: http://www.articlesphere.com/Article/Security-Cameras-and-Equipment-Are-More-Important-Now-Than-Ever/173709