Two kinds of CCTV Installers Exist

Did you know there are two different kinds of CCTV installers around?

1. One puts the camera in and connects it up so you get a good picture.
2. The other puts the camera in and connects it up so you get a good picture but charges a little more.

So what’s the difference other than price?

Installation company 1

The sales man came to the site, discussed your requirements to watch the customers walking around the shop from a back office monitor and to record that and the staff car park. The book shop floor plan was provided and from this it was decided that 3 wide angle dome cameras and 1 vandal dome in the car park connected to a 4 channel DVR would cover the areas.

Installation company 2

The sales man took the time to find out what you hope to achieve with the cameras as per the previous company but went further, asking questions about what they would like to be able to do with the recordings if something has happened. The client explained that they want to convict shop lifters that they see on the spot monitor and use the staff car park to observe how long employees are spending on smoke breaks when the manager is not in the store.
A brief discussion was had about the difference between observing a person and being able to identify them for a conviction. Also the coverage requirements to ensure a conviction.

Leaving with the floor plans, they spent a further 40 minutes on a 3D CAD to illustrate what the camera could actually achieve by demonstrating different angles of coverage and the expected output images. Being a book shop, the camera placement was critical to seeing along the shelves. The points of ID are clearly shown by the red shading in the coverage patterns.

In conjunction with the client it was decided that 6 cameras were needed based on the ability to get an ID shot at the entry door and counter. The other cameras giving overviews to provide 90% coverage. The entry door and rear car park cameras were upgraded to compensate for the potential back light issues. The DVR was an 8 channel, allowing for some expansion if required.

Download the trial version now

Which one do you think the customer would choose?
Experience says if you take the time to explain why, it may cost you extra time but not only are you more likely to get the sale but also referrals.
We are not saying installer one gave a bad image in the sense it is out of focus. They simply didn’t identify what the customer needed so chances are the camera is only good for an overview and will never identify someone.

Download the trial version now