Modern security cameras are impressive.
High resolution, excellent night performance, smart event detection, mobile viewing and increasingly capable analytics are available at price points that would have been difficult to imagine years ago.
But the camera itself is only one component. A reliable physical-security system has to be designed around the building and the infrastructure underneath it.
Cameras Depend on the Network
Most modern commercial cameras rely on Power over Ethernet. That means the design has to account for:
- PoE capacity
- switching
- uplinks
- network bandwidth
- segmentation
- cable distance
- secure remote access
Adding cameras without considering the network infrastructure can create problems that have nothing to do with camera quality.
Storage Determines Retention
Another common mistake is choosing recording hardware without first deciding how much video should be retained.
Retention depends on factors including:
- camera count
- resolution
- frame rate
- recording settings
- activity
- available storage
The right question is not simply, “How large is the NVR?” It is: “How much footage does the organization need to retain?”
The storage design should follow that requirement.
Access Control Adds Another Layer
Physical security increasingly includes doors as well as cameras.
Readers, credentials, door hubs, electric strikes, entry stations and access policies all become part of the same environment.
When these systems share the network and management platform, the organization gains a much more coherent view of physical access and video.
One Technical Team Helps
Mayer Networks prefers UniFi Protect and UniFi Access for many new physical-security projects because cameras, recording, networking and access control can work together inside one ecosystem.
But the platform is only the starting point. The design around it determines whether the system actually works well.
Learn more about Mayer Networks Physical Security services.