Consider This Your Crash Course in Commercial Surveillance!

As the St. Petersburg, FL-area experts, AV Specialists would love to help you with installs and integrations -- or just with general information regarding anything security or automation. We believe surveillance is one of the first security investments you should make in your business, so we want to help you get it right. We partner with brands like Pakedge and Lilin to ensure that nothing but top-quality surveillance equipment makes it into your office.

If you want to harness the power of office surveillance and protect your business and employees, there are a few points to address first. We’ve outlined five quick questions to ask before choosing an office surveillance system.

SEE ALSO: Smart Technology Upgrades To Keep Your Business Secure

Why Would I Need a Surveillance System for Security?

As we mentioned before, surveillance serves as the foundation of any smart office. It’s the first resource for catching suspicious activity; therefore, it protects you and your employees from offenses like theft and vandalism.

These days, employee schedules are growing increasingly flexible, but surveillance cameras can work around the clock too to make sure employees are entering and exiting the office safely, without any unwanted intruders or natural threats, such as fires. If anything strange occurs, not only will your security cameras pick it up, but you can also view it later, and, if necessary, show the footage to law enforcement.

Should I Go Wired or Wireless?

The short answer: This all depends on both your preferences and your company’s unique needs.

A wired system can power more cameras throughout the building; you might consider it in an expansive office. The downside? Though a hardwired system is always the most durable option, it’s then more difficult to relocate the cameras after we’ve installed them.

Wireless cameras, however, offer internet-based coverage without wires and communicate wirelessly to the central control panel via radio frequencies. Pros to wireless office surveillance include camera portability and more flexible installations. Like most complex wireless systems, wireless monitoring comes with an increased risk of network interference.

You’ll have to ask yourself additional questions: How many cameras do you need? Do you have enough bandwidth to support the number of cameras you want? Will you need to update your wireless access points to cover more office space?

What Kind of Footage Should I Get, and How Can I View It?

As Control4’s premier Central Florida partner, AV Specialists uses their automation and security solutions in most of our projects. We appreciate that Control4 supports the same streaming capabilities that surveillance cameras use to deliver video at 80% or more bandwidth savings, so you get detailed, minimum-latency video footage.

Whether you want to view your footage remotely or on your C4 touchpads throughout your office, AV Specialists can give you the setup that ensures that you feel in control of your office at all times. We will look at your office and discuss your needs to determine how many screens you want, who will receive remote access, who can view footage and much more.

Are There Any Additional Benefits I Need to Consider?

You can also benefit when we’re talking about intra-office capabilities. As a business owner, you deserve to know what’s going on around the office. You can view your office from your smartphone and receive notification in case anything goes awry. You can also use your surveillance equipment to control productivity and labor hours, factors that directly impact your company’s bottom line.

You may find that surveillance increases accountability in your office. Have you noticed a few departments behind on project deadlines? Office surveillance can monitor which employees might be slacking on assignments or lingering in the break area.

I Have Office Surveillance Installed Already: What’s Next?

If you want to take your office surveillance system to the next level, we recommend adding some additional features to sync to your office security system, such as automated lighting, alarms, smart locks and much more.

When you centralize control of all of these with a system such as Control4, many possibilities open up that all start with improved surveillance. For example, a vandal outside your company may run away because the cameras spotted them and triggered an alarm. Conversely, the smart locks you integrate with your surveillance can allow you to remotely open the door for pizza delivery and surprise your team with a delicious lunch -- even if you’re halfway around the globe on business.

Optimizing your surveillance also means making sure other areas of your business are performing well too. For example, your network might need a boost because automated systems depend on it. You might even want outdoor lighting because cameras can’t detect as much visual info without adequate light.

Want even more info about office surveillance? We’d be happy to assist you by giving you a tour of our showroom or providing you a hassle-free consultation. If you’re interested, contact us today for more information!