A surveillance system is often a company's first line of defense. Though an alarm system can protect you from break-ins, it's more common that an employee or customer might steal. Nevertheless, there are some common mistakes business owners make when planning their system.

1. Purchasing Cheap Cameras

Cheaper cameras can have a tremendously different resolution than more expensive cameras. Though you may be able to capture something on film, it may not be visible enough to actually see what happened. You may be unable to use this as evidence, even if you got it on tape.

2. Leaving Gaps in Surveillance

Many thieves can detect gaps in surveillance by following a camera's line of sight. If a camera is positioned too high or at too great an angle, for instance, a thief will know that they can place themselves directly underneath it. You need to position cameras so there aren't any blind spots, which can take some time.

3. Not Modifying Security Settings

For many cameras, accessibility via the internet has become the norm. If you don't modify the security settings for your cameras, it's possible that people will be able to view them remotely. This could be a significant security risk, as thieves will then have access to detailed knowledge about your business, its inventory, and its schedule.

4. Forgetting About Sunlight

Sunlight can easily cause glare which will blind a camera. Make sure your cameras are positioned so that everything is visible throughout the day, and sunshine will never be reflected directly into the camera. 

5. Incorrectly Placing Motion Detectors

Motion detecting cameras should only be used in areas that generally don't get much activity when the business is closed. These are areas like hallways, where nothing is going to be moving. If you position motion detector cameras in the main areas, they could get triggered by something like a window dressing blowing around. Different types of camera are used for different things.

6. Not Having Enough Storage

Modern cameras upload all of their videos to an online storage facility. Alternatively, they can copy videos onto an external hard drive. Either way, you need a lot of space to store these videos. Many business owners underestimate the amount of space they need, but you need to be able to store videos from multiple cameras and you need to be able to store at least a month's worth of video. 

If you want to do your business installation right, it may be best to contact a surveillance system installation service. They'll handle everything for you, from selecting cameras to positioning them properly.