Purchasing a wireless video surveillance CCTV system for your business is just the first step. Installing it and setting up access is the second. While many companies find that it’s easier and less time consuming for them to hire an expert installation business to handle the job, you can do this yourself. Choosing to go this route will save you money, and it allows for a slightly more custom setup. In order to do this yourself, you’ll need to follow some basic instructions. Here’s how to do this, step by step.
Choose Your Locations Wisely
It all starts with the best locations for your cameras for the best commercial security. You need to place them in spaces where they’ll be unobtrusive and out of the way so that people don’t notice them. They shouldn’t be in locations that are easily blocked by things like bags, boxes, and so on. Basically, you don’t want anyone to be able to tamper with the cameras and their feeds. In addition to this, the cameras need to be aimed in very specific ways.
Think to yourself what the most vulnerable places are in your business. Is it the cash register? Do you have an aisle filled with expensive merchandise? Do you want to keep an eye on who is coming in and out of the front door? All of these are valid things to point your cameras at, so angle them intentionally. Don’t just stick them randomly on the ceiling.
Make Sure That the Cameras Are Connected To the Internet
Before you hang the cameras up, follow the instructions that came with them. Charge their batteries fully, and go through the process of connecting them to your company’s internet service. Make sure that the cameras are on. Otherwise, you’ll have to do all of this while precariously perched on a ladder.
That is dangerous, and you run the risk of hurting yourself or even dropping the camera. Instead, handle every part of the general camera set up before you hang them. Once this is done, you can move on to the next step.
Hang the Cameras Up
Now that your cameras are fully set up and functioning, it’s time to hang them. Your surveillance system should have come with brackets that hold each camera. You’ll need to use a cordless drill to make holes for the anchors. Do this and then hang the brackets, using the included screws. Once the brackets are securely fastened, you can go ahead and place the cameras in them.
Now your system is ready to go. Before you get down from the ladder, check one more time to ensure that the cameras are on, properly connected to the internet, and pointing at the right areas of your business. If they are, then they are all set to go.
Install Your Monitoring Software
Unlike the old versions of wireless video surveillance, the new ones have software that will work with just about any computer, as well as your cell phone, via an app. In order to monitor your feed, you need to install that programming and then sync it with the cameras.
This is much easier to do than it sounds, and the programs will just take you through all of the necessary steps. You might run into a bit of trouble when it comes to syncing with the cameras, but this is something that’s solved fairly easily. Once your monitoring software is set up and you can see the live feeds from the cameras, you can make any necessary adjustments regarding the refresh rates and other things.
Adjust Your Cameras
Speaking of adjustments, you can adjust your cameras as needed once you see them on the feeds. Odds are, they aren’t in the correct positions since it’s very difficult to see exactly where they’re pointing when you’re just hanging them from the ceiling. Now that they’re up and functioning – and you can see exactly what they’re aimed at – you can adjust them.
This is really a job for two people since someone needs to move the camera while the other watches the feed. Otherwise, you’ll end up having to keep moving them incrementally until everything is perfect.
Keep an Eye on Your Business
Now that your cameras are installed and properly adjusted, your system is all set to go. You can watch your video feeds from your smartphone (thanks to the app) or from your office computer – wherever you have the software installed.
Keep in mind that many of these video surveillance commercial security systems only keep their data for a certain number of days, so it will automatically get deleted at some point. You should be able to customize this and keep it for as long as necessary, just in case something does happen. Just go in and adjust those settings.