1. Define your goal
Before looking at equipment, answer three questions: what do you want to protect, against what, and how will you use the footage? Deterring a burglary, proving a fact, or monitoring an access or a stock do not call for the same setup.
2. Choose the cameras
| Criterion | Key point |
|---|---|
| Resolution | 4 MP is a good compromise; more pixels need more storage and bandwidth |
| Night vision | Infrared for full darkness; check the real range |
| Lens | Wide angle for a room, longer focal length for an entrance or gate |
| Outdoor | IP66 rating or higher, vandal-resistant housing if exposed |
| Power | PoE (power over the network cable): one cable, a more reliable installation |
3. Size the storage
Storage depends on the number of cameras, their resolution, the codec (H.265 saves a lot of space) and retention time. As an order of magnitude, a continuously recording camera uses a few tens of GB per day. Recording only on motion detection greatly reduces that volume. Also keep footage only as long as necessary — see below.
4. Follow the legal rules
5. Do not neglect cybersecurity
- Change default credentials at installation: it is the first cause of hacked cameras.
- Isolate cameras on a dedicated network, separate from your computers.
- Update firmware regularly.
- Avoid opening ports on your router to the Internet; prefer secure remote access.
- Enable two-factor authentication on the app if available.
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