Given the advancements in today's technology, security cameras for your home or business have never been more affordable. There are countless options and vendors out there to choose from. To help make this important decision for your family or business, I wanted to highlight some of the things to consider when deciding on a potential solution.
Probably the most important and deciding factor when shopping for a video camera solution is which pricing model you will choose - a one-time fee or subscription-based service.
There are benefits to both payment models. A subscription-based service provides a relatively low barrier to entry cost and normally uses a DIY installation method. This means you, the consumer, are responsible for the design, installation and setup of whatever subscription-based service you choose. If you like to tinker - and are not afraid of getting up on a ladder, this could be the solution for you.
You can save a significant upfront cost with a bit of elbow grease and ingenuity. To keep costs low and installation simple. Most vendor systems will rely on battery-powered, WiFi-capable cameras that use a web-based Cloud solution to store your video footage. That's where the subscription comes in, you pay in perpetuity for as long as you use the service. Purchase and install the camera(s), hook it up to your WiFi and for the most part, you're done. The system is designed to 'just work' and sacrifices some functionality for the sake of simplicity. Something that's often overlooked is streaming video footage can be one of the most demanding applications on a wireless network and can impact the performance of other devices within your home or business. All the video footage is uploaded and stored in the Cloud so you must also consider that most Internet Service Providers have a monthly Data Cap (the amount of 'Internet' you can use) and going over that limit can lead to additional monthly charges.
Also, that elbow grease I mentioned earlier? Be prepared to pull that ladder out of the garage once or twice a year to change the batteries in your cameras. Also keep in mind, if your home or business WiFi and/or Internet connection goes down, your cameras lose all access to the system and more importantly fails to record. And as Murphy's Law dictates this usually happens when you need the system the most - during an event or when trying to retrieve Cloud video footage from last week only to realize that the battery in your camera went dead a few months ago.
Conversely, a onetime fee solution is a significant investment and you should research your options thoroughly before deciding on an option. While there is a significant upfront cost, some of that may come back to you in the form of increased value for residential properties as well as deter crime or theft potentially saving an untold amount of money and/or product on the business side. Choosing a vendor gains you the advantage of having an industry professional work with you to tailor a custom solution to meet your specific needs. Set up and installation is provided by the vendor, hence the increased cost, and generally speaking the hardware used is of better quality and has a more robust feature set (think bells and whistles). One of the most significant differences between both options is that a professionally installed camera system will use a wired versus wireless connection.
If you've ever visited our website www.solutionsbynova.net you have probably learned that for the last 25 years or so I've made my living using wireless technology. So you'll be surprised when I say a wired connection - whether it be to a camera, PC, or other device will always be more reliable and perform better than a wireless connection. That wire also provides power to the camera - so no digging out the ladder from the garage. And all of your video footage is stored locally, or on-premises, so you do not have to rely on your WiFi or Internet connection for functionality or to retrieve video footage.
Both solutions will come with some sort of web-based access, via a phone app or a webpage where you can log in and view both stored and real-time footage. Both solutions have their pros and cons. It's up to you to decide what is best for your home or business. Hopefully, I've shed some light on that. If you have more questions or are interested in Nova Tech providing you with a free quote, feel free to shoot us an email (info@solutionsbynova.net) or call us directly at 484.877.1247
Thanks for your time. Rob @ Nova Technologies
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