Building Camera Systems

Building Camera Systems

There are many considerations when constructing a camera system for a building. Items to consider are the number of cameras, camera placements, location of the DVR (digital video recording device, takes the place of old-school video tapes), when it will be regularly reviewed and what to look for, and backup system and number of recording days. But first, you need to understand why you’re installing a camera system and/or upgrading it.

PURPOSE

There are three reasons to install a camera system. The first reason is for building security. In the event that something is stolen, a resident is accosted, or property is damaged, the camera system will be used to review its history for people’s faces and the truth about what happened. I had a police officer come to my office to have me review a building’s camera to see if a nearby murderer’s face appeared when he passed by on the sidewalk.

The second reason is for staff supervision. I’ve had many buildings ask me to review their camera systems for late arriving and early leaving staff members, articles in the building missing with staff suspected of stealing, and staff members gone missing during the day. These videos need to be recorded for future citing at Union grievance hearings and arbitrations. They can be recorded easily using a Blackberry recording the screen to get the key moments rather than going through the often complex DVR backup system.

The third reason is for live viewing. If the building has multiple entrances, such as a parking garage entrance, the doorman will need to see who is pulling in before buzzing the garage door open or allowing people into an unmanned service entrance.

HARDWARE

You’ll want a DVR system that allows for as many cameras as you’re looking to place plus additional open ports for possible future installations. I recommend a DVR that has recording capacity of at least 30 days, which is roughly a 500 GB hard drive, which varies with the number of cameras installed and the quality of the recording. You’ll also want an external backup system, such as a $200 USB external drive to auto-backup every 2-3 weeks. This will give you 6-7 weeks of backup.

The cameras you use should be color. For always-lit areas, the type doesn’t matter, but for areas that go dark at night, specify outdoor infrared cameras. This will allow some form of visibility at night.

PLACEMENTS

The reason for having a camera system is important as this will determine camera placements. Most buildings install one in the lobby and at any other entrance. Other locations can include roof door access, roofs, elevators, secondary vestibules, front sidewalks, rear sidewalks, mechanical room entry, and Superintendent offices. I recommend at a bare minimum having a lobby camera to record who enters and exits the building. A second camera should be placed if the building has a second entrance. You’ll want to hold your staff accountable and this is a great way.

Many buildings have elevator cameras. These placements require drops from the elevator room above. Once complete or at the same time, lines can be run to place cameras on the roof. Having a camera in the elevator facing the number of the floor the elevator stops at allows you to view the historical floor access at a certain point in time. This is useful if property on a particular floor is damaged and you need to know who caused it.

Note, roof camera drops cannot be run in an elevator shaft without them being installed in the elevator as well. I went through this with a past building, camera company, and elevator company. The elevator company told me it was against NYC code.

Having a roof camera is useful as parties often occur on roofs, whether approved or not. At times, items are dropped off of the roof or people fall down stairwells. Having a camera view what occurred may keep your building out of insurance liability trouble. This general rule applies for just about any incident where someone claims one thing but the camera backup shows another.

(camera pic from sxriore.com)