Commercial Integrator February 2021 - 31

INTEGRATION Installation Tips
INSTALLATION
TIPS FOR VIDEO
SURVEILLANCE
SYSTEMS
Whether you are new to installing video surveillance
systems or have been at it for years, these installation
tips are great to keep in mind. By Adam Forziati
TECHNICIANS OF ALL EXPERIENCE
levels can make mistakes, it happens. But
whether you're new to installing surveillance
systems, or you've been in the game
for years, the following tips are essential to
consider before and during installation.
Before the Install
Susan Smith, Director of Sales & Marketing,
Mission Protection Systems, says showing
your customer an example of what they are
going to get beforehand can be crucial.
Using an app to see a recorder and
different camera views targets what a client
wants and how much it will cost them.
" We use blue painter's tape to mark
where each camera is going and this
corresponds with how the cameras are
numbered and named on the drawings, "
she says.
" We make any special notes about
mounting heights or exact placement
on the tape, and any other special notes
from the customer. We also use the blue
painter's tape to mark our hub boxes and
switches, NVR, and monitor locations. "
This is not only a time saver for the techs
when working on large jobs with 100+
cameras, but it has also helped Mission
Protection on large jobs when a customer
comes back and questions a camera location,
Smith says.
Understanding the importance of each
commercialintegrator.com
and every camera is critical, according to
John Nemerofsky, Chief Operating Officer,
Sage Integration.
" Talk with other department heads to
see if they can benefit from live or recorded
video from cameras dedicated for their
use, " he says. " They may contribute to the
overall project budget. "
Compliance
Video surveillance laws greatly vary state
by state and most times customers are
completely unaware of these laws.
" I often walk job sites or places I may
happen to be a customer of where other
security professionals haven't followed
simple compliance laws and have installed
cameras in bathrooms or fitting rooms, "
Smith says.
Labor-saving surveillance installation tips
Smith says items such as bang on clips
and rings for pulling wires may cost a little
more, but they save on time.
Magnetic camera mounts from Mag Daddy
help techs install cameras on beams,
especially when located in tight spaces or if
the camera may need to be moved.
" The magnetic camera mounts have
been especially useful for thermal camera
installations in tight spaces where the field
of view is very limited, but must be installed
at just the right location to pick up change
in temperature, " Smith says.
Ensuring Secure Systems
Don't forget to change the manufacturer's
default passwords.
" Hackers use IP-based cameras to gain
access to a corporate network. Yet, it's
amazing how a password such as 1234 still
allows access to many systems, " Nemerofsky
says.
He advises technicians set a secure password
of at least 12 to 15 random characters,
including upper and lowercase letters,
numerals and symbols.
Good passwords should be impossible
to remember, so keep them listed - IP
addresses as well - in a password manager
database protected by high-grade 256-bit
encryption.
Install cameras with encrypted signals.
Never connect cameras to a public network.
And secure the business network to
keep hackers out of the video system.
Outdoor Surveillance System
Installation Tips
" When installing outdoors, be careful of
placing cameras at building corners that
may create blind spots, " Nemerofsky says.
" Ensure there is sufficient lighting to see
identifying features of people or vehicles.
Infrared cameras are great for covering
large, low-light areas. At night, these cameras
see farther and offer more detail than
their daytime counterparts. " CI
FEBRUARY 2021 Commercial Integrator
31
http://www.commercialintegrator.com
Commercial Integrator February 2021

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