How to Choose the Right CCTV System for a Business in Zanzibar

In Depth

In Depth

Most CCTV disappointments are decided before the first camera goes up: cameras in the wrong places, grey night footage, a recorder that keeps four days, or a lost password. This guide shows Zanzibar businesses how to choose a system by answering a few questions in order.

It is for owners and managers of shops, offices, hotels, guesthouses, clinics, warehouses and schools who want CCTV that is actually useful when something happens. The interactive tutorial above takes you through the same decisions with worked numbers.

Step 1: Decide what each camera must achieve

Start with the incidents you want to prevent or investigate, not with a camera count. For each area, write one sentence:

• Gate or main entrance: identify everyone who walks in.
• Till or cash office: see hands, notes and the drawer clearly.
• Car park or yard: see vehicles moving and, if needed, read number plates at the gate.
• Store room or stock area: see who goes in and what they carry out.
• Perimeter wall or beach access: detect someone crossing, even if you cannot identify them.

The international CCTV standard IEC 62676-4 describes these levels by pixel density, the number of image pixels across each metre of the scene at the target: about 25 pixels per metre to detect a person, 62 to observe what they are doing, 125 to recognise someone you know, and 250 to identify a stranger. Pixel density is simply the camera's horizontal resolution divided by the width of the scene where the person stands.

The lesson: a single wide camera covering a whole yard detects movement but rarely identifies anyone. Identification needs the camera close to the subject, at a pinch point such as a door or gate, or a narrower lens. Lighting and focus matter too, so treat these figures as minimums, not guarantees.

Step 2: Decide how long you need to keep footage

Many incidents, such as missing stock or a disputed delivery, are only noticed days or weeks later. Agree a retention period with management first, for example 14 or 30 days. That period, together with the number of cameras and their bitrate, decides the hard-drive size. Our CCTV storage calculator gives an estimate, and how much CCTV storage do you need? explains the arithmetic.

Step 3: Choose the camera technology

For most new business installations, IP cameras with a network video recorder (NVR) are the better choice. They carry video and power over one network cable using Power over Ethernet (PoE), offer the widest choice of resolutions and smart detection, and are easier to extend across a site. Analogue HD cameras with a DVR can still make sense when good coaxial cable is already in the walls, and hybrid recorders let you mix both during a gradual upgrade. The full comparison is in IP CCTV vs analogue CCTV.

Step 4: Match the camera to the position

• Bullet cameras suit long views along walls and driveways and are a visible deterrent.
• Dome and turret cameras suit receptions, corridors and shops. Vandal-resistant (IK10) domes suit positions within reach.
• PTZ cameras (pan-tilt-zoom) suit large yards and car parks where a guard actively watches. They often need more PoE power (PoE+ or 802.3bt), so check the switch.
• Number-plate (ANPR/LPR) cameras are specialised for reading plates at a controlled gate, with the right angle, shutter speed and lighting.

See bullet vs dome cameras and the which camera type? tool.

Step 5: Plan for Zanzibar conditions

Night lighting. Many compounds are dark after sunset. Infrared gives a clear black-and-white image; full-colour night cameras need some light or use their own white light. Test at night during the survey.

Salt air, sun and rain. Near the coast, choose outdoor cameras rated IP66 or better, sealed junction boxes, drip loops and stainless fixings. Avoid pointing cameras into the rising or setting sun.

Power cuts. A system that stops during a power cut misses the moments that matter. With PoE cameras, a UPS on the recorder, PoE switch and router keeps the whole system running. Size it for your usual outage, and protect long outdoor cable runs against surges.

PoE power budget. Each switch has a total PoE budget as well as a per-port limit. Add up the cameras' maximum consumption from their datasheets (it rises at night when IR is on) and leave a margin. The PoE budget calculator does the sums.

Distances. A copper network cable run is limited to 100 metres. Gatehouses, staff blocks or beach bars further away need a switch part-way or a fibre link; see fibre optic vs Ethernet.

Internet connection. Recording happens on site, so a slow internet connection only affects remote viewing and cloud copies. If you want to watch several cameras from your phone, check the connection's upload speed.

Step 6: Plan who views footage, and how

Decide who may view live video, who may export recordings and who administers the system. Give each person their own account with only the rights they need, and keep the admin password with at least two trusted people in your organisation. Remote viewing should use the manufacturer's app or a properly configured VPN, never router port forwarding. View CCTV on your phone safely explains the safer options.

Tanzania's Personal Data Protection Act applies to personal information, and video of identifiable people can be personal data. Place cameras for a clear security purpose, avoid private spaces such as toilets, changing rooms and guest rooms, and put up signs. Take legal advice if you are unsure.

What a good quotation includes

A quotation you can compare should list:

• Each camera with its type, resolution, lens and position (and its purpose).
• The recorder model, number of channels and spare capacity.
• Hard-drive size and the retention period it gives at the proposed settings.
• Cabling type and approximate lengths, PoE switches with their power budget, mounts and junction boxes.
• UPS and surge protection.
• Installation, configuration, secure remote viewing, user accounts and training.
• Warranty, handover documents (camera list, IP addresses, passwords held by you) and support after handover.

Common mistakes

• Buying on camera count. Ten badly placed cameras are worth less than five well placed ones.
• One wide camera for a whole yard. It detects movement but rarely identifies anyone.
• Ignoring night-time. Always check the picture after dark.
• Too little storage. The footage you need has already been overwritten.
• Default passwords and old firmware. Internet-connected recorders are a common target.
• No UPS. The system goes dark exactly when the power is cut.
• No one trained. Staff cannot find or export footage when it is needed.

Checklist before you buy

• Each camera position has a one-sentence purpose and a detail level (detect, recognise or identify).
• Retention period agreed and storage sized for it.
• IP, analogue HD or hybrid decided, with recorder and cameras matched.
• Night-time picture checked at the survey.
• Outdoor cameras and fixings suited to coastal conditions.
• PoE budget, cable distances, UPS and surge protection covered.
• Remote viewing method and individual user accounts agreed.
• Signs and camera placement respect privacy.
• Training, handover documents and support included in the quotation.

When to call Extrion

If you would like a site survey, a second opinion on a quotation or a full installation with secure remote viewing and handover, see our CCTV installation service, request a quote or contact us.

This guide is general information. Procedures, product features and firmware change, so check your own equipment's documentation before you start.