Once you make the decision to get a camera surveillance system, it is very easy to get overwhelmed by the types, technicals, and prices. Then you have to decide whether you should do it yourself or have it installed. Should you go to a big box store for “consumer-grade” or look into “commercial grade”? Well here is a hint, no matter what store you visit for security cameras, none of the ones they have for sale are installed in their business. Chain, warehouse or electronics stores always use commercial grades and for good reason. Here are some of the reasons you should choose commercial grade over consumer-grade cameras for your San Francisco property.

1. Commercial Grade Cameras Offer Better Quality:

At first, the two grades of cameras may seem similar, but if you could look inside the cameras you would see a distinct and obvious difference. First and foremost commercial-grade cameras are built for high-performance applications where failure to work is not an option. When evening comes and the natural lighting becomes low or not available, such as the nighttime hours, then the commercial-grade outshines the consumer. They truly outperform the consumer-grade as they have a larger internal video sensor and higher quality component that captures excellent low or no light video. So ask yourself what good is a video surveillance camera if it only works in daylight?

2. Commercial Grade Cameras Are More Adapted To Different Conditions:  

Commercial grade surveillance cameras are specifically designed for difficult light conditions. They can handle a door opening and flooding the sensor with light or taking a clear view of any intruder at midnight.  This is because consumer cameras do not have the software and hardware called High Dynamic Range (HDR). Consumer-grade cameras are known for poor night vision performance as they are short-range and fixed brightness.

3. Commercial Grade Cameras Offer Higher Resolution:

Resolution is another consideration when choosing between commercial and consumer-grade.  Resolution refers to the number of pixels or “dots” that make up the video image. The more dots, the more details in the video image. The two most popular are 1080p and 4k resolution. When it comes to the best camera resolution for your system and cameras, the best person to ask is your certified technician for advice to make sure your resolution and your hard drive space are compatible. 

4. Commercial Grade Cameras Can Be Fully Integrated Into Any System: 

Integration refers to the “smart” devices that can “talk” to each other via a network. Commercial-grade cameras will integrate with any of your smart home products such as Amazon Echo or Google nest.  Another benefit is that when a security sensor in a commercial camera is triggered due to an intrusion, the alarm will go off and the lights throughout the entire house will be automatically turned on.  Consumer cameras do not integrate as well

5. Commercial Grade Cameras Are Available At Affordable Price Points:

It goes without saying that commercial systems will be more costly than a consumer camera system. But the old saying “you get what you pay for” also applies to cameras. You can purchase a consumer camera for under $100, in fact, there are some systems retailing for $39.99. These cameras all claim they have 1080p resolution. A 1080p resolution is about a 2-megapixel photo-camera resolution. With the resolution of a $39.99 surveillance camera, you will not be able to identify a license plate number or the features on a person’s face. Isn’t identifying intruders the whole point of security? What you would pay for a professional camera system would be determined by what your installation technician recommends and your budget?

Before you go out and purchase that consumer-grade security system, talk to a security professional. They will review the risks to your San Francisco property and recommend a high quality, customized commercial grade system. A security professional will ensure your San Francisco property is fully protected.