Camera guide

Which type of CCTV camera do you need?

Most systems mix two or three types. Here’s where each one earns its place.

Dome

Best for: Indoor rooms, shops, offices, lobbies and covered sit-outs.
Strengths: Discreet and vandal-resistant; people can’t easily tell where it’s pointing.
Watch out for: The dome cover can reflect infrared at night if it’s dirty or under eaves.

Best for: Gates, boundary walls, parking and long driveways.
Strengths: Long infrared range and a visible deterrent; easy to aim at distant areas.
Watch out for: More exposed to tampering — mount high, out of reach.

Best for: Factory yards, campuses, large car parks and warehouses.
Strengths: One camera patrols a wide area and zooms in on incidents.
Watch out for: It only records where it’s pointing — pair it with fixed cameras.

Best for: Open-plan shops, halls and ceilings where one camera should see the whole room.
Strengths: Replaces several fixed cameras indoors; no blind corners.
Watch out for: Less detail at the edges — not ideal for identifying faces at doors.

Best for: Finished homes and rented spaces where running cables is difficult.
Strengths: Quick to install; most record to an SD card and the cloud as well.
Watch out for: Still need power at each point; signal through thick walls can drop.

Best for: Farms, construction sites and plots with no power or internet.
Strengths: Fully independent: solar panel, battery and a SIM card for live view.
Watch out for: Needs good mobile coverage and a data plan; monsoon months reduce solar charging.

Best for: Main doors and gates: see and talk to visitors before opening.
Strengths: Indoor monitor, two-way talk and, with some models, gate release and mobile calls.
Watch out for: Not a substitute for recording cameras around the property.

Mix wide and narrow: wide lenses (2.8 mm) show the scene, narrower lenses (6–12 mm) at doors and gates catch faces and number plates.
Mount at 2.5–3 m: high enough to resist tampering, low enough to see faces, not just the tops of heads.
Avoid pointing at the sun or bright lights: backlight turns visitors into silhouettes; WDR cameras help.
Plan storage up front: use the storage calculator so footage isn’t overwritten before you need it.