The most basic video surveillance setup would be a single camera connected directly to a monitor and a recorder
to store the video. While a setup like this could help security in some cases, it is unlikely to be enough for most
businesses. Most situations call for multiple cameras. In some cases, you may even want a moveable camera
to cover a large area.

Before starting to compare systems sit down and consider your CCTV needs carefully. First, consider what you
want to monitor. General comings and goings? Vehicles? Do you want to see faces, merchandise, crowds? Once
you decide what you want to see, choosing components will become easier.

Next, decide what picture quality you need. Quality can refer to both how detailed the image is and how fast the
frame rate is. Frame rate is simply a measure of how many individual pictures make up the video. "Full motion",
what you see on television and on VHS tapes, is 30 frames per second, or fps. Most often, CCTV systems record
at slower rates, which result in more jerky-looking images but saves tape or hard drive space, allowing longer
periods of time to be recorded.

Think about how your system will be monitored. Will you simply record at all times, and only review the recording
when a problem occurs? Or will you have a dedicated employee watching for trouble? Also, with multiple cameras,
you have the option of connecting each to its own monitor, or combining multiple images onto one monitor.

You should also decide whether your priority is to deter potential crimes or to catch perpetrators. Both can be
important, but your priority will influence your purchasing decisions. If you are more interested in deterring certain
activities, large, visible cameras are your best bet. Trying to catch criminals without them being aware of it requires
hidden cameras, which cost more both for hardware and for installation. If your monitoring target is internal, you run
the added cost of having to hide and secure the recorder and monitor as well.