1) Equipment
A good professional has access to good equipment and a supply chain that will support that equipment if something should go wrong. Many people try to save money by buying a kit from a big box store or online. Unfortunately, without a trained eye or a good understanding of what they are buying, many end up with equipment that is subpar in both quality and service support.
Would you know if the picture quality isn’t matching the specifications mentioned in the advertising? Probably not because you don’t have the experience and other products to compare it to. A good professional can look at a picture and tell you if it is truly HD, 4K, etc. In many instances, professional security camera installation could be extremely beneficial.
2) Shot Framing
I often come across camera installations where I am shocked at the placement of cameras. They just don’t make sense. Sometimes the cameras are looking straight at an open door looking directly at the sun, and others have a pole or wall blocking half of the shot. I have seen daytime shots with obvious obstructions close to the camera that I know will ruin the night time shot with the IR. Framing a shot properly includes capturing what the client wants to see while taking into account both day and night lighting, field of vision, auto focus, angles, and potential obstructions.
An Experienced professional can look at an area and see what the camera picture will look like while laying out the job. This can only happen through experience. The DIY consumer just picks a place and guesses.
3) Tools
Every professional has special tools that help them complete the task faster and more efficiently. If you are going to be doing the same thing day in and day out, it just makes sense. Some of the special tools used by camera installers include portable camera testers and monitors, ladders, drills and bits to work with various surfaces, pull sticks for pulling the cable, and tools for making connectors on the ends of the cable. I have come across many cameras that have been placed on the inside of the house or building looking through a window to see outside. This is a horrible choice because you will always have a glared in the daytime and at night the IR will reflect off the glass and obstruct the view with a glare from the inside as well.
When I have asked people about this type of setup it is usually because they didn’t have the equipment to install the camera properly and run the cable through the wall. When people decide to go DIY, they don’t factor in the time they will spend as a cost. Often, the finished installation will take even longer because they don’t have the tools.
4) Support
Most people choose the DIY project to save money. Unfortunately, there is the right way to save money and the wrong way to save money. I have DIY consumers that come into our shop all the time. They are usually handy people that recognize if they learn to manage their own cameras that they will save money and have better security because they will know the system better. They buy professional equipment from us and get the tech support and insight needed to do the job. They then pull the cables themselves and mount the cameras. They know that they can get support if they get over their heads. (These are mostly small business owners and tradesman that just don’t specialize in cameras.) Sometimes they hire us to help with connections, do the networking, or even an hour or two of consulting. They often have great success with their projects.
There are other DIY consumers however, that I see trying to save money anywhere they can and fail miserably. They buy equipment based on price and often have no understanding of what they have purchased. They have no tools, no support, no security system consulting, and don’t consider the amount of time it will take them to install the cameras. They don’t have a plan for camera maintenance. We get calls from these consumers each week asking if we will install the cameras they purchased off the internet or from a big box store now that they have realized they are in over their heads. (Sometimes after wasting a couple of days.)
5) Liability
One of the biggest mistakes people make is buying their camera equipment online and then getting a neighbor kid or someone else to put it up for them. Even if they hire a professional to install the equipment, they have become the general contractor. If something goes wrong, the finger pointing can start. Was the problem because of the equipment or the installation? It is often hard to determine. None the less, security liability is everything.
What happens if someone is injured during the installation or if damage is done to the property? The real money is saved by finding a good source for equipment and service that will be consistent today and five years later. Security is an ongoing issue and it requires more than a quick one-time fix.
At Dixon Security we are security camera experts! Call us at 801-455-0413 for a FREE on-site evaluation.
