[BCMA] Security camera question

[Moderated BCMA subscriber listserv]

Hello Julianna,

I'm the curator at the Chase & District Museum & Archives Society. We
recently upgraded our security camera system in 2020. We use Telus for our
internet, phone line, and security alarm system so it made sense for us to
use Telus Custom Security Systems for our cameras. We purchased a Hikvision
set which can have up to 8 cameras (I think there were other systems which
could handle more than 8 cameras as well). It has a 2 TB hard drive. We
also purchased a large surge protector/UPS which was recommended by Telus
(uninterrupted power supply, acts as a battery back up in event of a power
failure and surge protector, as well as taking stress off the hard drive).
It is not connected through the internet so even when I lose the internet
for the computer the cameras still run. We purchased the system outright
meaning we only had to pay a single cost for the equipment and installation
through Telus. We only have to pay about $80 per service charge and I've
only had a couple of those. The total cost was $4,106.86 however, we asked
the Village of Chase to cover this purchase as the Village owns this
property and they agreed.

Initially we only purchased 6 cameras but after our own vandalism incident
a few months later, we purchased a seventh camera to cover a blind spot. We
paid for the installation and equipment ourselves this time which was
$415.00 + tax. We also provided our own monitor so no extra cost there.

I've found that their cameras are excellent and a remarkable upgrade from
our previous system. They are able to capture a very wide view and they
give a very clear image at 4 megapixels, both in the daytime and at night
(in lighted areas). We could have opted for upgraded night vision cameras
(Dark Fighter) but as the outside of the building is fairly lit up and
there are some street lights we decided we didn't need to. We have 5 on the
outside of the building, 1 inside our gallery, and 1 inside the historic
cabin we have on the property. The system is very easy to use in regards to
viewing previous footage and saves the footage for somewhere around 10 days
(depending on if previous footage has been saved to the hard drive). I've
found that the outside cameras do need to be cleaned about once a year,
particularly after winter/wet spring as the water (and anything trapped in
it) dries and clouds the image.

The best part of the system is that there's an app that can be downloaded
for free (both iphones and androids) so that you can view the live camera
footage at any time from anywhere! I use it often in the winter to check
the road conditions (if the parking stalls have been cleared, etc.). It's
private so no one else can access it without a passcode and multiple people
can have access to it (say for multiple employees). As I'm the only
employee here, it's just me with the app but I could give access to one of
my more tech-savvy (and local) board members if they were interested.

Hope that was helpful!
Breanne

On Thu, 13 Jan 2022 at 10:43, Moderated BCMA subscriber listserv <
listserv at lists.museum.bc.ca> wrote:

> Hi everyone,
>
> We are considering buying a new system of security cameras for our small
> museum after some incidents of loitering, frequent littering, and
> vandalism. Our current system is a set of simple wi-fi-connected cameras,
> but we are looking for something more reliable that will not go down if our
> internet is offline. Affordability is quite important for us as a small
> organization.
>
> Can anyone share what kind of camera system, if any, your small museum
> uses?
>
> Thank you for your help.
>
> Sincerely,
>
>
> *Julianna Weisgarber*
>
> *Executive Director*
>
> Oliver and District Heritage Society Museum and Archives
>
> www.oliverheritage.ca l 250.498.4027 l 430 Fairview Rd, Oliver BC
>
>
>
> *I acknowledge that my work place is within the unceded ancestral and
> traditional territory of the syilx Okanagan Nation.*
> _______________________________________________
> Listserv mailing list
> Listserv at lists.museum.bc.ca
> http://lists.museum.bc.ca/listinfo.cgi/listserv-museum.bc.ca
>


-- 
Breanne Malo
She/Her
Curator/Manager
Chase & District Museum & Archives
250-679-8847
Box 160 - 1042 Shuswap Avenue, Chase B.C. V0E 1M0
chasemuseumsociety at gmail.com
www.chasemuseum.com
"LIKE" us on Facebook
www.facebook.com/pages/Chase-and-District-Museum/141681956033401
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