Commercial surveillance

Design the business system around evidence requirements

Commercial surveillance gets expensive when camera count is guessed from square footage or every zone is designed for the same detail. Start with operational requirements, then size optics, storage, PoE and installation cost.

Research: the Commercial Surveillance Sizing Benchmarks 2026 publishes downloadable 8, 16, 24 and 32-camera storage/PoE scenarios.

Planning tools

Planning principle: reserve high pixel density for evidence-critical zones such as entrances, checkout areas and vehicle choke points. Use broader observation coverage elsewhere.