frenchie

Hi everyone, new here! I never had to look into CCTV systems before, so I could use a little advice! We are about to open a store / showroom (not many items in store, no high shelving). The space is 800 sqft more or less like so: |````````| | ____|``` |_| Longest dimensions are 45' and 28'. There are 2 entrances on the long side, and 1 in the back (staff only, in the tiny area at the bottom of my highly-detailed drawing!). This is where the desk / POS area will be as well. Looking at the various big-box-store solutions, it seems that I would be better off piece-mealing a system together for better quality at the same price (trying to stay under $500). My question is in regards to the layout of the cameras (either dome or box). how much "overlap" should I have to ensure that all areas are covered, especially right under each camera. if the camera is attached say 8-9' up, how much of the floor below and in front of it does it NOT cover? (if that makes sense). Right now i'm looking at 1/3" 3.5mm lens camera with Sony CCD chip (seems to be the best (?) in that price range) Any advice is appreciated. Thank you in advance, Pat

I was going for an 8-ch DVR. As you said, better to have too many channels and expand down the road than being restricted to 4. It sounds like varifocal is the way to go (2-0 so far!), so i'll do more research on that. I wish I could increase the budget, unfortunately we have many, many more expenses to cover! Thank you for your help.

Thanks for the advice, Dennis. I found a "CCTV design software" (free trial) and I can see what you mean by too much wall. I'll certainly look into the 6.x cameras. it looks like 4 cameras should be enough to cover all areas. The 2 main doorways come into the space by about 3' and create blind spots that wouldn't be covered by just 2. Pat