CCTV and video

Video surveillance is the layer the institution measures by recording quality, not by camera count. A site with twenty cameras that can identify a face is more useful than a site with eighty cameras that capture motion but cannot resolve a feature. The discipline in CCTV design is matching the camera, the lens, the resolution, the lighting, and the mounting position to the answer the institution needs the recording to deliver. Get the design right and the recording answers the question; get it wrong and the recording is decoration.

Camera type by application

When the rule applies

Every camera on the install. The decision among fixed dome, fixed bullet, PTZ, multi-sensor, and specialty cameras depends on the scene and on the institutional answer the recording has to deliver.

The five common camera types

Fixed dome: Single sensor, fixed lens or motorised varifocal, hemispherical or cylindrical housing. Used indoors and outdoors for general coverage of a defined scene. Aesthetically neutral, hard to determine the camera’s exact pointing direction from below.
Fixed bullet: Single sensor, fixed lens or motorised varifocal, exterior cylindrical housing. Used outdoors where a longer focal length and dedicated IR illumination are needed and where the bullet’s silhouette is acceptable. Less aesthetically neutral than a dome; more visible as a deterrent.
PTZ (pan-tilt-zoom): Motorised pan and tilt, optical zoom (typical 30× to 40× on institutional models). Used on large open scenes where one camera covers what would otherwise require multiple fixed cameras. Requires an operator to drive the camera in real-time, or pre-set tour patterns for unattended coverage.
Multi-sensor: Multiple sensors in one housing, typically 4 or 8 sensors covering a 180° or 360° panoramic field. Used in corridors, parking lots, and open areas where the alternative is multiple cameras with overlapping coverage. Higher single-unit cost; lower install labour.
Specialty: Thermal cameras for perimeter detection in low-light or no-light conditions. Long-range cameras for runway, terminal, or perimeter applications. Explosion-proof cameras for classified hazardous locations. License plate recognition (LPR/ALPR) cameras for vehicle entry tracking.

The spec

// CAMERA SELECTION CRITERIA

Resolution: minimum 1080p (2 MP) for new institutional work; 4K (8 MP) where face or licence-plate identification is the recording goal
Frame rate: 15 fps minimum for general coverage; 30 fps for identification and forensic applications
Low-light performance: starlight or near-starlight sensor for cameras in areas with night-time activity; IR illumination on bullet cameras for full darkness
Wide dynamic range (WDR): 120 dB minimum for cameras facing windows or doorways with mixed lighting
Compression: H.265 (HEVC) standard; H.264 acceptable on retrofit where the VMS does not support H.265
Environmental rating: IP66 minimum outdoor, IP67 for harsh environments, IK10 vandal-resistance for public-access areas
Operating temperature: -35°C to +60°C minimum for Canadian outdoor work; integrated heater on outdoor camera bodies
Cybersecurity: cameras compliant with the institutional cybersecurity baseline (chapter 11): firmware current, default credentials changed, only required protocols enabled

Field note

Banned manufacturers

Resolution and pixels-per-foot

When the rule applies

Every camera on the project. The pixels-per-foot (PPF) or pixels-per-metre (PPM) at the target distance is the math that determines whether the camera can identify, recognise, observe, or just detect a subject.

The four PPF tiers

Identification (80 PPF / 250 PPM): The recording resolves enough detail to identify a face or a licence plate. Required for evidentiary use. Cameras specified for this purpose are placed close to the target scene and use the focal length the math requires.
Recognition (40 PPF / 125 PPM): The recording resolves enough detail to recognise a known subject (a person the operator already knows). Used for general internal investigation and known-person surveillance.
Observation (20 PPF / 65 PPM): The recording resolves enough detail to observe activity (what the subject is doing). Used for general activity monitoring.
Detection (10 PPF / 30 PPM): The recording resolves enough detail to detect that a subject is present. Used for area coverage where the goal is to know that something happened, not who did it.

The math

The spec

Lens selection and focal length

When the rule applies

Every fixed camera. The lens determines the field of view (FOV) and, combined with the sensor resolution, the PPF.

The spec

// LENS SELECTION

Motorised varifocal lens for institutional work: the lens range covers the typical 2.7 to 12 mm or 9 to 22 mm depending on application, allowing field adjustment without lens change
Fixed lens acceptable for cameras with a stable, well-defined scene
Wide-angle lens (under 4 mm) for very close coverage; introduces barrel distortion at the edges
Telephoto lens (over 12 mm) for distant subjects; narrows the FOV, requires careful aim and stable mount
Sensor format match: full-frame, 1/1.8”, 1/2”, 1/3” sensors paired with lenses rated for the format
Aperture: f/1.4 to f/2.0 for low-light applications; the wider aperture pulls more light onto the sensor at night
IR-corrected lens for cameras with IR illumination; non-corrected lens shifts focus between visible and IR light, producing soft IR images

Mounting heights and angles

When the rule applies

Every camera. The mounting height and angle determine the scene the camera sees and the PPF achieved at the target distance.

The spec

// CAMERA MOUNTING

Indoor general coverage: 2700 mm (9 ft) AFF minimum, mounted to the structural ceiling or to a wall
Indoor identification (face capture at entries): 2400 mm (8 ft) AFF, angled to capture face at the target distance
Outdoor perimeter: 4000 mm (13 ft) AFF minimum, on a building exterior or pole, with vandal-resistance considered for public-access elevations
Outdoor parking lot: 6000 to 9000 mm (20 to 30 ft) on a pole, providing a wide-area view with the lens choice determining specific PPF
Detention holding cell: 3700 mm (12 ft) AFF minimum, with anti-ligature hardware and tamper-resistant fasteners, fed from the secure side of the wall (chapter 16)
Stairwell: at the landing, angled to capture both the stairs above and the landing area
Elevator interior: at the upper corner opposite the door, angled down toward the door area
Angle below horizontal: 15° to 45° typical for general coverage; lower angles capture more area at lower PPF, higher angles capture less area at higher PPF

Field note

VMS platform selection

When the rule applies

Every video install. The VMS is the platform that records the cameras, manages playback, and serves video to operators and to investigations.

The institutional VMS options

Genetec Omnicast: Part of the Genetec Security Center unified platform. Manages cameras alongside access control (Synergis), ALPR (AutoVu), and intrusion. Strong fit where the institution standardises on the Genetec unified platform.
Milestone XProtect: Open-platform VMS with strong third-party integration ecosystem. Available in Express, Professional+, Expert, and Corporate editions for different deployment sizes. Strong fit for institutional deployments with diverse camera fleets.
Avigilon Control Center (ACC): Closely integrated with Avigilon camera hardware, with advanced analytics (Avigilon Appearance Search, Unusual Motion Detection) included on the H4 and H6 camera families. Strong fit where Avigilon cameras are the institutional fleet.
Bosch BVMS (Video Management System): Bosch’s enterprise VMS, integrated with Bosch camera hardware. Strong fit on Bosch-standardised institutional deployments.
Software House C-CURE with video integration: C-CURE 9000 with American Dynamics victor unified client integrating Milestone or other VMS. Strong fit where C-CURE is the access platform and video integrates through victor.

Field note

Storage sizing and retention

When the rule applies

Every recording deployment. The storage is sized at design against the camera count, the resolution, the frame rate, the compression, and the retention period.

The spec

// STORAGE SIZING

Retention period: per institutional policy (typically 30 days for general institutional, 90 days for healthcare, 1 to 2 years for detention and high-security)
Bit rate per camera: vendor-provided for the specific camera, resolution, frame rate, and compression; typical 2 MP H.265 continuous record is 2 to 4 Mbps per camera
Storage = (number of cameras) × (bit rate Mbps) × (retention seconds) / 8 (bits to bytes) × (1.10 overhead margin)
Storage architecture: direct-attached storage (DAS) for small installations, network-attached storage (NAS) for medium, storage area network (SAN) for enterprise
RAID protection: RAID 6 minimum for institutional video storage (tolerates two simultaneous drive failures)
Storage drives: enterprise NL-SAS or enterprise SATA, rated for 24/7 surveillance workload (not consumer drives)
Drive size: 8 TB to 16 TB enterprise surveillance drives are the typical 2026 institutional choice
Storage volume monitoring: drive health, RAID state, capacity utilisation reported to the institutional NOC

Worked example

Privacy and regulatory compliance

When the rule applies

Every video install in Canada. PIPEDA federally, plus provincial privacy legislation (PIPA in BC and Alberta, FIPPA and PHIPA in Ontario, similar in other provinces) govern personal information collection through video surveillance.

The spec

// PRIVACY AND COMPLIANCE

Signage: visible notification at every entry to a video-monitored area, identifying the operator and providing contact information per provincial privacy guidance
Audio recording: disabled by default on every camera; audio capture requires institutional privacy office review and additional signage
Camera coverage: cameras positioned to avoid capturing areas where privacy expectation is high (washrooms, change rooms, residence rooms, treatment areas) unless explicitly authorised by institutional policy
Retention: minimum required for the institutional purpose, no longer than policy permits (over-retention is a privacy violation in some jurisdictions)
Access to recordings: restricted to authorised users with documented business purpose; access logged in the VMS audit trail
Disclosure: recordings released only on legal authority (warrant, court order, or institutional disclosure process)
Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA): conducted for new institutional video installations; updated when significant changes are made

Field note

Camera network design

When the rule applies

Every IP video install. The camera traffic is high-bandwidth, latency-sensitive, and continuous. Network design for cameras is different from network design for data.

The spec

// CAMERA NETWORK

Dedicated VLAN for cameras, isolated from data and management traffic (chapter 11)
Bandwidth per camera summed at design; switch uplinks sized for the aggregate plus 50 percent margin
QoS: cameras and VMS server prioritised over general data traffic at the switch
Multicast vs unicast: multicast where the VMS supports it (reduces network load when multiple operators view the same camera)
Camera and VMS firewall: cameras restricted to talk only to the VMS server and the management workstation; no internet access except for documented firmware update sources
NTP from the cameras to the institutional time source for accurate timestamp on recordings
Camera cybersecurity baseline: default credentials changed, firmware current, only required protocols enabled (HTTPS, ONVIF, RTSP if used; Telnet and unused services disabled)

// THE PRACTITIONER POSITION

Video is recording quality, not camera count. Design every camera against a PPF target tied to the institutional purpose: identification at entries, recognition at corridors, observation at general areas. Axis is the institutional default for IP cameras, Bosch for low-light intensive applications, Avigilon where the Avigilon analytics package is required. Verify the institution’s procurement restrictions before specifying any camera (Hikvision and Dahua are restricted federally and in several provinces). Pick the VMS the institution standardises on (Genetec Omnicast, Milestone XProtect, Avigilon Control Center, Bosch BVMS). Size storage for the retention period plus 10 percent margin. Coordinate privacy and signage with the institutional privacy office before commissioning. Get this right and the recording answers the question; get it wrong and the recording is decoration.