Who can provide the best security cameras in San Francisco & the Bay Area?

Read This before you buy your surveillance system!

Read the first page of the article titled "San Francisco security cameras' choppy video" from the San Francisco Gate before proceeding. You can also find the article at the bottom of this blog.

Now on with our story...

One would think that a City as large as San Francisco and a sizable police force would have the best camera systems and any criminal caught on them would be doomed. After all, with the resources government agencies have, you would think that they would end up with the best security

camera systems. No so true. In the security camera world, there are three main components that can make or break a system. The cameras, the connection (i.e. wires, wireless) and the Digital Video Recorder (DVR) for storage of images. Any weakness in any part of the system and you end up with a worthless system.

So what the solution to getting the best security camera systems? First, you have to decide if you want a camera system as a decoration, just a deterrent, or an action video capturing devise.

If you just want to have a system as decoration, then you don’t need the last two components mentioned above (connection or DVR). Just grab anything that looks like a camera and put them up.

What’s just a deterrent? Well, just putting up security cameras without a DVR is a deterrent. You are gambling that any would we bad guys would just see the cameras and... .

What's the problem? First, they might not see the cameras and keep on going. Second, the bad guys are getting pretty smart and can tell what is real and what is not. A deterrent is also what the City of San Francisco along with other cities have put up. All three components (cameras, connection, DVR) are all there, but when something happens then oh well, the system is of no use. So if you want just a deterrent, might as well skip the cheap connection and cheap DVR. Just put up decorations, but many out there just go with the lowest and cheapest system.

This is something we see over and over again. A person or agency walks in with a poor quality video resultant of whether a cheap system or a cheaply installed systems. This happened when we recently got a call from someone in the Pacific Heights neighborhood of San Francisco.

By the way, the best systems installed cheaply, is still a cheap system!!! Trust us, we know. We’ve had to show up and fix plenty of messes others have created. So back to the story. The guy gets a system. Something happens where he needs to see what actually occurred. When he retrieves the video, can’t make out what really happened. So he comes to us and asks us what we can do to improve the quality of the image.

Unfortunately, the real work is not like TV police shows where with a touch of a button the image is made much better. And even if it was, most of us don’t have the thousands it would cost to improve a video image by image. At this point of desperation, may are willing to pay much more that it would have cost to the have just bought the right system to begin with. Furthermore, they say that when they were watching the video life everything looked good, but upon retrieval the quality is much lower. For more on this read our blog on “what is the difference between viewing and recording.”

What is the solution?

1. First decide what you want the system for. Can you afford if something happened and you were not able to see the image?

2. If you want a system that will actually record good quality images, do not shop for the cheapest system or a guy who claims to be a camera installer. Call someone reputable like Sintel Systems whose name in on the line.

3. Make sure that every component of the security camera system is of high quality. Look for the following:

A. The cameras should not be from China. We recommend cameras made in South Korea. Night vision cameras should have at least 24 LEDs. Cameras are location/function specific depending on distance, lighting, and environment. How much should you spend? Good cameras start at around $300 each. If you want real good cameras, look into Megapixel cameras.

B. The recording and storage device (DVR) is very important. A bad DVR with the best cameras will give you bad images. Look for words like H.264. Make sure that the DVR not only shows images in H.264, but also records in H.264. This is a trick may use to trick you.

Mega Pixel Camera

C. Wiring and other connections are the link that connects the chain. Bad wiring = Bad images! The wiring should be CAT-5 or CAT-6. Outside wiring should always be protected. You should not see the wires after the installation job. If you can see the wires, then so can the bad guys. Also, wires exposed to sunlight will deteriorate.

4. Look as the cameras as an investment into your home and business. A good camera system will have a great rate of return not only when you are using it, but also if you decide to sell your home or business.

5. If you are working on a budget, you may want to go with fewer good quality cameras rather than may low quality cameras.

Most reputable security camera places make very little on the hardware they sell. So, it is their expertise and experience you are getting. Make sure you get the right people to do your system or risk getting nothing for what you spend.

So going back to our original, question: Who’s your trusted source for security camera systems in San Francisco?
It is Sintel Systems.
Have Questions? Contact us at (855)CCTV-SALES or (855)228-8725.

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"San Francisco security cameras' choppy video"

The 68 city-funded cameras perched above San Francisco's toughest street corners have been under fire in recent months for failing to provide evidence leading to arrests, and one of the reasons may be simple:

Choppy video.

Run on a modest budget, Mayor Gavin Newsom's surveillance camera program has produced footage that is disjointed and less clear than the nearly seamless and sharp quality of video that the devices are capable of delivering, a Chronicle review found.

The difference can be dramatic, leaving police with less potential evidence. A review of videos taken last year by four cameras at 16th and Mission streets found a striking problem with the cameras' frame rate, or the number of images produced per second. Read the rest of the article.

By Demian Bulwa, Chronicle Staff Writer