Running a business in South East Queensland including Brisbane, Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast means you may need good security. One strong tool is CCTV – Closed Circuit Television. CCTV helps by closely monitoring your business, stopping theft, helping with safety, and giving evidence if something goes wrong. But there are many kinds of CCTV systems. Picking the right one takes thought. This article guides you through the steps so you can make a smart choice for your business in Brisbane.
1. Understand Why You Need CCTV
Before purchasing, ask yourself:
- What risks does your business face? Is theft from customers or staff a problem? Is vandalism, break-ins, or safety from accidents a concern?
- Which parts of your property need watching? Entrances, exits, back doors, stock rooms, car parks, cash registers?
- Do you need 24-hour surveillance (day and night)? Or just when business is closed or at night?
- Do you want CCTV for staff safety, customer safety, insurance, or legal reasons, too?
Knowing why you want or need CCTV helps in choosing the right features and placements.
2. Know Local Laws And Regulations
In Brisbane and Queensland, there are rules about having CCTV, especially in certain businesses like those with liquor licences.
- If your business is licensed to sell alcohol and trades after 1 am in the Brisbane City Council area, you must have CCTV covering entrances and exits.
- You must keep recordings for a minimum period. For licensed venues, this is usually at least 28 days.
- Equipment must be checked daily during trading and certified every six months by someone qualified.
- Footage must show date and time embedded. Signage must inform people that CCTV is recording. Access must be limited to authorised persons.
So, when choosing a system, you must meet legal requirements to avoid fines and ensure your CCTV works properly under the law.
3. Decide On The Type Of System: Analog Vs. Digital (IP)
There are two major types:
- Analog / DVR (Digital Video Recorder): Older style cameras. Need coaxial cables. Decent quality but limited resolution. Cheaper. Good for small shops or simple needs.
- IP / Network Cameras with NVR (Network Video Recorder): Modern. Uses digital network (Ethernet or WiFi). Higher resolution, better features (remote viewing, better image in low light, easier scaling). More expensive but more flexible.
In Brisbane business settings, an IP system is often better if you want remote access, high resolution, and future expandability.
4. Key Features To Look For
When selecting, make sure your CCTV has these features. They help make sure of usefulness, compliance, and good image quality.
| Feature | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Resolution & image quality (e.g. Full HD / 4K) | Clear images help identify faces, license plates, and details. Poor resolution makes the footage almost useless. |
| Night vision / low-light performance | There are many incidents that happen when it is dark. Cameras with infrared or strong low-light sensors are crucial. |
| Wide field of view | Fewer cameras are needed if each covers a large area. But too wide may distort or pick up neighbours (privacy issues). |
| Weatherproof/outdoor rating | For outdoor cameras, they must resist rain, sun, and heat. Look for IP-rating (e.g. IP66). |
| Remote monitoring and online access | Being able to watch live or recorded video on phone/tablet/computer helps you keep in touch even when you’re away. |
| Storage capacity and retention time | Must store enough days of recordings (e.g. 28 days or more). Also consider what happens if there’s an incident—maybe keep longer. |
| Alerting/motion detection | If motion is detected, you get alerts. Saves you reviewing hours of blank video. |
| Tamper-proof / vandal-resistant | Cameras that are hard to damage or have tamper alarms help in hostile environments. |
| Backup power/redundancy | If power fails (storms, outages), the camera should keep working or have a battery/UPS. |
| Licensing/installer accreditation | Use a provider licensed under Queensland law. For some venues, the installer must hold certain licences. |
5. Camera Placement And Number Of Cameras
Where you place cameras matters a lot. Even with the best equipment, wrong placement gives bad results.
- Cover all entrances and exits. People entering and leaving should be clearly recorded. For licensed venues, this is often a legal requirement.
- Cover areas of high value: cash registers, stock rooms, safes, and loading docks.
- For outdoor areas: perimeter fences, car parks, alleys.
- Avoid placing cameras too high or too low. If too high, faces are hard to see; too low, easy to tamper.
- Ensure lighting is good. If the camera faces a bright light source, the image may be washed out. Plan to avoid glare or very dark shadows.
6. Choose A Storage Solution
After cameras, you need somewhere to store video recordings.
- On-site storage: DVRs or NVRs in your premises. You control everything. But risks: damage, theft, fire.
- Cloud storage: Videos are stored on remote servers via the internet. Pros: safe from local damage, accessible from anywhere. Cons: needs good internet, possible ongoing fees.
You will need to decide how long you need to keep recordings. Check for any state legal requirements for your property or industry.
7. Think About The Budget And Ongoing Costs
CCTV cost isn’t just buying cameras. Include:
- Cost of equipment: cameras, recorders, cables, mounting, power, housings, etc.
- Installation cost: Good installers do proper wiring, positioning, and setup.
- Maintenance: cleaning lenses, fixing broken parts, updating software or firmware.
- Power usage: Cameras need electricity. Backup power adds cost.
- Storage cost: if cloud storage or large hard drives are used.
Make sure you budget for all these. It’s better to spend a bit more upfront on quality than have a bad system you need to replace.
8. Choose A Reliable Vendor Or Installer
A good, trustworthy installer makes a big difference. Look for:
- Experience in business/ licensed‐venue CCTV systems in Brisbane.
- Credentials and licences. (In Queensland, for certain systems and certain premises, installation must comply with regulations and be done by licensed people.)
- References and examples of past work. (https://brisbanealarmmonitoringsecurityservices.com.au/testimonials/ )
- Warranty and support. If something breaks, you want a quick repair or replacement.
- Service agreements: check how quickly they respond, what parts and labour are included.
9. Privacy, Signage And Data Handling
It’s important to respect privacy laws in Australia. Some things to ensure:
- Put up signs telling people they are under CCTV surveillance. This is often required by law.
- Store footage securely; prevent unauthorised access. Only staff or individuals properly authorised should view the recordings.
- Delete footage when required and don’t keep more than needed, except for incidents.
- Embed date and time stamps so recordings are useful as evidence.
10. Plan For Upgrades And Scaling
Your business may grow. Maybe you will open another branch or add more areas needing cameras. So:
- Choose a system that can be expanded (add extra cameras) easily.
- Choose hardware (recorders, network switches) that have spare capacity.
- Choose software/firmware from manufacturers that update regularly.
11. Example Checklist Before Purchase
Here is a short checklist you can use when talking to vendors or evaluating systems:
- Are you licensed / compliant with Brisbane and Queensland laws for your business type?
- Will the camera cover all needed areas (entrances, exits, high-risk zones)?
- Does it record clearly (resolution, night vision)?
- How long is footage stored? Is this OK for legal requirements?
- Can you view live or recorded footage remotely?
- Does the system include alerts/motion detection?
- Is the vendor/installer licensed and experienced?
- What is the warranty and support?
- Is there signage installed for CCTV?
- What will be the total cost (purchase + installation + maintenance + storage)?
12. Case Of Licensed Venues (Bars, Clubs, Restaurants)
If your business is a licensed venue (serving alcohol, set trading hours late into the night), there are some extra requirements in Brisbane/Queensland:
- Cameras at each entry and exit.
- CCTV must run from 8 pm to at least one hour after closing.
- Daily equipment checks before a certain time (e.g. before 12:30 am) during trading.
- Six-monthly certification of equipment.
- Retain recordings for at least 28 days, and retain for longer after incidents.
13. Final Tips
- Visit similar businesses and see their CCTV systems. Seeing real operating systems helps.
- Test the system before fully committing—look at sample footage, see how remote access works, and test in low light.
- Make sure staff know how to use the system, how to access recordings properly, and what to do during incidents.
- Keep up maintenance. Even good camera systems degrade: lens fogs, wires get loose, and software may need updates.
Conclusion
Choosing the right CCTV system for your Brisbane business is more than picking some cameras. You must think about what you want to protect, how the law works, the quality and features you need, where to put cameras, how long to store recordings, costs, privacy, and who will install and maintain the system.
A well-planned CCTV setup can give peace of mind. It helps protect your property, your staff, and your customers. It can help reduce losses from theft or damage. And it can help you comply with laws, avoid fines, and build trust.
If you follow the steps above, you will be ready to pick a CCTV system that fits your needs and budget, works well, and keeps your business safer in Brisbane.
