CCTV for shops

A small shop usually needs four things covered: the front door, the shop floor, the till area and the way in through the back. A complete kit keeps this simple, because the recorder, cameras and hard drive arrive already matched, and nothing has to be chosen separately.

We would suggest the Hikvision 4-channel 8MP kit with four cameras and a 1TB drive. The recorder is a DS-7604NXI-K1/4P with four PoE ports, and the cameras are four DS-2CD1383G2-LIU 8MP turrets. Each camera runs on a single network cable that carries power and picture together, so a ceiling run needs one cable per camera and no separate power supply. The turret housing is rated IP67, so one of the four can go outside above the shop front.

The recorder has four channels and this kit fills all of them. If you expect to add a camera later, for a second room or a loading bay, look at a kit with a larger recorder in the PoE kits.

What to check before you order

• Cable distance. Measure from each camera position to the recorder, going round corners and through ceilings.
• Recorder location. A back office or locked cupboard keeps it out of reach and out of view.
• Drive size. One terabyte is fitted. Think about how many days of footage you want to keep.

Cameras that see the pavement or customers' faces bring data-protection duties, and the ICO explains what they are. Our 4 camera kits and the full range of Hikvision CCTV kits show the alternatives.