CCTV cameras are sold on megapixels and price, but what matters is whether the picture answers the question you will ask after an incident: who was it, and how did they get in? A camera that shows a vague shape at 30 metres does not help. Tell us what you need to see, where it is and what power and network you have, and independent South African suppliers quote cameras that fit. It is free and there is no obligation. Installing them is covered on our CCTV installation page.
Bullet, dome, turret or PTZ
The housing decides where a camera works best:
- Bullet: long, visible and good outdoors on walls and pillars. A bullet is a clear deterrent, and its sun shield helps on west-facing walls.
- Dome: compact and harder to grab or aim at the wall. It suits entrances, passages and ceilings.
- Turret: a ball-shaped camera that avoids the infrared glare a dome bubble can cause at night.
- PTZ: pans, tilts and zooms, so one unit can sweep a yard. It only watches one spot at a time, so it adds to fixed cameras and does not replace them.
What resolution and lens really give you
A 2 MP camera is fine for a driveway or a passage. For a gate, a parking entrance or any place where you want a face or a number plate, 4 MP to 8 MP gives more detail when you zoom into the recording. The lens matters as much: a wide lens of about 2.8 mm covers a room or a yard but shrinks distant faces, while a 6 mm lens narrows the view and reaches further. Pick the view first and the lens second, and put a dedicated camera on a gate rather than hoping a wide one will catch a plate.
For night, infrared gives a black and white picture. Colour night cameras add a small white light or a very sensitive sensor, which helps identify clothing and vehicles. Outdoors, look for an IP66 rating against dust and rain, and IK10 where a camera can be knocked or hit.
Analogue HD, IP, Wi-Fi and solar
Analogue HD cameras use coaxial cable and a DVR, and cost less, so they suit upgrading an older system. IP cameras use network cable, a network video recorder (NVR) and power over Ethernet (PoE), and give better detail and more features. Wi-Fi cameras are quick to place, but the signal drops across walls and they still need a power point. Solar 4G cameras suit farms and building sites without mains power or Wi-Fi, though data costs and battery size need checking.
Recording is set by the hard drive. A rough rule: eight 4 MP cameras on motion recording keep a few weeks on a 4 TB drive. Ask for the recording days in the quote. Cameras need steady power, so a small UPS keeps the recorder and router running through load shedding. If you want someone to watch the feed, see CCTV monitoring.
Questions to ask a supplier
Ask which camera goes where and why, the lens and resolution of each, the infrared range in real metres, the recorder type and drive size, and how long the warranty is. Check that the cameras are not locked to one supplier's recorder, and that you receive the admin password. Pair cameras with an alarm system if you want a siren as well as a recording.
What to include in your request
- Where cameras should go and what each must see
- Faces, number plates or a general view
- Whether you have mains power and network cable
- Days of recording you want to keep
- Analogue system to upgrade or a new one
CCTV Cameras for different sites
- Homeowners and families: bullet cameras on the driveway, gate and sides, with a dome in the front passage
- Estates, complexes and body corporates: plate-capable cameras at the entrance and exit, plus wide cameras along the fence line
- Offices, shops and retail centres: domes over tills and entrances, bullets on the loading bay and the parking
- Factories, warehouses and yards: long-range bullets on the fence, PTZ over the yard and plate cameras at the weighbridge
- Building sites and contractors: solar 4G cameras on towers that move with the site as work progresses
- Farms and smallholdings: solar 4G cameras at the farm gate, sheds and diesel tank where there is no power
- Events, venues, hotels and lodges: domes in reception and passages, bullets on parking, with colour night vision
- Schools, clinics and churches: vandal-resistant domes at school gates, corridors and clinic entrances
Frequently asked questions
Which CCTV camera is best for a home?
Do wireless CCTV cameras work without power?
How far can a night vision camera see?
Does CCTV footage fall under POPIA?
CCTV Cameras by province and city
- Johannesburg
- Pretoria
- Centurion
- Midrand
- Sandton
- Randburg
- Roodepoort
- Krugersdorp
- Randfontein
- Germiston
- Boksburg
- Benoni
- Kempton Park
- Alberton
- Vanderbijlpark
- Vereeniging
- Durban
- Pinetown
- Pietermaritzburg
- Richards Bay
- Newcastle
- Ladysmith
- Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)
- East London
- Kariega (Uitenhage)
- Mthatha
- Cape Town
- Bellville
- Paarl
- Stellenbosch
- George
- Worcester
- eMalahleni (Witbank)
- Middelburg
- Secunda
- Mbombela (Nelspruit)
- Rustenburg
- Brits
- Klerksdorp
- Potchefstroom
- Mahikeng
- Polokwane
- Tzaneen
- Kimberley
- Upington
- Bloemfontein
- Welkom
- Sasolburg