Most people choose a CCTV system the wrong way around — they start with the cameras. A good CCTV system actually starts with the question: what do I want to see, and what do I want to do about it? Once that's clear, the camera choices get a lot easier.
Here in the GTA we install systems for everything from semi-detached homes in North York to multi-tenant retail in Mississauga to construction yards in Brampton. Every property is different, but the framework for choosing cameras is the same. This guide walks you through it.
Step 1: Decide what each camera needs to do
Before picking hardware, walk your property and write down what you want each camera to accomplish. Be specific. There are three jobs a camera can do, and they need very different setups:
- Detection — confirm something is happening (a person is in your driveway). Wide field of view, modest resolution.
- Recognition — figure out who or what it is (familiar visitor vs stranger, customer vs employee). Tighter framing, higher resolution.
- Identification — capture enough detail for police or insurance to identify a face, licence plate, or distinguishing feature. Narrow field of view, high resolution, often a specialized lens.
A single camera can't do all three jobs well. A wide-angle camera covering your entire backyard will detect movement, but the person at the back fence will be 12 pixels tall — useless for ID. Identification cameras work in a corridor of coverage that's typically only a few metres wide. Most properties need a mix.
Step 2: Pick the camera body type
Dome cameras
Ceiling-mounted hemisphere shape. Great for indoor coverage of retail, lobbies, and corridors. The dome obscures which way the camera is pointing, which is a deterrent advantage. Many models are vandal-resistant (look for IK10 rating).
Bullet cameras
Visible cylindrical body that points where it's aimed. Best for outdoor coverage where you want a visible deterrent — driveways, parking lots, perimeters. Easier to install with the proper sunshield to keep snow and ice off the lens.
Turret (eyeball) cameras
A pivoting ball inside a fixed housing. Splits the difference between dome and bullet — typically the easiest cameras to aim during install, with great image quality. Increasingly the default for outdoor residential.
PTZ (pan-tilt-zoom) cameras
Motorized cameras that can rotate, tilt and zoom on command or follow movement automatically. Powerful but more expensive, and a single PTZ can't be everywhere at once — if it's looking left when something happens on the right, you missed it. PTZs work best as a supplement to fixed cameras, not a replacement.
Step 3: Choose resolution honestly
Resolution is where most homeowners overspend. The headline numbers — 4K, 8MP, 12MP — sound impressive, but they only matter at the right distance.
A 1080p (2MP) camera framed properly on a 6-foot-wide doorway will get you a perfectly identifiable face. The same camera covering a 30-metre driveway won't, no matter how much you zoom in later. Resolution doesn't beat physics.
A practical rule of thumb:
- 1080p / 2MP — adequate for indoor and tight outdoor coverage
- 4MP – 5MP — the residential sweet spot for most outdoor scenes
- 4K / 8MP+ — large open areas (parking lots, warehouses, yards) where you need to crop in afterwards
Higher resolution also means more storage. A single 4K camera on continuous recording can chew through 1–2 terabytes a month. That's fine if you're set up for it, but factor it into the recorder choice.
Step 4: Night vision is where systems fall apart
Most break-ins happen at night. A camera that looks great at noon and produces a grainy mess at 2 a.m. is failing the one shift that matters. There are three levels of low-light performance:
- Standard IR — infrared LEDs make the scene visible in monochrome. Workable but limited range, and bugs and dust love IR LEDs.
- Starlight / low-light — large sensor + wide aperture lets the camera record colour video in surprisingly little light. Big quality jump.
- Colour night vision (e.g. ColorVu, Full-Color) — combined with a low-intensity built-in white light, the camera records colour 24/7. Best for identification, since colour clothing details make eyewitness IDs more useful.
For any outdoor camera that's relevant for identification, we usually recommend starlight at minimum, and colour night vision wherever there's some ambient light.
Step 5: NVR, DVR or cloud?
The recorder is just as important as the cameras.
- NVR (Network Video Recorder) — for modern IP cameras. Higher quality, supports analytics, runs over network cable. What we install on most projects.
- DVR (Digital Video Recorder) — for older analog/HD-over-coax cameras. Still common in upgrade jobs where the customer wants to keep existing cabling.
- Cloud-only systems — recordings go to a remote server. Convenient for small sites, but ongoing subscription costs add up and you're dependent on the brand staying in business.
For most GTA properties we install on-site NVR with optional cloud backup of key clips — you get the durability of local storage plus the peace-of-mind of an off-site copy if the recorder is stolen.
Step 6: Plan for the things that go wrong
Camera systems that work great on day one and fail two winters later usually fail for the same handful of reasons. Spend a bit more here and you'll have a system that lasts.
- Weather sealing — anything outdoor needs IP66 minimum, IP67 ideally. Toronto winters punish cheap housings.
- Surge protection — power surges destroy more NVRs and PoE switches than any other cause. A good UPS pays for itself the first time lightning hits.
- Cable management — exposed cables are the easiest thing to cut. Cabling should be in conduit or hidden inside the building wherever practical.
- Sun position — cameras pointed into the rising or setting sun will be useless for half an hour twice a day. Worth thinking about before you mount.
Step 7: Get someone to actually walk the site
Online camera kits are tempting, but a 4-camera kit that doesn't cover your blind spots is worse than no kit at all — you have the illusion of coverage. The single best investment you can make is having an installer walk your property and tell you what you actually need before you buy anything.
If you're in Toronto, North York, Scarborough, Mississauga, Brampton, Markham, Oakville, Burlington, Milton or anywhere across the GTA, we offer free on-site assessments. We'll mark out the camera positions, identify the blind spots, and put together a no-pressure recommendation matched to your budget.
Ready to plan your CCTV system?
Book a free on-site assessment with SecurePass Solutions.
Book Free Consultation Request a Callback