This question regarding PTZ cameras is one we always ask customers when they have enquired about going down the route of installing PTZ cameras in their CCTV system.
PTZ cameras in the right situation are superb (if you get a good one!) and will certainly offer some magnificent results, however if a PTZ camera is not manned 24 hours a day then it becomes an extremely expensive fixed lens CCTV camera.
PTZ cameras, due to the pan, tilt and zoom motor built in, are not low cost – this applies to even the bottom end of the market. If they are not manned then the camera will just be pointing in the last direction you left it in…it is now just a fixed CCTV camera at around five to 10 times the cost!
There are PTZ cameras out there on the market that will allow fixed preset movements but again these are expensive and if your camera is facing the wrong way at the wrong time then you could miss the video footage you need. This is why PTZ cameras need to be manned by an operator to optimize their capabilities.
So my recommendation, if your CCTV system is not going to be manned 24/7, is to use fixed security cameras. You could buy several, if not more, security cameras for the price of one PTZ camera – this means you could cover a lot large area constantly than you may be able to with a single PTZ camera….
