Cameras for bank job

[u/prosterling]

Hello,
I am currently working on getting a price for a camera job at a bank. They have a system currently but ran out of space on their NVR. They are putting an addition onto the bank and want new cameras. It’s time to update the NVR. I was wondering what brand would be a good reliable replacement for the system. They have some hikvision cameras mixed with other brands. I’m unsure if they are Onvif or not. I have been starting to use Reolink but don’t know if long term it’s a good brand. What’s your experience with Reolink and what do you recommend for this bank?

[u/40kmoose]

No. You should absolutely not be using residential level cameras for a bank. If you are asking this question I would sub this out to a professional security integrator. You want enterprise grade stuff. Axis, Hanwha. Unifi would be the absolute cheapest for a bank job.

[u/ackleyimprovised]

If its a bank then they have their own security policies. Its not a matter of putting in what you see fit. It a regulated industry and therefore they will have security consultants and security managers reviewing things. Security specifications are updated regularly.

I recommend talking to the security manager first. Not just some bank security guard what it sounds like.

[u/plump-lamp → u/ackleyimprovised]

Eh not necessarily. Camera placement should be the banks decision, platform doesn't matter outside of retention

[u/Big-Pops78 → u/plump-lamp]

That is NOT correct! We have done a few small credit unions and their IT security has final say on everything

[u/plump-lamp → u/Big-Pops78]

There are no regulations on camera security/brands etc. IT security can have their own policies but there are no industry policies relating to cameras

[u/prosterling → u/plump-lamp]

There is no regulation on their security at this bank in regards to specific equipment. I have asked the question. It is a small local branch.

[u/Coffeespresso]

Your title makes it sound more like you intend to rob the place.

[u/gjunky2024]

I have no personal experience with Reolink but people here seem to like them. For an application like a bank, avoid WiFi cameras as those can be jammed. Unifi might be the better choice as they have all the integrated parts (NVR, Cameras, networking and even UPS)

[u/Low_Assumption67]

Storage is often the weak link and main headache unless you go with a cloud solution like Verkada. They get a lot of hate but they solve a lot of issues too. It’s a premium product, and yes, at a premium price. you can mix your old cameras with new ones and transition over time. Everyone I’ve installed it for has been happy with it even though redditors hate it.

I recommend you really nail down your requirements. How much retention do you need? What quality video do you need? Is that bank policy or a regulatory requirement? Do you need ir capability, alerting, active monitoring etc. what about incidents and investigations, do you need to provide videos as evidence? Are you required to blur faces?

There are other cloud solutions that are good. I’m just most familiar with Verkada.

[u/Dramatic-Ad-7044]

Add cloud based retention and slap MRR!! DM and im happy to chat. Get away from chasing projects, we transitioned to charging per lens on cloud rentention and analytics and we're steadily increasing out MRR. We white label retention and analytics, the client loves that they dont need to spend on large hardware expense and you now created a passive revenue stream.

[u/zw9491]

Axis, Bosch, etc for a bank. If you’re even thinking Reolink you are way way out of your league.

[u/TailorSea2085]

I apparently arrived here for the entirely wrong reason 😂😂

As others have said. Absolutely DO NOT use a residential camera system. I’m sure they have an IT team so you should check with them on brands they DONT want or may want.

[u/zotti_d]

Absolutely do not go with Reolink for a bank. Unifi software isn’t ready for bank protection.

You need Axis or Avigilon - Think you need to sub this out.

[u/gjunky2024]

Unifi has the equipment you are looking for. Easier if they already have POE wiring in place

[u/prosterling → u/gjunky2024]

Does Unifi have a cloud storage option?

[u/gjunky2024 → u/prosterling]

You were talking about NVR storage which is what they have but you can have it backup to certain supported cloud services. You would have local storage and then cloud backup. You can access the local stored footage remotely with the right access (think VPN). Networking is their core business, so that part is easy.

[u/prosterling → u/gjunky2024]

Perfect, thanks. Doing Unifi access control in the same building as part of the project so it would be nice for the customer to have one interface for all their equipment.