Day 84: Self Storage Security Cameras: How Many You Need and Exactly Where to Put Them

And welcome to day 84 of the Storage 100 series. I'm Joe Downs with the Storage Moguls. Today we're talking cameras. How many do you need? Where do they go? How much should you spend? Today I'm going to give you the practical answer, not the sales pitch, but I do want to invite you and/or remind you about the Storage Moguls community at storage moguls.ai. Again, that's storage moguls.ai. is it is a free AI-native learning hub with GPT tools, multimodal content, and coverage across every storage vertical, and a place you can start for free and then advance at your own pace. So, oh, and here's a registration bonus for you. Even though the community is a few weeks away from going live, the first 500 people to register right now will get a free Deal Analyzer GPT. That we use ourselves at the Bellrose Group for quick deal analysis. So the first 500, you might think, well, 500, that's a lot, folks. There's millions of people out there interested in storage. Be one of the first 500. All right. Back to the topic at hand, cameras, which are often the most critical and often under-budgeted part of your facility. We're not just talking about having cameras. We're talking about having the right number. In the right places and the right kind of camera to protect your investment. You need a system that doesn't just record but actively deters crime and provides actionable evidence when something does go wrong. So we'll break down the non-negotiable reasons why you need them and exactly where to focus your installation efforts. But first, let's start with the absolute necessity of this investment because they are non-negotiable for 3 core reasons, and they all impact your bottom line. First, they're your best deterrent. True premeditated or organized criminal, someone who's done his homework, is looking for the easiest target, and visible cameras are going to push them down the road to the next facility. Second, the cameras provide the only real evidence you have. A police report is useless without high-resolution footage to identify and prosecute a suspect. And then lastly, they protect you from liability. You can shut down false claims about property damage or slip and falls instantly when you have video proof. So this isn't just about catching bad guys, it's about protecting your business from all angles. Building on the need for evidence, I want to focus on camera budget on the areas that matter most. There are 4 critical zones at every facility in the Gate is priority number one. Front gate, priority number one. Or if you have 2 gates, both priorities. You have to capture a clear shot of the driver's face and the license plate as they enter and exit. This is your primary choke point for identifying everyone on site. Next, the drive aisles. You need a general overview coverage to track vehicle movement. Not just every single lock, but what's going on. We want to see where they're going around the facility. Don't forget the office and the hallways on the interior. These are high theft areas where you need to protect your staff and monitor climate controlled units as well. And then lastly, the perimeter. We got to spot intruders, intruders jumping fences. Focus on any dark spots or back corners. We know that Unfortunately, from experience. But which camera type is best for each of these zones? Because not all cameras are the same. So for instance, for your long drive aisles, you want the bullet cam. That's the best one. It offers the long-range visibility and is also strong visual deterrent. It's easy to aim, and it's also easy for an intruder to see. Maybe for indoor areas like hallways and the office, you want to use like a dome cam. It's vandal resistant, low profile. It's actually hard for people to tell exactly where they're looking. The PTZ, or pan-tilt-zoom camera, is specialty use only. It's expensive, it requires active monitoring. It's probably overkill for most self-storage facilities. Choosing the right form factor is important. It means nothing if the picture quality is poor. All right, so we want a high-resolution camera. I can't stress this enough. If you can't read the license plate, camera's useless. Resolution is the difference between actual evidence and what we call the blob. Older 720 or analog cameras produce footage that's useless for police reports because you can't make out faces or plates. You need to invest in 4MP or 4K resolution cameras to ensure you get Clear plate and clear face shots. That high resolution is the only way to generate evidence that leads to prosecution. And as I say that, I'm looking at our— my screen here and the 4K is not showing us the evidence. Folks, I apologize. That's a glitch on this end, but I think you get the point. Obviously, I'm not demonstrating it visually, but you get the point. You got to have the high quality resolution. You ever not sure? Watch the old— watch old crime scenes or crime scenes, movies. Actually saw one recently about the Philadelphia mob and they were showing the old evidence. And the footage, the grainy— you can see the guy walking out of the place. He's got to be the killer. You can't make out who he is. So the camera resolution matters. But having the high resolution is one thing. Then we got to store it, right? So the choice between the local NVR and cloud storage is one of the classic debates, but the real answer is simple. I think you need both. So local NVR, Gives you the highest quality recording with no monthly fees, which is great until the thief steals the recorder itself. Then you got nothing. Cloud storage is safe from theft and is accessible anywhere, but the monthly fees and the bandwidth requirements, I mean, they add up fast, especially for a storage facility. So the hybrid approach, I think, is the only way to go. It ensures redundancy and protects you from both hardware failure and physical theft. You get the best of both worlds. So high-quality local recording, Backed up safely offsite. I think that's the only professional standard that we should adhere to. All right, let's— now let's go over what not to do when trying to save money on security, because we've all seen the $20 dummy camera at the hardware store. And I've been on sites of facilities where I ask them about their security system, like, ah, they don't work. They're just for deterrence. Who— why spend money on, on security systems? Well, because using one of those is a major liability mistake. The myth is that a fake camera is an inexpensive way to scare away criminals, and it might. The reality is you're creating a false sense of security for your tenants. If a tenant is attacked or robbed on your property and you have implied security that doesn't exist, you could be sued for negligence. It would actually be better to have no camera at all in that case. than to install a fake camera. Never compromise your liability to save a few dollars on real equipment. Great point. What does that equipment cost, you might ask? So it depends on your outlook. Yes, your outlook, because security is an investment, not an expense, and you need to budget for it correctly. The reality is there's going to be a range of costs depending on product quality and size of the system. Size of your facility is going to determine that. But a realistic cost range for a solid 16-camera system using 4MP IP cameras can be anywhere from $16,000 $6,500 to $13,000, which is basically $6,500 to 2x. All right, it's going to come everywhere in between. The cameras and the NVR are actually the least expensive part of the project. Biggest line item is always the labor for cabling installation. So if you can negotiate that or find, um, someone who, who is capable of doing it but for a little less, that might be where they go. Here's your pro tip though. If you're building new or renovating, run your conduit and Cat6 cable then. During this— you're doing this during construction or renovation can save you like 50% of your total project costs because it's a lot of labor. So that's the smart way to budget for security if you're in that situation. But all right, let's put this all into perspective with one final thought because we've covered the specs, the cost, liabilities. Let's end with the most important concept though. Cameras do not stop crime. They only record it. Deterrence is your first line of defense, and that means good lighting, strong gates, clear visibility. Prosecution is your second line of defense, and that's where your high-quality camera system comes into play. You're investing in evidence that allows law enforcement to catch and prosecute criminals. Never confuse recording with prevention. Okay. Found the information today valuable? Please take a second to like, subscribe, and share this with a friend. They will thank you later for giving them the expert advice they need to protect their business, and you will be advertising across multiple platforms that you're a self-storage investor, and that's going to matter later, folks. All right, next up tomorrow is day 85, and we'll be talking about tenant leases, which, like cameras, are actually a line of defense as well. You might, might be puzzled by that statement, but you'll see tomorrow. And remember, cameras are a deterrent, a liability shield, and a management tool all in one. Don't cheap out. But don't overengineer the other. If you're looking for a community that geeks out over things like this, you can find your kind of people if you join the Storage Moguls community for free at storagemoguls.ai. Storagemoguls.ai. There's a seat waiting there for you, as well as a kick-ass deal analyzer GPT for free, but only if you're one of the first 500 to register. So hurry up, register. See you tomorrow.