The Best Security Cameras For Your Business

UPDATED FOR 2024!

This page will help you answer the question “what are the best security cameras for my business in Auckland in 2024?”

It'll help you because it actually offers an opinion - not just some AI generated waffle that’ll confuse and overwhelm you even more.

I’ll tell you what I think... and what I think is based on my experience in this game over 14 years.  

To make this easy on you, we’ll look at just two brands - the Chinese DAHUA and the German MOBOTIX.  It’s much easier to understand a concrete comparison story than to compare boring stats and lists of features (that you barely understand anyway).

Let’s get on with the story.

HOW THEY’RE DESIGNED

DAHUA is more conventional.  It’s a centralised system.  The system is normally some cameras cabled to a recorder (these days almost always an NVR - network video recorder.)  The recorder is a dedicated CCTV computer which has hard disk drives (HDD) inside it and that’s where your footage gets stored.  When the HDD storage is full, your earliest footage gets over-written.

MOBOTIX is less conventional.  It’s a de-centralised system.  Each and every camera is like a camera with an NVR inside it.  That means there’s no single point of failure - if the recorder in a DAHUA system fails that’s curtains, whereas if one MOBOTIX camera fails it's no big deal, as it only affects one camera.  This design also means MOBOTIX can process things a lot faster so you get answers quicker.

HOW THEY’RE BUILT

DAHUA is more standard in terms of build quality.  It has Lite (cheaper) and Professional (dearer) series cameras and recorders so you can get higher quality, more durable cameras by spending more, but … they all have moving parts.

MOBOTIX is less standard, and much higher build quality.  They have just one series (worth considering) called their IOT (internet of things) cameras and they are built to a very high standard, with … no moving parts.  That is a big deal because it means they just last a lot longer than DAHUA or any other camera brand.  (PS before you tell me I’m wrong about only one range because of the Mobotix Move range … I do not consider them to be true MOBOTIX because they’re not, and they’re certainly not worthy of consideration in any discussion of the best security cameras.)

HOW THEY WORK

DAHUA has a pretty good mobile App these days called DMSS.  It’s so good that I often use it instead of the computer software, to search for and export footage for clients.

MOBOTIX has the better computer software and a pretty good mobile App too.  What I’ve discovered over the years is that MOBOTIX works best when you use a micro SD card inside each camera for storage.  Yes, yes , I know the IT people will scream about redundancy and urge you to use a NAS (network attached storage) device, or maybe even two NAS!  All very well and good for their sales figures, but …. in my 10+ years installing MOBOTIX I’ve found the weakest part of every system is … the NAS.  The NAS is not normally MOBOTIX made, so they can have problems connecting to the cameras at times.  They cost a lot and sometimes when they fail, or when a HDD fails, you still lose your footage - so what was the point exactly?

BOTH DAHUA and MOBOTIX are licence-free.  This is a biggie.  In the bad old days, and in some people’s eyes we’re still in those days, you needed a server based CCTV system to do anything gnarly - like operate a lot of cameras for example in a large business site.  Conveniently for the industry it meant you needed an expensive server, well two servers actually for redundancy.  They could also charge you licence fees, on top of your hardware cost.  Wait a minute …. you mean I have to pay for these extra cameras and I have to pay a licence fee for each camera as well??  Yep. 

Fortunately for you , dear business client, that’s no longer the case.  DAHUA uses “black box” recorders which are purpose built CCTV computers, and MOBOTIX has a similar, but more powerful, computer inside each and every camera.  Neither DAHUA nor MOBOTIX charge you licence fees.

Finally a quick word about using cloud storage.  Don't.  Just don't!  Just record locally and access your system using the internet ( or the cloud if you want to get fancy ), like everybody else.  Nobody is going to steal your recorder or your cameras, so stop worrying about things that won't happen!

To see what you should be worrying about, and what to do about it read all about our MAINTAIN system here.  It's awesome.

HOW LONG THEY LAST

DAHUA are a bit like any computer.  Maybe 4 to 6 years if you’re lucky without a major upgrade.

MOBOTIX last longer.  They have regular firmware upgrades that often improve functionality without requiring any hardware change, for free!  They even offer an 8 year warranty in some circumstances.  You get what you pay for.

HOW CYBER-SECURE THEY ARE

DAHUA used to be terrible until about 2016.  They had so much hacking into their clients’ IT networks worldwide through DAHUA CCTV systems, that it was embarrassing… and starting to be costly for DAHUA.  So they “fixed” it.  No longer can you install DAHUA gear with a login of admin/admin, so they’ve ticked a few basic boxes.  You should however be aware that they fall foul of several state agencies including the US Government & cannot be installed in their facilities.  They are a very large Chinese company so the state is definitely involved to some extent.

MOBOTIX have always been pretty good at cyber and they have improved over the years.  Without boring you, it’s generally a lot easier to lock down and protect a MOBOTIX system than any other.  It’s also a lot easier to check for intruder attempts and you’d be surprised which countries are the ones who try the most often.

Having said all this, there is only one sure way to stop a hacker getting at your business systems through your CCTV …. disconnect the CCTV completely from your networks.  But can you still have the convenience of accessing your CCTV from your mobile phone?   Yes, we’ve done this for business clients and it’s inexpensive and easy to do.  

HOW EASY THEY ARE TO SUPPORT

With MAINTAIN both are easy to support for us.  The only real difference is that MOBOTIX tends to have far fewer problems/errors/glitches/failures.    MOBOTIX is also a much steeper learning curve for integrators like us, but we’ve paid our dues and learnt the hard way so we know how to make MOBOTIX work like a charm.  It’s just different from most CCTV - German engineering is like that!

HOW THEY COMPARE PRICE WISE

Fully installed DAHUA costs thousands for a system and MOBOTIX costs thousands per camera.  MOBOTIX indoor cameras are less than the outdoor ones, but even so the per camera cost is normally higher for MOBOTIX.  In terms of value for money however it’s a different story, due to the longer useful life of the MOBOTIX systems.

WHAT ARE THE BEST SECURITY CAMERAS? TO SUM UP ...

If you need the best security cameras money can buy the answer is MOBOTIX.  

If you want to do some clever integration of your CCTV with other industrial process systems, the answer is definitely MOBOTIX due to its API.  

If you need to meet a tight budget and your needs are more standard - eg security and health and safety, DAHUA may well be the answer.

Don't buy a server based system as they're a waste of money these days and don't perform as well as DAHUA or MOBOTIX anyway.

Don't worry about cloud based recording.   Instead worry about the problems that actually occur out in the real world - read all about these on our MAINTAIN page.

Quality installation of security cameras Auckland wide, including the North Shore, Waitakere, Manukau, Takapuna, Glenfield, East Coast Bays, Beachaven, Birkdale, Birkenhead, Albany, Northcote, Devonport, Auckland Central, East Auckland, Pakuranga, Howick, Botany, Glendowie, St Heliers, Newmarket, Mt Eden, Epsom, Ponsonby, Grey Lynn, Remuera, Mt Albert, Mt Roskill, Onehunga, Henderson, Te Atatu, West Harbour, Mangere, Otahuhu, Papatoetoe, Otara, Airport Oaks, Penrose.