Would we be better off using a PTZ (pan tilt zoom) camera rather than a fixed camera?

From a sales perspective absolutely, use PTZ cameras everywhere because they are more expensive than fixed CCTV cameras and we'd love the extra money! Unfortunately we're a little bit more honest than that so now for the real answer:

In almost every case you would be better off using fixed cameras rather than PTZ cameras for your CCTV system and there are a couple of reasons:

Firstly a PTZ camera is more expensive than a fixed camera, typically 2-3 times the cost and so that means for the same price as a PTZ camera you could buy 2 or 3 fixed cameras. This allows you to be looking in 2 or 3 places at once rather than the PTZ camera's one place and in doing so covering a greater area for the same cost.

Don't forget to factor in a controller for your PTZ camera in your costs if you want to have the maximum flexibility when it's up and running. Many DVR recorders (including ours), have the ability to control a PTZ camera but the functionality will often be limited compared to a bespoke PTZ controller.

The second reason is that PTZ cameras require an operator to be constantly monitoring them so as to ensure they are pointing in the right direction. Most CCTV systems we supply don't have a full time operator, they are left to quietly get on with the job on their own.

If you feel the need to be constantly moving cameras about then it means you probably haven't got enough cameras or the cameras you do have aren't mounted in the right place or aren't pointing in the right direction. We often get people who think they can use a PTZ camera to "machine gun" an area but the results are usually poor quality images because the camera is moving and the camera is never pointing in the right direction at the right time.

There is a third, slightly less obvious reason for avoiding PTZ cameras. From a legal standpoint PTZ cameras are sometimes treated differently to fixed cameras because of their ability to scan around and zoom in and out. Whilst a fixed camera pointing in one direction stays where it is put the PTZ camera can easily be moved to film a neighbour's property or other sensitive site. for this reason their use can sometimes be limited or licensed. Even in situations where there are no legal obligations to fulfil a PTZ camera can sometimes alienate owners of surrounding properties particularly with domestic installations.

Fourth and finally, there is less to go wrong with a fixed CCTV camera so on-costs are likely to be reduced. Focus on what you want your CCTV system to achieve and keep it simple.