Location and focal guidance

[Heliuminc]

Was not sure if this was the best spot to ask this.

Our family has a small business
We are getting ready to open our new store location in the coming weeks, we are putting video in for the first time, I have been communicating with Andy at empire and he has been giving me guidance, I have been studying on here as well but have to reach out for help.

In our store I think I have it mostly figured out but I have an area about 30 ft x 30 ft or a little over 9 meters x 9 meters that has 3 rows of 2 sided grocery store style shelfing I need help with

Imagine standing with your back against a wall looking down aisles in a grocery story
To one side you have a wall then a 6 foot (1.8M) aisle the a 3 ft (.91M) shelving unit then a 4 ft (1.219M) aisle then 3 ft (.91m) shelves then 4 ft (1.219m) aisle then .91m shelves then open space each shelving unit is about 26 feet ( 7.92 m in length)

from the wall your back is against, it is 7 1/2 ft (2 1/4 meters) away from where the shelves start and you would enter the aisle or row between shelving.
My thought was to mount cameras on this wall to point looking down the isles between shelving units I can mount up to 9 1/2 feet height but was thinking about 7 - 7 1/2 feet to help with facial Id
I did not know if I can cover more than one row with a singular camera or if I will need a camera pointing down each row also I do not if it will be necessary to run a camera from each end of the rows or if one side will do for now, our business is industrial so it is not nearly as crowded as a grocery store can be.

If I had more time I would get one varifocal camera and experiment to see what focal length would work best to give me my coverage down the isles and to see if one camera can cover more than one isle. I just do not have the time window to allow it. I would prefer fixed lenses for this unless you all tell me I should run varifocal. We will be very well lit in this area

Can you help me with some suggestions, any guidance and education is appreciated!

 

[TESmith]

If it helps to visualize here is a picture of the current store, the new store will have another row of shelving down the middle and the lengths of shelving will be 4 foot longer.

 

[EMPIRETECANDY]

4 cams at each corner, and use a 360 degree cams in the middle of the shop.

 

[SpacemanSpiff]

For your consideration:
3 cameras with a 2.x mm lens (aprox 100 deg horiz view)
Cam 1: Front right corner looking down right aisle and across front of store
Cam 2: Rear left corner looking up left aisle and across back of store
Cam 3: Front (or rear) of the middle aisle. Orient the lens 90 deg (corridor mode)

Spec your recorder for 6+ cameras for future growth

 

[Old Timer]

I seen a bid for a brand name department store on the extra large size. They wanted a camera looking down
every other aisle and the other isle from the other end. IE.. even number isle has one looking from the north,
and odd numbers had one looking down from the south. Then they had some PTZ to follow people around the store.

This is overkill for you store, but something to think about if you are looking at loss prevention. You might want to
cover the isle that has the high dollar items that like to walk off.

Too bad your store is not closer, I could sure use some more tools!

 

[TESmith]

I seen a bid for a brand name department store on the extra large size. They wanted a camera looking down
every other aisle and the other isle from the other end. IE.. even number isle has one looking from the north,
and odd numbers had one looking down from the south. Then they had some PTZ to follow people around the store.

This is overkill for you store, but something to think about if you are looking at loss prevention. You might want to
cover the isle that has the high dollar items that like to walk off.

Too bad your store is not closer, I could sure use some more tools!

The new store is almost double the size of these pics idk how much difference that makes? BTW we can ship

 

[TESmith]

For your consideration:
3 cameras with a 2.x mm lens (aprox 100 deg horiz view)
Cam 1: Front right corner looking down right aisle and across front of store
Cam 2: Rear left corner looking up left aisle and across back of store
Cam 3: Front (or rear) of the middle aisle. Orient the lens 90 deg (corridor mode)

Spec your recorder for 6+ cameras for future growth

Actually getting a much larger recorder, The new store is bigger than these pictures but it is still in final construction stages, but we purchased a larger property has 2 other tenants with stores, I am going to eventually have 360 degrees of property coverage as well as parking lot and we will have a 20 x 90 fenced in area that is under roof for our welding gas cylinders that is also another entrance into store that we will have coverage for.

 

[TESmith]

as

4 cams at each corner, and use a 360 degree cams in the middle of the shop.

the new store is bigger I do not know if that would change your suggestions I never considered a 360, I had wondered about a PTZ now you have given more to consider! I want good identification of people in store , do I need better than 2. something lense?

 

[Old Timer]

as

the new store is bigger I do not know if that would change your suggestions I never considered a 360, I had wondered about a PTZ now you have given more to consider! I want good identification of people in store , do I need better than 2. something lense?

For good identification, don't forget a good camera zoomed into the front and back doors. Maybe a couple lines on the door frame for height measurements. You don't have to put on the entire yard stick, just a mark at 5' and 6', simple but usable.

 

[SpacemanSpiff]

Actually getting a much larger recorder, The new store is bigger than these pictures but it is still in final construction stages, but we purchased a larger property has 2 other tenants with stores, I am going to eventually have 360 degrees of property coverage as well as parking lot and we will have a 20 x 90 fenced in area that is under roof for our welding gas cylinders that is also another entrance into store that we will have coverage for.

360 degree camera inside will be far less effective when covering the aisles. It will effectively cover the aisle directly below it, the remaining shelves will block its view everywhere else. The 360 is much better suited in open areas. I surmise the new store will have more aisles and/or they will be longer. That said, consider two cams per aisle in corridor mode. One or more (corridor mode) looking across the front and rear aisles depending on store width.
Placement within the respective aisles has several possibilities, each with their own pros/cons:

Front of aisle and half the aisle length, both cams looking 'down' the aisle​

Either end of aisle one looking 'up' and the other looking 'down'​

ID aisle's halfway point, aim cameras 'up' & 'down' the aisle (cameras looking across each other) with small overlap in coverage of aisle halfway point.​

As Old Timer said, let the value of the merchandise (or it's popularity for being stolen) help guide the best camera placement for the respective area of the store.