Most CCTV systems appear to be working right up until you genuinely need them.
An incident happens. A complaint comes in. Someone asks for footage. And suddenly you learn the uncomfortable truth: the camera was offline, the angle was wrong, the lighting blew the image out, or the footage is so unclear it can’t be used to confirm what actually happened.
A CCTV review is the simplest way to prevent that. It’s a structured check of whether your cameras, recording system, and supporting settings are delivering the security outcomes you expect — not just whether the screen shows an image.
This article is written for Perth and WA organisations that want practical clarity, not a sales pitch and not an automatic “upgrade everything” recommendation.
What A CCTV Review Actually Is
A CCTV review (also commonly searched as a CCTV audit or CCTV assessment) is a vendor-neutral evaluation of:
- what your CCTV system is meant to achieve
- what it can realistically achieve in day-to-day conditions (including at night)
- where the gaps and weaknesses sit
- what changes will deliver the biggest improvement first
It’s not a product brochure exercise. It’s a risk and performance review that helps you spend money where it matters, and avoid spending money where it won’t improve outcomes.
When A CCTV Review Is Worth Doing
CCTV reviews tend to pay for themselves when you’re experiencing repeat issues, or when you’re about to invest in upgrades and want confidence you’re prioritising correctly.
Common triggers include:
- incidents occurring in areas you believed were covered
- footage exists, but isn’t usable for identification or investigation
- cameras go offline without anyone noticing
- your site has changed (tenancy changes, new walls, landscaping growth, new access points)
- stakeholders keep asking for “more cameras” without clarity on why
- you’ve inherited a system and don’t trust what you’ve got
- you’ve had a near miss and want to close the gap before the next event
In Perth, this is especially common across car parks, retail, education campuses, healthcare sites, industrial yards, and council assets like civic facilities, underpasses, and laneways.
The Question That Matters More Than “How Many Cameras Do We Have?”
The biggest mistake organisations make is focusing on camera count instead of CCTV outcomes.
A solid CCTV review starts by clarifying what “good” looks like in each key location. Most CCTV objectives fall into four practical outcomes:
- Deterrence: cameras/signage discourage opportunistic behaviour
- Detection: you can see activity occurring and respond quickly
- Observation: you can follow movement and understand what happened
- Identification: you can confirm who it is (only critical in certain locations)
Not every area needs identification-grade footage. But when you do need it, it needs to work reliably — especially at the most predictable pinch points like entries, exits, stairwells, lift lobbies, loading docks, and repeat hot spots.
What Gets Checked In A Proper CCTV Review
A useful CCTV review looks at the system as a whole — cameras, recording, lighting interaction, reliability, and how the system is actually used.
Coverage And Purpose (Not Just “Is There A Camera There?”)
Most systems have cameras in the “easy” places and gaps in the places that matter.
A review checks whether coverage aligns to real risk:
- Do cameras cover the transition zones where people are exposed?
- Are blind spots created by building geometry, landscaping, or parked vehicles?
- Does each camera have a clear purpose (deterrence, detection, observation, or identification)?
- Are there areas where cameras exist but provide no useful outcome?
This is where a lot of waste hides: cameras that look busy on a screen but don’t provide evidence or prevention value.
Image Usability In Real Conditions (Especially At Night)
In Perth, many CCTV systems look fine in the daytime and quietly fail after dark.
A review checks image usability where it matters:
- Can you recognise a face at the locations you need to?
- Is the image compromised by glare or harsh contrast?
- Are people being silhouetted by backlighting?
- Is motion blur making events unreadable in low light?
- Are reflections (glass, wet surfaces) affecting key views?
If your CCTV is relied on for incidents and investigations, night performance is not a “nice to have”. It’s a core capability.
Camera Positioning, Height, And Angles
Small positioning issues can destroy outcomes.
Common examples include:
- cameras mounted too high, giving only “top of head” views
- wide-angle views that cover a lot but identify nothing
- cameras aimed into lights, sun paths, or reflective surfaces
- cameras positioned where they’re easy to tamper with, or hard to safely maintain
A review often finds that targeted repositioning or re-aiming provides more value than adding more cameras.
Recording, Retention, And Export Capability
This is one of the most common “surprises” after an incident.
A review checks:
- whether retention duration matches your incident reporting realities
- whether important cameras are recorded at usable quality and frame rate
- whether timestamps are correct and consistent (critical for investigations)
- whether exports are reliable, timely, and usable for stakeholders
- whether you can quickly find footage (searchability matters)
If your retention is too short, the best cameras in the world won’t help you.
System Health, Monitoring, And Reliability
If cameras go offline and nobody knows, you don’t really have CCTV. You have an assumption.
A review looks at:
- uptime and fault patterns (where failures repeat)
- whether there are alerts, and who receives them
- whether there’s any preventative maintenance routine
- whether there are single points of failure (one recorder, one switch, one storage volume)
- whether system updates/firmware are being managed responsibly
Reliability is often where the biggest security gains are found.
Access, Permissions, And Governance
CCTV isn’t just a technical system. It’s a risk system.
A review checks:
- who can view live footage
- who can export footage, and how that’s logged
- whether access is removed promptly when staff leave
- whether there are clear rules for handling footage requests
Good governance protects your organisation, your staff, and the credibility of the system.
Common CCTV Review Findings In Perth
Across Perth sites, these issues come up repeatedly:
- Cameras exist, but they don’t achieve an outcome
The system looks busy but doesn’t produce usable evidence when it counts. - Transition points are under-covered
Entries, exits, stairwells, and car park paths are often the weakest links. - Night footage is compromised by lighting
Glare, uneven lighting, and backlighting reduce image usability. - Retention is shorter than real incident timelines
Incidents are reported days later and footage is already overwritten. - Exports and retrieval are difficult in practice
The system “can” export, but it’s unreliable or too slow operationally. - No one owns system health
Faults persist because responsibility is unclear across facilities, security, IT, or vendors.
A CCTV review turns those into a clear action plan.
What You Should Receive After A CCTV Review
If you’re paying for a CCTV review, you should end up with clarity and prioritisation — not vague advice.
A strong deliverable typically includes:
- a short summary of current capability and critical gaps
- a coverage overview that highlights blind spots and key priorities
- findings written in operational language (what it means, why it matters)
- recommendations staged by priority:
- short term: quick wins and configuration fixes
- medium term: targeted upgrades with clear outcomes
- long term: strategic improvements aligned to capital works or refurbishments
- optional scope guidance for future works, so you can tender properly and compare quotes fairly
That last point matters. A review should make procurement easier, not harder.
What A CCTV Review Can Save You From
A good review reduces the likelihood of wasting money on the wrong changes.
It helps you avoid:
- adding cameras where you actually needed better angles or better lighting
- replacing equipment when configuration and governance were the real issues
- upgrading storage without understanding retention and recording quality needs
- relying on footage that won’t stand up in a serious incident review
It also makes it easier to justify spend internally, because the recommendations are tied to risk and operational outcomes.
Next Step If You’re Considering A CCTV Review In Perth
If you want a CCTV review that’s practical (not theoretical), start by getting clear on:
- the top incident types you’re trying to reduce
- the areas staff or visitors avoid after dark
- the transition points people must pass through (entries, lifts, stairwells, paths)
- whether CCTV footage is usable in those exact locations at night
If you’d like help, Smartsec Security Solutions provides vendor-neutral CCTV reviews across Perth and WA, focused on real outcomes: coverage confidence, usable footage, reliability, and clear priorities for improvement.
To get started, head to the Contact page and send through a quick outline of your site and your top problem areas: https://smartsecsecurity.com.au/contact-us/
