Understanding the Difference Between Professional and Consumer Grade Surveillance Gear



by Jeff MOnson


In the surveillance and security industry, the importance of knowing the difference between consumer-grade and professional-grade Law Enforcement Surveillance Equipment cannot be understated. For surveillance professionals, it's very important to know exactly what it is you're buying, so I have put together a few tips to help you understand the difference.

Consumer Grade Equipment


Much like most anything, it ultimately boils down to dollars. To keep expenses lower, producers of consumer-grade security gear use more affordable parts and materials that simply are not capable of the job of enduring the use and treatment that's brought on by surveillance workers on a frequent basis. Even though consumer-grade equipment are typically used more often than once, they tend to burn up with time, particularly with repetitive heavier use.

Professional Grade Equipment


Professional, or Law Enforcement-Grade equipment is considerably more durable and created with better grade parts and materials that are intended to tolerate the recurrent heavy use that may be caused by law enforcement, military, and various other investigative professionals. This law enforcement grade equipment is able to stand up to moderate punishment as a result of unintended accidents, extensive heavy use, etc. This is due to the fact that the producer's specifications are generally more exact in contrast to consumer-grade products.

Technical Specifications

Often, there is a major disparity between the technical specifications of consumer grade vs. law enforcement grade gear. Make sure you compare the resolution, minimum illumination values, battery life, features, and options before you commit to a certain product. Sometimes you may even find that you can get professional-grade gear at a cheaper cost than consumer-grade, depending on the seller. However, in general, law enforcement grade gear tends to have more features, options, higher resolution, higher battery capacity, and upgrade options. For electronic surveillance products, professional grade gear also tends to offer upgrades to internal firmware, so it's able to grow with the ever-changing technology. Once you purchase several pieces of consumer-grade gear to keep up with the technology, you may have saved a bundle by just starting out with the pro gear!




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