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Home / Documentation / Choosing the right surveillance setup
Knowledge base Setup guide 6 min read

Choosing the right
surveillance setup

Before deciding on an installation method, it's crucial to define your surveillance needs. Are you setting up for home security, monitoring a business, or handling an ad-hoc situation? Your requirements, continuous recording, remote access, real-time alerts, or flexible storage, determine which approach fits best.

ONVIF explained Media profiles Smart home surveillance Office surveillance
// Overview

Three common approaches

There are three common ways to set up a surveillance system, each with its own trade-offs around cost, flexibility, privacy, and control. The right choice depends on your specific situation, not on which option has the longest list of pros.

// Decision guide

Which setup is right for you?

Answer five questions and we'll recommend the most suitable approach based on your situation.

Question 1 of 5
Recommended approach
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// Compare options

Side-by-side: which approach fits your situation

Cloud camera setup
CL Cloud cameras

Quickest to deploy. The vendor manages all infrastructure, and you access footage through their app or web portal.

Quick setup, no complex installation required.
Access footage anywhere via mobile or web apps.
Automatic software updates always running.
No local storage hardware needed.
Locked into a single vendor's hardware and app.
Ongoing monthly subscription fees for storage and access.
No access if the internet goes down.
Your footage lives on third-party servers.
NVR system
NV NVR systems

Dedicated hardware recorder. Local storage and higher quality, but tied to compatible cameras from specific brands.

Local storage, no cloud provider dependency.
Higher video quality without bandwidth limits.
Works even when the internet is down.
Expandable with additional hard drives.
Vendor lock-in, only compatible with specific brands.
Higher upfront hardware cost.
Remote access requires VPN or port forwarding.
If the NVR is stolen, all recordings are lost.
Banalytics vendor-independent setup
Banalytics approach
BA Vendor-independent software

Works with any camera brand. Local-first storage. Remote access without VPNs. Runs on hardware you already own.

Works with cameras from any manufacturer.
Local storage with no mandatory cloud fees.
Real-time Telegram alerts with video context.
Remote access without VPN or port forwarding.
Pay only for the components and features you use.
Runs on existing hardware.
Requires initial configuration.
Storage capacity depends on local hardware.
You manage software updates.
Learn more about Banalytics
Keep in mind: Pros are not always pros, and cons are not always cons. They should always be considered in the context of your specific needs. A lack of automatic updates may feel like a limitation, but for some deployments it means full control over your release timeline. Assess every trade-off against your actual requirements.
// Banalytics philosophy

Built around the third option

At Banalytics, we believe your surveillance system should work your way, without vendor lock-in, restrictive subscriptions, or unnecessary complexity. That's why Banalytics was designed around the vendor-independent approach: giving you full flexibility, full control, and full peace of mind.

Whether you're running a home setup on a Raspberry Pi, monitoring multiple business sites, or deploying across an industrial environment, Banalytics connects your existing cameras, stores footage locally, and delivers actionable alerts without forcing you into a proprietary ecosystem.

What Banalytics brings to vendor-independent surveillance

  • Works with ONVIF, RTSP, USB, and IP cameras from any brand.
  • Local-first storage, so footage stays on your hardware.
  • Browser-based remote access without VPN or complex network setup.
  • Real-time Telegram alerts with video clip context.
  • Runs on existing hardware, no dedicated appliance required.
  • Modular pricing, so you pay only for the components you actually use.

Not sure which setup fits your situation?

Contact Banalytics to explore whether our vendor-independent VMS is the right fit. We can help you understand common use cases in your domain and guide you through setting up an optimised surveillance system.

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