Collingwood Security Camera Buying Guide
Most camera guides start with resolution. We start with a different question: what do you need the footage to show? The answer shapes every other choice, from the lens to the brand to where the video is stored.
Here is how we help homeowners and cottage owners around Collingwood choose a security camera system that does the job.
Start with the detail you need
Security designers use a standard called DORI to describe how much detail a camera captures. It measures pixels per metre of the scene.
- Detect (25 pixels per metre): you can tell a person or vehicle is there.
- Observe (62 pixels per metre): you can see clothing and what someone is doing.
- Recognise (125 pixels per metre): you can tell if it is someone you have seen before.
- Identify (250 pixels per metre): you can make out a face clearly enough to identify it.
Here is why that matters. A 4K camera is about 3,840 pixels wide. Aimed at a scene 15 metres wide, it gives about 256 pixels per metre. That is enough to identify a face. Aim the same camera at a 40-metre stretch of shoreline and it drops to about 96. You will see that someone is there, but you won't know who.
So a bigger number on the box is not the whole answer. Most properties need a mix: tight views at doors and gates to identify people, and wide views of the yard and dock to see what is happening. Our guide to security camera placement at the cottage covers where each one goes.
Choose the system, not just the camera
The cameras, the recorder, and the app usually come from the same maker. Picking a brand means picking the whole system you will live with for years. These are the three we install.
- Axis: a Swedish company that made the first network camera in 1996. Its cameras run AXIS OS, which ships with no default passwords. See our Axis camera systems page.
- Provision-ISR: an Israeli company founded in 2007, with a free app for live view and playback. More on our Provision-ISR cameras page.
- UniFi Protect: Ubiquiti's camera system. It records to a console on site and has no licence fees. It is a natural fit if the property already runs a UniFi network.
Brands we don't install
We don't install Hikvision or Dahua cameras. In June 2025, the federal government ordered Hikvision's Canadian business to close after a national security review under the Investment Canada Act. Federal departments also stopped buying its products.
That order does not make it illegal to own one. If you already have one of these systems, it is your call. When you are ready to replace it, we check what is already in the walls. If the old system used network cable, we test it first. Cable that tests clean can often be reused.
We also don't sell or service Ring or Nest. They are built for self-install and cloud apps. Ring's own Canadian site says that without a paid plan, you get live view and alerts, but videos are not saved.
Decide where the video lives
There are two places to keep footage: on a recorder in the building, or in the cloud.
A local recorder keeps working when the internet drops. You still watch remotely whenever the connection is up. UniFi Protect works this way. Axis and Provision-ISR both make on-site recorders too.
Cloud storage keeps a copy off site, which helps if a recorder is stolen. It usually adds a monthly cost and needs steady upload speed. Either way, put the recorder somewhere a thief won't find in a hurry.
At a cottage, upload speed decides a lot. Viewing several cameras from the city takes more bandwidth than most people expect. Our guide to cottage internet options explains what each connection can handle.
Plan for a Georgian Bay winter
Every outdoor camera has a lowest operating temperature. Check it on the spec sheet before you buy, especially for a cottage that sits empty in February.
Look at the weather rating too. IP66 means the camera handles strong jets of water. IP67 means it can survive brief immersion. Either is a good sign for a camera facing the bay.
Snow causes its own problems. The infrared light that cameras use at night can bounce off falling snow and set off motion alerts. Cameras that detect people and vehicles, not just motion, cut most of that noise.
Power matters in winter as well. Batteries drain faster in the cold, and nobody is there to swap them. That is one reason wired cameras suit a cottage that sits empty. We compare the two in wired vs wireless security cameras.
If the home runs Control4 or Crestron
If your home has a Control4 or Crestron system, check that the cameras you pick will show up on its touchscreens and in its app. Not every camera does. It is much easier to sort out before the cameras go up than after.
A quick checklist
- Decide what each camera needs to do: detect, observe, recognise, or identify.
- Pick one system you will live with, not a mix of brands and apps.
- Choose where the video lives: on site, in the cloud, or both.
- Check the operating temperature and weather rating.
- Confirm your internet can handle remote viewing.
- Confirm the cameras work with your control system.
Questions we get
Do you install Ring or Nest cameras?
No. We don't sell or service them. We install Axis, Provision-ISR, and UniFi Protect systems.
I have Hikvision cameras. Do I have to replace them?
No law makes you remove them. Many owners choose to replace them anyway. We can swap them for a system we install. If the old cameras used network cable, we test it and reuse what tests clean.
Do I need a monthly plan?
Not with local recording. UniFi Protect, for example, has no licence fees. Cloud storage usually adds a monthly cost.
Do you install cameras in Thornbury and Meaford?
Yes. We work across Collingwood, The Blue Mountains, Thornbury, Meaford, Wasaga Beach, Creemore, Craigleith, and Clarksburg.
Get the right system the first time
The best camera system is the one that captures the detail you need, records where you need it, and keeps working through the winter. We start with what the footage has to show, then build the system around it.
Learn more about our security camera installation, or call 249-444-7793 to book a free design consultation.