Camera systems built for NYC office buildings.
Office buildings need layered coverage: lobby and reception, elevator banks, server rooms, parking, and after-hours perimeter monitoring all have different requirements. We design wired PoE systems around multi-tenant layouts, workplace rules and building management needs from the start.
A system designed only for the lobby misses what matters after 6 PM and on weekends.
Coverage zones that match how office buildings work.
Office buildings have distinct zones with different risks. A lobby-only system misses the weak points that matter most at night and on weekends.
Lobby and reception
The lobby is the main control point. Coverage captures everyone entering, the reception desk and all elevator call areas: wide cameras for the overview, plus a face-level camera near the entrance for identification.
Server rooms and IT closets
Server room access is a high-risk event: unauthorized entry, equipment removal and insider threats all start here. A camera on the door and inside the room creates the audit trail IT compliance teams and cyber insurers increasingly ask for.
Elevator banks
Elevator lobbies on every floor, plus cab cameras, close the gap between lobby access control and what happens on each floor. In multi-tenant buildings, floor-level elevator lobby cameras are often the only record of who reached a tenant's floor and when.
Parking garages and loading docks
Garages need wide cameras with strong low-light performance on every lane, the entry and exit gate, and stair access. Loading docks need coverage of their own: after-hours deliveries and package handling are a steady source of incidents.
Perimeter and access points
Every exterior door that is not the main entrance, including fire stair exits, side entrances and roof access, needs a camera. These are the doors most likely to be propped open or used after hours.
Multi-tenant and HR considerations
Multi-tenant buildings need a system that serves the owner without intruding on tenant spaces. We cover common areas, corridors and shared infrastructure, never inside leased suites, and document that boundary for management and tenants.
Work out how many cameras your building needs with our camera count calculator, then check each view with the security camera distance calculator.
A badge event, and the video that goes with it. One search.
Pick an event from the access log and see what the recorder saves for you.
A badge is used outside normal hours. The recorder bookmarks the clip from that door camera, so you can check that the face matches the badge holder in seconds.
The door opens with no badge read. The access system flags it, and the recorder saves the clip from the nearest camera automatically.
The side door has been propped for four minutes. The alarm event and the clip arrive together, so you see who propped it and who came through.
Enterprise-grade PoE systems building managers can actually use.
Reliable systems with enough retention to support investigations and compliance. Here is what we install.
PoE cameras on clean, scalable cabling
Cat6 · PoEEach camera runs on one Cat6 cable back to a PoE switch. Easy to expand when a tenant builds out a floor or a new access point is added, with no separate power circuits.
Local recorder with longer retention
On-site NVR · 60 daysAll footage stays on site. For office buildings we typically spec 60 days, long enough to cover incidents found in quarterly audits or reported weeks later.
Role-based remote access
Users · permissions · logsBuilding management sees every camera. Tenants can be given their own floor's corridor cameras only. Security staff get live view. Accounts, permissions and audit logs are set up before handoff.
Varifocal lenses for lobby distances
VarifocalLarge lobbies need varifocal cameras, tuned at install. A fixed lens that covers 90 degrees at 15 feet will not give useful footage across a 60-foot lobby.
License plate recognition for parking
LPRGarage entrances can get LPR-capable cameras that read and log plates, for tracking authorized vehicles, hit-and-run incidents and disputes about when a car was in the facility.
Access control integration
Event bookmarksAn access event, such as a badge read or a forced door, saves a clip from the nearest camera. Badges used outside normal hours are bookmarked automatically for review.
From building walkthrough to live system.
Office installs are coordinated with building management and, in multi-tenant properties, with the property manager. We work outside business hours where needed to keep tenant disruption low.
Building walkthrough
We walk every floor and exterior access point with the building manager: lobby, elevator lobbies, stairwells, server room, parking and loading dock. Every coverage zone is found before any position is chosen.
System design and approval
A full layout with camera positions, angles, recorder location, storage sizing and cable routing. In multi-tenant buildings we mark which cameras cover common areas and which cover tenant-adjacent spaces. Approved before work starts.
Coordinated installation
Cameras mounted, cable run through walls and ceilings, recorder installed in the building's security or IT room. Elevator cab cameras coordinated with the elevator company where required.
Handoff and documentation
User accounts configured, remote access set up for management and any designated tenant users, after-hours alerts tuned. You get system layout documentation for future reference and service calls.
Office building camera installation, answered.
RFI log · requests for information
RFI-OF1Where should cameras be placed in an office building?
The priority zones for most NYC office buildings are the lobby entrance and reception desk, ground-floor elevator lobbies and those on floors with high-value tenants or sensitive areas, ground-level stairwell exits, the server room or IT closet entrance, garage lanes and stair access, the loading dock, and every exterior door other than the main entrance. Floor corridors come next and often matter in multi-tenant buildings. Inside individual tenant suites is the tenant's responsibility, not the building's, and that boundary should be clear in your camera plan.
RFI-OF2Do cameras in an office building require employee notification?
Video in common work areas is generally allowed in New York, with limits. New York Labor Law § 203-c prohibits video recording in restrooms, locker rooms and changing rooms. Signs at building entrances saying the premises are under video surveillance are standard practice and advisable, and employers should confirm their own notice obligations with counsel. Cameras never go where people have a reasonable expectation of privacy, and we flag any placement concerns during design.
RFI-OF3How long should office building camera footage be retained?
We recommend 60 days for office buildings as a baseline, and 90 days for buildings with server rooms, financial tenants or medical offices. Workplace incidents, theft discoveries and access disputes often surface weeks later; a quarterly audit might find something from 45 days ago. Some property insurance policies and tenant leases also set minimum retention. Check your policy and any lease security terms, and we will size storage to match.
RFI-OF4Can the camera system integrate with our access control?
Yes. Most commercial recorder platforms can integrate with access control systems, including common platforms such as Lenel, Genetec and Honeywell. When a badge is read at a door, the recorder can link the clip from that door's camera to the access event, so you can search access logs by time or badge holder and pull the video in one place. If you already have access control, we confirm compatibility during design. If you are adding both, we recommend combinations that work well together.
RFI-OF5How do cameras handle high-traffic lobbies with changing light?
NYC office lobbies are among the hardest places for cameras: glass facades create intense morning backlight that washes out faces, while the interior can be dim by comparison. The answer is true WDR (wide dynamic range) cameras, which capture several exposures at once and combine them, keeping detail in both the bright and dark parts of the frame. Digital WDR is only image processing and does not do the same job. We spec true WDR cameras for every lobby and glass entrance we install.
Camera systems for every commercial building in NYC.
Ready to secure your office building?
We walk the building, map every access point and coverage zone, and design a system around how the property actually runs: lobby traffic, after-hours access and tenant boundaries included.