Most CCTV systems we are called to fix in Abuja have the same story: the cameras worked well at handover, then one day something happened, and when the owner went back to the recording there was nothing there. In most of those cases the cameras were fine. The power behind them was not.
What actually happens when NEPA takes light
A camera system has three things that need power: the cameras, the network switch that feeds them (often over the same cable, called PoE), and the recorder (NVR or DVR) that stores the video. If any one of them goes off, you lose footage.
- No backup on the recorder. When power drops, the recorder stops. Every minute until the generator comes on, or until power is restored, is a gap in the recording.
- Damaged hard drives. A recorder that loses power while writing to its hard drive can corrupt the drive. Do that every day and the drive fails within months, often without anyone noticing.
- Power surges. When power returns, or when the generator is switched on and off, voltage spikes travel down the cables. Camera power supplies and switch ports are usually the first to die.
- Lightning and earthing. Cameras on poles and outside walls pick up surges from storms. Without surge protection and a proper earth, one storm can take out several cameras at once.
The fix: treat power as part of the security system
1. Put the recorder and switch on a UPS or inverter
The recorder and the PoE switch are the heart of the system and should never lose power. A small UPS or inverter-and-battery set is enough for most homes and offices. Size it for the time you need, not a round number:
- Add up the power of the recorder, the switch and the cameras it feeds. As a rough example, a recorder (about 30 W) plus a switch running eight cameras (about 60–70 W) is around 100 W.
- Multiply by the hours you want to cover. Four hours at 100 W is 400 Wh.
- Add about 20–25% for inverter losses and battery reserve. That gives roughly 500 Wh of usable battery.
We do this calculation for every system we design, because the right answer depends on how many cameras you have and how long your outages last.
2. Add surge protection at every weak point
Protect the incoming mains, the PoE lines going to outdoor cameras, and any long cable runs between buildings. Surge protectors are cheap compared with replacing cameras and switch ports.
3. Earth everything outside
Camera poles, outdoor cabinets and metal cable armour should be earthed and the earth resistance tested. It is one of the steps most often skipped, and one of the most important.
4. Consider solar for long outages
If your site regularly goes many hours without grid power, a small solar system for the security equipment alone keeps it running without depending on the generator. For remote gates and perimeter cameras, solar is often cheaper than running power cables.
How to check your own system today
You do not need to be an engineer to find out whether your system is protected:
- Open the recording on your NVR or phone app and look at the timeline for the last week. Gaps in the bar usually line up with power cuts.
- Ask what the recorder is plugged into. If the answer is “the wall socket”, it has no backup.
- Check the recorder’s storage page for hard drive warnings or “abnormal” status.
- Turn off the mains for one minute (with the generator off) and watch whether the cameras stay on.
If any of these show a problem, the fix is usually quick and far cheaper than losing the footage on the day you need it.
How we design it
Every Katonium security system is designed with its power: UPS or inverter sizing, surge protection at each node, tested earthing, and solar where it makes sense. If you have an existing system with recording gaps, we can survey it and tell you exactly what it needs.
