Case Study: 8-Camera CCTV System for a Cardiff Retail Unit

The brief

In November 2024, we were contacted by the owner of a clothing retail unit in Cardiff city centre. The business had experienced two incidents of shoplifting in three months, and the existing system — a 2017 consumer-grade NVR with four cameras — had failed to capture usable footage in either case.

The brief was straightforward: a complete replacement system that would deter theft, capture court-admissible footage, and allow the owner to monitor the shop remotely when working from home.

The survey

On the initial site visit, we identified several problems with the existing installation:

• Cameras positioned to cover the retail floor broadly, but not angled for facial identification at entry
• Resolution too low (720p) to read product barcodes or identify clothing
• NVR stored in an accessible location in the stockroom — had been powered off in one incident
• No external cameras covering the car park or building approach
• GDPR signage missing

We photographed the entire space, mapped the cable routes, and produced a coverage diagram showing the eight camera positions required for complete coverage.

The system specification

Cameras: 8× UNV Uniview 4K IPC3614SB-ADF28KM-I0 Turret cameras with WISE-ISP AI processing and colour night vision

NVR: UNV Uniview NVR302-16S2-P16 16-channel PoE NVR with 6TB WD Purple surveillance hard drive

External cameras: 2× UNV Uniview IPC2225SE-DF40K-WL-I0 Full-colour camera for car park coverage

Cabling: Cat6 plenum-rated throughout, concealed within existing conduit where possible, surface trunking elsewhere

Power: PoE (Power over Ethernet) direct from NVR — no separate power supplies required at cameras

Monitor: 27" 4K display at the service counter for continuous monitoring during trading hours

Remote access: Mobile viewing app configured on the owner's phone and tablet

Installation day

The installation was completed in a single day with two engineers on site. Cable routes were agreed with the owner in advance to minimise disruption to stock and fixtures.

Morning: Cable installation throughout the retail space, stockroom, and external approach. NVR mounted in a locked cabinet in the manager's office (replacing the previously accessible location).

Afternoon: Camera mounting and alignment, NVR configuration, recording settings, remote access setup, and handover session with the owner.

The business remained partially open during installation — we worked around the trading floor in sections.

The results

Coverage achieved:

• All three public entry/exit points covered with facial-identification quality cameras
• Full retail floor coverage with 3D positioning for behaviour analysis
• Stockroom and cash office covered separately (restricted access)
• External car park with ANPR-capable camera covering the main approach
• All footage time-stamped and stored at 4K resolution for 30 days

Remote access: The owner can view all 8 cameras live from anywhere, review footage by date/time, and receive motion alerts on their phone. A manager has secondary access with view-only permissions.

GDPR compliance: Signage installed at all public entry points. System configured for 30-day rolling retention. Access restricted to owner and manager only.

Cost: The complete installation — equipment, cabling, mounting, commissioning, and handover training — came to £3,200 including VAT.

The owner has since reported that two shoplifting attempts have been deterred by the visible cameras, and in one case, footage was shared with South Wales Police resulting in a caution.

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Interested in a similar system for your business? We cover Cardiff, Bridgend, Swansea, and the wider South Wales region.

Call 07464 366095 for a free survey, or complete our contact form and we'll call you back the same day.