Access Control vs Security Cameras: What Toronto Businesses Actually Need?

Here is the situation most Toronto business owners find themselves in: something happens — a break-in, a theft, an employee dispute, an unauthorized entry — and they realize their security setup did not actually cover what they needed it to cover. Either they have cameras but no control over who gets in. Or they have a key card system but no footage to back up what actually happened.

The question — access control vs security cameras, sounds like a comparison between two competing options. It is not. They are two different tools that solve two different problems. Security cameras tell you what happened. Access control determines who gets in before anything happens.

Toronto recorded 5,927 break-and-enter incidents in 2025 — that is still over 16 per day across the city. And while break-ins trended downward, theft over $1,000 moved in the opposite direction, rising 6.5% year over year and becoming the only major crime category to increase in 2025. For businesses with high-value inventory, equipment, or data — that last stat is the one worth paying attention to.

This post lays out exactly what each system does, where each falls short on its own, and what the right combination looks like for different types of Toronto commercial properties. No fluff, just the direct answers.

What Security Cameras Actually Do (and Don't Do)

Security cameras - CCTV, IP cameras, PoE surveillance systems — are recording and monitoring tools. Their job is to capture and store video footage of what is happening on your property. That is it.

Here is what they do well:

They deter opportunistic crime. A visible camera at a loading dock, a retail entrance, or a parking lot tells would-be thieves that someone is watching. Most opportunistic criminals pick easier targets when cameras are present.

They provide evidence after an incident. When something goes wrong — a break-in, a slip-and-fall, inventory shrinkage, a vehicle damaged in your parking lot — your camera footage is what gives you something to work with. Insurance claims, police reports, employee disputes — footage backs up your version of events.

They allow remote monitoring. Modern IP cameras let you check in on your property from your phone or tablet, from anywhere. For business owners who manage multiple locations across the GTA, this matters a lot.

They support AI analytics. Commercial-grade camera systems now offer motion detection, person/vehicle detection, license plate recognition, and heat mapping for foot traffic. These features turn passive recording into active intelligence.

Here is what cameras do not do:

They do not stop anyone. A camera records a person walking through your door. It does not prevent them from walking through. If your back door is unlocked, a camera will capture whoever comes through it — after the fact.

They do not control access. A camera cannot tell you who is supposed to be in a restricted storage room at 11 PM. It can only show you that someone was there.

That gap — between what cameras record and what they can prevent — is exactly where access control comes in.

Learn about our commercial security cameras in Toronto and the systems we install for GTA businesses. 

What Access Control Actually Does (and Doesn't Do)

Access control systems are permission and entry management tools. Their job is to decide, in real time, whether a specific person is allowed through a specific door at a specific time. Think key cards, fobs, PIN codes, biometric scanners, and mobile credential systems.

Here is what access control does well:

It prevents unauthorized entry. This is the core function. An employee's key card is deactivated the day they leave. A contractor gets temporary access for the duration of their project. Sensitive areas — server rooms, executive floors, chemical storage, cash rooms — stay locked to everyone except authorized staff.

It creates a complete audit trail. Every entry and exit is logged with a timestamp and credential ID. When you need to know who was in the server room between 9 PM and midnight last Tuesday, the access control log gives you a precise answer. No guesswork.

It makes credential management fast and clean. Someone quits or gets terminated? Their access is revoked in seconds from your admin panel, across every door on your property. No rekeying locks. No hunting for missing key fobs. No calling a locksmith at midnight.

It supports emergency lockdowns. In the event of a security threat, a single command can lock every access point simultaneously. This is important for Toronto businesses in office towers, schools, healthcare facilities, and any property with vulnerable populations.

Businesses using monitored access control saw 65% fewer unauthorized entry incidents, and property owners recovered installation costs in under 18 months through lower losses and insurance premiums.

Here is what access control does not do:

It does not record what happens after someone gets in. A valid credential gets an authorized person through the door. But if that authorized person does something they should not — pockets inventory, accesses files they should not, brings in an unauthorized guest — access control has no visual record of any of that.

It does not cover your parking lot, loading dock, perimeter fence, or anywhere that is not a controlled access point.

That is where cameras fill the gaps that access control leaves open.

See how we approach access control system installation for commercial properties across Toronto and the GTA. 

Head-to-Head: Security Cameras vs Access Control

Function                                                        Security Cameras                                  Access Control

Prevents unauthorized entry                            No — records it                                      Yes — blocks it

Creates visual evidence                                   Yes                                                        No

Logs who was where and when                       Partial (visual ID required)                    Yes — precise digital audit trail

Deters opportunistic crime                               Yes — visibly                                        Partially — through restricted access

Remote monitoring                                          Yes                                                       Yes (cloud-based systems)

Works for outdoor perimeters                          Yes                                                        Limited — doors and gates only

Covers large open areas (warehouses, lots)   Yes                                                       No

Handles employee termination security           No                                                        Yes — instant credential revocation

Insurance impact                                              Often required; reduces premiums      Can reduce premiums significantly

Useful in legal/insurance disputes                    Yes — primary evidence source          Yes — as supporting documentation

The takeaway is clear. Neither system does the other system's job. A business with only cameras has strong evidence but weak prevention. A business with only access control has strong prevention at specific entry points but no visual record of what happens on site.

What Different Toronto Businesses Actually Need

Every commercial property has different risks. Here is a direct breakdown by business type.

Retail Stores in Toronto

Retail businesses in Toronto face two distinct security zones: the customer-facing floor, and the back-of-house operations.

The sales floor, stockroom access point, and cash handling area all need cameras. Visible cameras on the sales floor deter shoplifting. Cameras covering the cash desk protect against both external theft and internal fraud. Cameras at the stockroom entrance catch inventory shrinkage.

The back-of-house — staff-only areas, cash counting rooms, receiving docks — needs access control. You want a logged record of who entered the cash room and when. You want to limit stockroom access to authorized staff only. When an employee leaves, you want their access revoked immediately without touching a single lock.

For most Toronto retail operations, the answer is both: a camera system covering the customer areas and perimeter, paired with access control on staff entry points and sensitive back-of-house zones.

We install retail security cameras for stores and commercial properties across the GTA. Talk to our team about what a complete setup looks like for your location.

Warehouses and Distribution Centres

Warehouses are among the highest-risk commercial properties in Ontario. Etobicoke saw a 22% spike in small business break-ins in early 2025. The GTA's industrial corridors — Etobicoke, Scarborough, the 401 belt — are active targets for cargo theft and break-ins.

Warehouse security needs cover a lot of ground, literally. Loading docks, perimeter fencing, interior aisles, mezzanine levels, and vehicle areas all need camera coverage. A wide-angle IP camera system with an NVR gives you 24/7 recorded coverage across the whole site.

But warehouses also need controlled access at key points: the main staff entrance, any areas with high-value inventory, and any rooms containing network or server equipment. Access control on these points creates accountability, limits exposure if an employee turns out to be a problem, and provides a clean record of who was on site and when.

Large warehouse operations typically run both systems fully integrated — cameras and access control feeding into a single management platform.

Office Buildings and Corporate Properties

Corporate offices deal with a different risk profile. Physical break-ins are lower risk than in retail or industrial settings. The bigger concerns are unauthorized visitors, after-hours access, data security, and internal accountability.

Access control is typically the priority for office environments. Lobby entry, elevator access, server room doors, executive floor restrictions — these are all access control problems. The ability to grant temporary visitor credentials, restrict certain floors to specific staff, and produce an immediate audit trail when something goes wrong makes access control indispensable for multi-tenant office buildings.

Cameras support that setup by covering the lobby, parking structure, loading area, and any exterior perimeter. For many downtown Toronto office properties, a video doorbell installation at the main entrance adds a monitored video entry layer that staff can manage remotely.

See how we install office security cameras for commercial buildings across Toronto.

Construction Sites

Construction sites in the GTA face serious equipment theft. Sites are typically open, hard to control, and contain tens of thousands of dollars in equipment and materials.

Access control on a construction site looks different — it often means access-controlled site trailers, controlled entry gates with key fob readers, and temporary credentials for subcontractors that expire automatically. This prevents overnight unauthorized access through a main gate and creates a log of who was on site each day.

Cameras cover the wide-open areas that access control cannot: the material storage areas, equipment yards, and any scaffolding or structural access points. Temporary solar-powered camera towers are common for sites where running cable is not practical.

For construction site security in the GTA, cameras and temporary access control together are standard practice on any serious project.

The Toronto Crime Context That Should Drive Your Decision

Here is what the 2025 numbers from Toronto Police actually mean for commercial property owners.

Break-and-enters trended down overall, which is good. But that decline is partly because businesses have improved their security infrastructure — better cameras, better locks, better access control. The businesses still getting hit are often the ones that haven't updated their security setup in years.

More relevant to commercial operators: theft over $1,000 was the only major crime category to rise in 2025, up 6.5% year-over-year. That is high-value commercial theft. Equipment, inventory, vehicles. The criminals behind these incidents are increasingly sophisticated — studying neighbourhoods, identifying vulnerabilities, and striking when properties are most vulnerable.

A camera system catches this on video. Access control limits who can get to your high-value assets in the first place. Used together, they create a security posture that both deters and documents.

The other factor specific to Toronto: PIPEDA (the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act) governs how video surveillance footage is collected and used in Ontario. Businesses must obtain consent before collecting personal information, use it only for the purposes for which it was collected, and protect it from unauthorized access. This affects both camera placement decisions and how access control logs are stored. It is worth keeping in mind as you design your system.

Why Most Toronto Commercial Properties Need Both

By this point, the answer should be clear. For the vast majority of Toronto businesses, the real question is not access control or cameras. It is how to deploy both effectively.

Here is the practical case for integration:

Cameras fill the gaps access control leaves. Access control covers your doors. Cameras cover everything between your doors — aisles, lots, loading areas, outdoor perimeters.

Access control fills the gaps cameras leave. Cameras capture footage. Access control stops the incident before it happens by keeping unauthorized people out of sensitive areas.

Integrated systems are more powerful than either alone. When your camera system and access control system are connected, you can do things like: automatically pull the camera feed for the door when an access attempt happens, so you can visually verify who made the attempt. This is standard on modern commercial security platforms.

Evidence is more compelling when both systems back each other up. In an insurance claim or a police investigation, a camera clip plus an access control log is far stronger than either one by itself.

Insurers increasingly expect both. Commercial property insurance underwriters in Ontario are paying more attention to installed security infrastructure. Properties with verified access control and camera systems often qualify for lower premiums. Property owners have recovered installation costs in under 18 months through lower losses and insurance premiums.

How We Set Up Integrated Systems at Sense Group

At Sense Group, we have been installing commercial security systems across the Greater Toronto Area for 15 years — over 1,600 completed projects. Most of them involve both systems working together. Here is how we approach it.

Step 1: Site assessment. We visit your property and map every entry point, high-risk area, and coverage gap. No two properties are alike — a 50,000 sq ft warehouse in Barrie has different needs than a two-floor office in North York or a retail strip in Mississauga.

Step 2: Coverage design. We design the camera layout for full coverage — entrances, exits, high-value areas, parking, perimeter. Simultaneously, we identify which doors and access points need credential control and what level of access management the business needs.

Step 3: Infrastructure planning. Both systems run on structured cabling. We handle all network cabling as part of every installation — Cat6 runs to cameras, PoE switches, access control readers, and the NVR or central controller. Clean, properly run cable is the foundation of a reliable system.

Step 4: Equipment selection. For cameras, we work with Axis, Ubiquiti, UNV, and Verkada — commercial-grade manufacturers with the IP ratings and temperature specs required for Toronto's outdoor conditions. For access control, we install systems by ICT and Ubiquiti, which support full cloud management and integrate cleanly with camera systems.

Step 5: Configuration and training. We configure everything — recording schedules, access permissions, motion alerts, user credentials — and walk your team through the management interface before we leave.

Step 6: Ongoing support. We back all installations with a 3-year warranty and ongoing tech support. If something needs attention, we come to you.

The Short Answer by Business Scenario

Use this as a quick reference:

Small retail store, single location: Start with cameras. Add access control to the staff entrance and cash room as a second phase.

Mid-size office, 20–100 employees: Start with access control on main entry and any restricted areas. Add cameras for lobby, parking, and perimeter.

Warehouse or industrial facility: Both, from day one. Cameras for wide-area coverage, access control for staff entry and restricted zones.

Multi-location business across the GTA: Centralized cloud-based access control across all locations, integrated with a camera system at each site. Managed from a single dashboard.

Construction site: Temporary camera towers for the open site, access-controlled site trailer and main gate for accountability.

Office building with after-hours access for multiple tenants: Access control is the priority. Card-based or mobile credential entry for each tenant, with cameras on common areas and building perimeter.

Related Services

Both systems rely on solid infrastructure and often work best alongside additional security layers:

• Security Cameras Setup — Full camera system design and installation for commercial properties across the GTA

• Access Control System Installation — Card readers, biometric systems, key fobs, and cloud-managed access platforms

• Network Cabling — The structured cabling backbone that both systems depend on

• Video Doorbell Installation — Monitored video entry for commercial building entrances

• Access Point Installation — Wi-Fi infrastructure for wireless cameras, mobile credentials, and cloud-managed systems

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I start with just cameras and add access control later?

Yes, and many smaller businesses do exactly that. The key is to plan your cable infrastructure upfront so adding access control readers later doesn't require tearing up walls again. When we install camera systems, we always ask about future access control plans and route cabling to accommodate both.

Q: How much does an integrated camera and access control system cost for a Toronto commercial property?

It depends on the size of your property, the number of cameras needed, and how many access points require control. A small office with 4–6 cameras and access control on 2 doors is a very different project than a 20-camera warehouse with 6 controlled entry points. We offer free onsite estimates — contact Sense Group to schedule yours.

Q: Do I need a permit to install security cameras or access control in Ontario?

For most commercial installations, you do not need a building permit for cameras. Access control work that involves wiring through walls or ceilings in a commercial building may require permits depending on the municipality and scope of work. We handle all permit questions as part of our installation process.

Q: Will installing these systems lower my commercial insurance premiums?

Very likely, yes. Many commercial insurers in Ontario consider installed security camera systems and access control as risk-reducing factors. Some specifically require evidence of access control for certain coverage types. We recommend talking to your broker once your system is installed to discuss a premium review.

Q: What happens to access control and camera footage if the internet goes down?

Modern access control systems can operate locally even without an internet connection — doors still function based on credentials stored on-device. Camera systems with an NVR record footage locally regardless of internet connectivity. Cloud features (remote monitoring, remote access management) won't be available during an outage, but your core coverage continues.

Q: How quickly can Sense Group install a system for our Toronto business?

A standard installation typically takes one to two days for a small commercial property. Larger installations with multiple floors, extensive cable runs, or complex access control configurations take longer. We'll give you a realistic timeline during the site assessment.

Q: Does Sense Group service Mississauga, Barrie, and other GTA areas?

Yes. We serve Toronto, Mississauga, Barrie, Hamilton, Guelph, Kitchener, Vaughan, Caledon, Collingwood, Orillia, and surrounding areas across Ontario.

Q: Can access control and cameras be monitored remotely?

Yes. Both systems support remote management — cameras through a mobile or web app, access control through a cloud-based management platform. You can check footage, grant or revoke access credentials, and receive alerts from anywhere.

The Bottom Line

Access control and security cameras are not competing options. They cover different parts of the same problem.

Cameras tell you what happened. Access control determines who gets in before anything happens. For a complete commercial security setup, you need both working together.

Most Toronto businesses we work with come to us after an incident — a break-in, a theft, an employee issue — and realize they had a gap in one system or the other. The smarter move is to design a complete setup from the start, so you are covered before something goes wrong.

Contact Sense Group for a free onsite assessment. We'll walk your property, identify every gap, and recommend a system that covers both sides of the equation — prevention and documentation. Serving Toronto, Mississauga, Barrie, Hamilton, Collingwood, Orillia, Caledon, and throughout Ontario.