As video applications increase, so too, does the need for understanding your options for mounting surveillance monitors and flat-panel TVs. Mounts are an accessory that offers good profit margins, experts say.
In the grand scheme of a security system, monitor mounts are not only not top of mind, they’re all too often an afterthought, believes Keith Fulmer, president of Stensville, Md.-based Video Mount Products. “We’re the red-headed stepchildren,” he says. “We’re the low-tech guys, so people tend to think about us last.” However, that school of thought does no one any favors, he adds. “Any installation is only as good as the mount. You can buy a low-cost mount or make do with the wrong mount, but when people start moving that around, it’s going to loosen up and they’re not going to tighten it. That’s not a great-lasting impression to leave at a site.”
The two most popular types of monitor mounts are ceiling and wall, which Fulmer says make up more than 90 percent of VMP’s business. You also can get desk, under-cabinet and rack mounts, as well as more specialized and customized varieties. Once you’ve decided where you want to mount a monitor, there are several sub-categories to consider, Fulmer says.