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210 Articles and 128 related Products found for PTZ camera

Avigilon appoints VP of Supply Chain

Editor / Provider: Avigilon | Updated: 12/10/2012 | Article type: Security 50

Avigilon, a provider for HD and megapixel video surveillance solutions, today announced the promotion of Manny Gill to VP of Manufacturing and Global Supply Chain. Gill has been instrumental in supporting Avigilon's growth by ensuring the quality, reliability and delivery of HD surveillance solutions to over 80 countries worldwide. Over the past six years, Gill has introduced innovative automation technology and scaled shipping operations from zero sales to a $100 million run rate.

“We are proud to manufacture and design our products in Canada. With the help of Manny Gill and his team we've shown that manufacturing at home can be highly competitive and cost efficient,” said Alexander Fernandes, President and CEO at Avigilon. “The result of this innovative approach to manufacturing is a high-quality HD surveillance solution that our customers value.”

Gill is also credited for successfully ramping production in 2012 to meet sales demand on the PTZ camera and latest H.264 cameras. In addition, Gill introduced innovative automation technologies to the Canadian facility this year ensuring scalability as the company continues to grow.

Bosch extends IR illumination distance of MIC Series 550

Editor / Provider: Bosch Security Systems | Updated: 12/5/2012 | Article type: Security 50

Bosch Security Systems has extended the IR illumination range of the MIC Series 550 ruggedized PTZ cameras. The high-speed integrated IR PTZs now achieve classification of objects up to 100 meters (328 feet) away and detection level surveillance at distances up to 150 meters (492 feet) from the camera even in total darkness.

The day/night cameras deliver 550-TVL resolution with 36x or 28x optical zoom for sharp images even at great distances. Two 850-nm, long-life, IR LEDs are attached directly to the camera head to provide illumination exactly where it is needed. 3-D diffuser technology distributes illumination evenly between a scene's foreground and background, eliminating image hot spots and underexposed areas common with other LED-based illuminators. This technology ensures high-quality images regardless of lighting conditions.

When connected to an IP power supply, the MIC Series 550 offers VCA, which enables the camera to be programmed to detect loitering, line crossing and other potential threats for up to 10 preset conditions. This provides customers with reliable tracking, analysis and advanced search capabilities for day and night surveillance.

MIC Series 550 IR cameras can endure the elements in harsh environments, such as critical infrastructure applications. The vandal-proof and corrosion-resistant design includes an IP68-/NEMA 6P-rated aluminum casing with a long-life silicone wiper and reversible rain shield. The cameras can be mounted upright, inverted or canted to 45 degrees, without the need for specialist tools and without compromising the IP rating.

Bosch releases video security iPad app for remote access to HD video surveillance

Editor / Provider: Bosch Security Sysems | Updated: 12/4/2012 | Article type: Security 50

Bosch redefines HD surveillance with the introduction of its new “Video Security” iPad app. The app supports the access even at limited bandwidth internet connections by using dynamic transcoding technology. With this additional remote functionality Bosch is the first provider of such an instant access solution for HD video surveillance. The combination of app and hardware solution enables a unique user experience.

The app allows connecting to any H.264 SD/HD camera from Bosch via the dynamic transcoding technology using a transcoder unit. It is configured to give complete control of all cameras, including panning, tilting, zoom and focus functions from PTZ cameras from Bosch. Moreover, it supports forensic search by VCA for object protection based on object entering field, line crossing and any motion within selected time period. Having found an event or a point of interest, pausing the replay causes instant detail enhancement to present the full HD image in its original recording quality.

One of the key benefits of the app is the continuous synchronizing of available bandwidth and image quality so that the user always gets the best image quality that the available internet connection can provide. The app further features full playback functionality with intuitive jog-dial controls and a timeline with integrated alarm list and thumbnail preview. In order to process with the captured material the app allows to send video snapshots via email or to save them to the photo library. Furthermore, video clips can be exported to FTP servers or Dropbox cloud based storage solution. To meet the highest security standards, the app provides the user with a password protection and features a secure SSL connection between app and transcoder.

Currently, the Video Security app requires a Bosch VideoJet XTC transcoder or a VideoJet X20/X40 XF encoder with firmware 5.60 or better. Future updates are in planning to support more Bosch video-over-IP products.

Bosch surveillance solution helps Australian city deter crime and vandalism

Editor / Provider: Bosch Security Systems | Updated: 11/27/2012 | Article type: Security 50

In the late 1800s, Wanneroo became a major source of vegetables for Perth as its lake system proved ideal for agricultural purposes. Equivalent to the size of Singapore, the City of Wanneroo spans both urban and rural areas including busland, wetlands, coastal and regional areas. The city's population has reached 156,000 with that number set to double by 2031. The city continues to be one of the fastest growing regions in the country.

Business Objective:
The city was one of the 25 regions requested to place together a project to support the Australian Government's 'Safer Suburbs Plan'. Along with an additional grant from the WA State Government, the city had A$1 million to implement a system that would not only deter crime, vandalism and other anti-social behavior in region but also allow identification of offenders of crime and ensure the city is a safe place in which to live.

Solution:
The city representatives along with local police and businesses worked closely together to determine the areas that needed to be covered to ensure effective monitoring of pedestrian and vehicular movements and to identify offenders. This solution was also required to provide continuous recording of all cameras in the system and to allow independent viewing of any camera in accordance with standard operating procuedures. It was also imperative that the solution be able to maintain tamperproof records for post even analysis.

The Bosch solution chosen was installed by Prestige alarms, and has two core segments:
- a mobile CCTV solution;
- city solution.

The mobile CCTV solution involves the Bosch MIC400 camera and a pair of WZ14 side cameras being fitted to four ranger community safety patrol vehicles along with a Panasonic toughbook allowing for mobile monitoring. The city solution involves 16 Bosch 500 series PTZ cameras attached to 6 meter articulating poles viewing the nominated locations across the city including three suburban locations (Girawheen, Clarkson and Alexander Heights). The two segments are then integrated back to a central location at the Administration Center in Wanneroo for monitoring.

From the perspective of the city, the most important aspect of this solution is its ability to allow real time 24 hour monitoring of all the designated areas.

Result:
Any project of this magnitude is going to take considerable time to come together and this project was no exception. From the initial funding agreement until installation, it was just over two years, with installation of the infrastructure itself taking a little over seven months. It goes without saying that with a system as complex as this, there are going to be many hurdles and challenges along the way. However, most of these were resolved with little difficulty in conjunction with the City of Wanneroo to a successful result.

Bosch adds features and support for more storage solutions

Editor / Provider: Bosch Security Systems | Updated: 11/21/2012 | Article type: Security 50

Bosch Security Systems announces the latest release of its viewing client and storage software. Video Client 1.4 (BVC) from Bosch offers a number of enhancements — including improved search and support for advanced features of IP cameras from Bosch — to give customers more control over their video systems. The new version also adds support for ONVIF conformant cameras and an expanded range of storage solutions.

With version 1.4, customers can conduct forensic and event contextual searching for Bosch’s Intelligent Video Analysis (IVA) and benefit from the new automated tracking feature for AutoDome 700 and 800 series cameras. Intelligent tracking uses AutoDome’s built-in IVA to constantly monitor scenes for motion and automatically track objects moving within the camera range. Customers can stipulate conditions that will instantly activate tracking or click on a moving target within live video to trigger tracking.

The software also adds support for the regions of interest feature for live and recorded video. This allows the user to zoom in to a specific area of an image and transmit it in a separate stream, so both the overview and detail can be seen at the same time.

Customers can use dual monitors for easier viewing and assign live camera streams to cameos on the second monitor. BVC displays live video from up to 20 standard definition, HD or megapixel cameras simultaneously and features visual adaptive cameo tiles that dynamically change to support the HD 16:9 aspect ratio. Live camera streams can also be displayed on a monitor wall.

The software supports IP cameras from Bosch and ONVIF 1.02 profile S conformant cameras from other manufacturers when used with DLA Series IP video storage appliances and the video streaming gateway from Bosch. It is also compatible with a range of storage solutions to meet varying budget and retention needs. Customers can combine BVC with IP cameras from Bosch or edge devices with secure digital or compact flash cards for a very affordable IP video system. Other solutions include recording station, the 400, 600 and 700 series recorders, DLA Series IP video storage appliances, DiBos DVRs, and Video Recording Manager 2.30 which allows the use of DSA E-Series iSCSI Disk Arrays. Customers can also activate on demand recording to the local PC hard drive for easy export of video to any media, including network locations.

The software from Bosch is simple to install, easy to configure and intuitive to use. A simple configuration manager wizard takes users through set-up one step at a time. Cameras can be quickly configured for most common lighting conditions, while allowing individual settings to be adjusted to obtain optimized results for a specific scene. Favorite views can be defined and named by each user and are easily accessible, offering one-click display of related camera images.

The software allows control of PTZ cameras with a mouse, console and with IntuiKey series keyboards simultaneously. Low bandwidth streaming with pan-tilt-zoom control has also been added to the new version.

BVC is delivered free-of-charge for up to 16 IP camera or encoder channels, while a license can be bought for additional channels up to a maximum of 128. It is ideal for small to medium surveillance applications, including retail, banking, transportation, and commercial buildings.

Norwegian multipurpose landmark ups security measures with Milestone IP platform

Editor / Provider: Milestone Systems | Updated: 11/2/2012 | Article type: Residential & Consumer

Milestone Systems, the open platform company in IP VMS, has been chosen as the surveillance solution for Aker Brygge, an iconic architectural landmark owned by Norwegian Property (NP), and a top destination for living, working, shopping, dining and entertainment in the center of Oslo.

In partnership with Dell and Last Mile Communication, the installation partner LT Sikkerhet has won the project to provide NP with an upgrade of their security solution from analog technology to a networked solution for the Aker Brygge area. When NP evaluated the tenders, Milestone XProtect Corporate VMS was chosen as the best-in-class solution.

Aker Brygge is currently protected by approximately 100 analog cameras running on DVR units. However, the NP management required a future-proof solution that is more flexible and robust in terms of performance, reliability and scalability. LT Sikkerhet was appointed to be the contractor, and the solution is being installed in Q4 of this year.

“Our design is based on the requirement for a robust, high performance solution that can be further enhanced by IP cameras as the system naturally grows,” said Magne Jahr of LT Sikkerhet.

The solution is based on a 10GB backbone network, with SAN storage from Dell. Conversion from the analog cameras to digital video managed by the Milestone XProtec VMS is made with video encoders that allow high speed capture of video 24/7 and control of PTZ cameras. All servers and clients are hosted in a local data center and operators access the Milestone Smart Client on a hardware-accelerated zero client solution offering the best possible working climate.

“Future proofing the solution is leveraged by adding a five-year Milestone support plan to the offering, and by utilizing off-the-shelf server hardware for flexible scalability in terms of disk I/O and storage capacity plus failover redundancy,” said Magne Jahr of LT Sikkerhet.

Aker Brygge has been a landmark in Oslo since its beginnings in 1854 as a shipping yard run by Aker Mekaniske Verksted, the source of its name. In 1982 the ship yard was decommissioned, and the property was transformed into Oslo's most attractive piece of real estate with a pleasurable mix of dockside offices, a conference center, numerous retail and other commercial concerns, indoor parking for 1,600 vehicles, a marina and almost 400 condominiums. The area's uniqueness comes from its closeness to the Oslo fjord while still being just a stroll from the city center.

Aker Brygge offers many activities and festivals in addition to a rich variety of entertainment. It covers 260,000 square meters of real estate that includes shopping in more than 60 stores or food and drink from 35 establishments - all in a unique location by the sea. More than 12 million visitors find their way to Aker Brygge every year. It is not a shopping mall but more like a small city within the city. By 2015 Aker Brygge will stand totally renewed with a fully modernized interior along with enhancements to the seaside promenade and pier.

US nonprofit organization minimizes retail shrinkage with IP-based surveillance

Editor / Provider: Toshiba | Updated: 10/31/2012 | Article type: Commercial Markets

Goodwill Industries International, is one of America's oldest charities. Founded in 1902 by Rev. Edgar Helms on the philosophy of "a hand up, not a hand out", Goodwill today is a $3.2 billion nonprofit that aims to improve economic self-sufficiency through job training, employment placement and other services for those who have disabilities, lack education or face employment challenges.

A major source of funding for the organization is its 2,400 Goodwill stores in the U.S. and Canada. The stores offer the basics - jeans, business attire, infant and children's clothing, house wares and appliances, furniture and more - at a great value. However, like all retail outlets, these stores suffer from shrinkage, especially at the point-of-sale (POS). Goodwill also witnesses theft at its unattended drop-off sites where donors deposit items for re-sale.

Confronted with this predicament, Goodwill's Northwest-North Carolina (NWNC) chapter took the proactive step of migrating from traditional analog CCTV systems in 40 of its stores to IP video surveillance systems from Toshiba.

The year-long project began when Versa Technologies, a Winston-Salem, NC-based solutions provider, installed a Toshiba business communication system in the NWNC chapter's newly built regional operations center in Winston-Salem, NC.

Clay Poindexter, President of Versa, explained: "We let their loss prevention team know that we do more than business communication systems; we design and install IP video surveillance, structured cabling, professional A/V, and much more. That sparked a dialogue about how to address POS security within the stores and at their many drop-off centers, most of which were free-standing and others that were incorporated into the stores."

Goodwill's loss prevention team told Poindexter that the chapter had lately opened up a number of stores in more upscale communities. This outreach effort was helping to change the image the general public held regarding Goodwill stores. However, the move to better neighborhoods had also brought with it higher value drop-off items such as flat-screen TVs. Sadly, there had also been an increased incidence of theft.

Versa used the opportunity to introduce Goodwill to IP video surveillance, a major advancement over the analog camera/DVR solution it currently had in-place. Goodwill recognized the potential of network cameras after Versa deployed a system at its regional operations center, alongside the new business communication system. Management now understood that it could afford to install IP at all of its stores without the hassles and on-going maintenance costs of traditional CCTV.

Versa recommended the deployment of an IP camera/NVR system in each store over existing data networks that could be accessed remotely by the loss prevention team back at Goodwill headquarters in Winston-Salem to give it visibility of all in-store activity. Versa's camera placement diagram resulted in more than 95 percent of each store being monitored. Each store has a total of between 10-13 Toshiba IP cameras depending on square footage and the number of check-out lines. Larger stores have as many as twenty. Versa installed Toshiba IK-WB21A PTZ cameras to provide high-resolution sweeps of the sales floor, while fixed Toshiba IK-WB30A day/night IP cameras were installed to watch the checkout areas, and to monitor the drop-off boxes from inside the store. Outside, Toshiba IK-WB02A cameras protected by environmental housings were installed to watch the drop-off boxes.

Another requirement of Goodwill was that cash handling needed to be closely monitored to spot potential fraud from employees and customers. For that reason Versa installed a Toshiba 16-channel, 1TB NVS NVR in each store equipped with Surveillix TransCapture POS software. TransCapture provides Goodwill managers with needed security at every cash register. It overlays text onto real-time video so that every detail sales transaction, including price, specific items purchased, the quantity of those items, cashier number, can be recorded. With just a few simple clicks, the manager has immediate access to all necessary transaction and video information. Alerts can be customized to notify loss prevention that a specific item is being rung-up by showing special colors to the on-screen font, speaker beeps, pop-ups or relay triggers.

This was an especially important feature for Goodwill. Back at headquarters the loss prevention team was required to visually inspect the video each time a cashier had a no sale, void or refund transaction. Searching for a specific event took twenty minutes or longer when Goodwill relied upon analog cameras and a DVR. Today, thanks to Toshiba TransCapture, a single transaction can be pinpointed within seconds.

"Surveillix Central Station allowed the loss prevention staff to access all of the NVS units and download higher quality images faster over existing data networks," said Poindexter. "The POS System fully integrates so that the loss prevention staff can easily search thousands of transactions to find all of the No Sale, Void & Refund Transactions to ensure there is a client at the register."

In the time since the system was installed, theft in the stores and at drop-off boxes has noticeably been reduced and video recorded has successfully been used to prosecute offenders. Goodwill's policy regarding thieves is simple: 100 percent prosecution. Every item stolen represents the loss of hope for someone desperately in need of help.

Says Poindexter: "I believe that Goodwill Industries of NWNC chose Toshiba because of the many features that we demonstrated. The integration with the POS as well as the ability to access all of the NVS units over the existing data network was key to their decision. They received better quality images and were able to scan the stores using the PTZ Cameras. The system was easy to use for the loss prevention team and saved them all time by being able to search for specific events that were logged from the POS System. They were also excited to have a partner like Toshiba and Versa Technologies that were willing to work with them on their applications as well as help them implement new technology."

Korean church improves congregation safety with networked surveillance

Editor / Provider: Axis Communictions | Updated: 10/30/2012 | Article type: Commercial Markets

Mission

Gwacheon Church and its congregation was founded 60 years ago. Although the church had managed well without any security system such as CCTV, its rapid growth made it necessary to more comprehensively manage church property. In particular, the church wanted to install an easy-to-use, yet efficient video surveillance system for the kindergarten within the church compound, as well as the church interior, exterior, and parking lots.

But the church’s main building, education center, and social works wing are separated by large distances so integrating the system was a challenge. The solution was to install an IP camera system capable of supporting network infrastructure and high-resolution video.

Given the extensive, open-ended nature of churches, high-resolution images were an absolute necessity for monitoring. For surveillance of spacious prayer halls and large parking lots, Axis network cameras were the ideal solution. Gwacheon Church has improved its security level significantly through the use of Axis network cameras which are suitable for various applications and environments.

Solution

Initially, Axis partner, Sunjin Infotech, set out to create a network infrastructure by using an SDSL sender/receiver at the education and social works centers along with a video extension solution through network cables in spots where monitoring was needed.

Installing conventional analog CCTV between remote buildings may incur significant costs and headaches for installation and maintenance along with signal deterioration when sending and receiving analog signals. Gwacheon Church cut costs while gaining high-resolution video signals by using SDSL technology that creates an environment to connect IP-based equipment. Through the network-based technology, the video images saved in the NVR system can be delivered to far-away locations via the UTP cable.

For security monitoring, indoor fixed dome cameras and fixed cameras were installed in several areas. In three outdoor parking lots, PTZ cameras and fixed cameras were mounted to eliminate blind spots. This avoided congestion problems during peak worship service times and simultaneously solved security issues.

All of this was done using the PoE technology which allows power supply and video recording with one cable. All of the cameras could monitor in real-time while permitting video searches via NVR later.

In addition to being able to save and search video files via NVR, the system is highly flexible to a degree that system managers can perform real-time monitoring anytime, from anywhere. The church tested several video security systems but the Axis solution was the clear choice; one of the reasons being that it enabled parents to view videos of their children in kindergarten from any location.

Result

With Axis network cameras, Gwacheon Church has deployed and is managing a comprehensive security system with minimum staff. Since the cameras have been carefully selected to meet specific requirements, they offer maximum effectiveness for each application. The camera system, including the 2-megapixel HDTV camera and an array of high-resolution network cameras, guarantees the safety of the church and its congregation through progressive scan high-quality video.

Berlin multipurpose arena upgrades video and fire warning systems

Editor / Provider: Bosch Security Systems | Updated: 10/29/2012 | Article type: Security 50

The O2 World arena is situated on the banks of the Spree river between Berlin's eastern railway station and the Warsaw bridge. It is Europe's most modern functioning arena. Thanks to its professional environment and the atmospheric ambience the arena offers fans, it also became home to two of the most successful sports clubs in Berlin.

The arena can accommodate 17,000 people and guarantees an optimum audio quality and a great view at every seat. The venue is also designed in such a way that it can be converted from a concert hall to a sports arena in a matter of hours, with the safety of players, artists and visitors being top priority.

In September 2007, Bosch was commissioned to provide a security solution for the facility, predominantly because of its extensive expertise in all low voltage sectors. The arena is equipped with an intelligent fire warning system that is controlled via two networked fire panels inside the building, while 2300 special detectors prevent false alarms from occurring.

The interior is monitored by linear optical smoke detectors and linear heat detectors. In addition, the roof features aspirating smoke detectors to keep the arena free from smoke in the event of a fire. In case of fire, the panels fulfill an extensive range of functions throughout the building, such as controlling the smoke, heat venting and sprinkler systems. Two networked electroacoustic systems are in place to initiate evacuation in the event of an alarm, linked up to a total of 1200 loudspeakers distributed across the different parts of the building.

Bosch was also given high specifications to meet in terms of video surveillance. A total of 90 PTZ cameras were installed in the internal and external areas of the arena to make sure all sectors are monitored.

In the event of an alarm, the MPEG4 recording system allows up to 25 images per second to be recorded at extremely high quality on multiple cameras. The data network installed at the complex includes some 170 km of cable, and enables operation of around 2200 ports for PC workstations, IP telephony and the O2 World's own TV system, Arena TV.

All information from the individual surveillance systems is transmitted to the higher-level system of monitoring stations. Each of the three work stations is equipped with a large screen, and there is a separate workstation in the building that is set aside for use by the police. Following the opening of the O2 World in September 2008, Bosch experts were on hand to monitor every event for four weeks, to check all systems thoroughly. These experts are now tasked with the ongoing day-to-day maintenance of the arena's fire detection and intrusion alarm systems, electroacoustic systems, video surveillance equipment and higher-level monitoring stations.

Transmitting high-def video on low-bandwidth networks

Editor / Provider: Submitted by IndigoVision and Vemotion | Updated: 10/9/2012 | Article type: Tech Corner

As IP cameras increase in resolution and customers demand more clarity, network bandwidth becomes a critical issue. IndigoVision and Vemotion Interactive discuss how careful bandwidth management is needed to get the best out of your IP video network.

HD cameras now produce more data than a wide-area network (WAN) can reasonably handle. While your in-house local-area network (LAN) may be able to handle large amounts of data, it is important to be aware of the limitations when you want to send camera streams to other buildings or companies; the bandwidth available will be lower, and you need to be clever about what you send. With the growth in sales of ever-better HD cameras, there is a need for even better bandwidth management to make the best use of resources on any multisite system.

Key Areas
Avoiding bandwidth bottlenecks involves looking at five key areas:
- Video compression
- Latency
- Choosing what to send
- Location of recording
- Managing demand

Video Compression
There is a lot of misunderstanding in the marketplace about video compression. Use of the H.264 video codec standard is usually seen as the answer, but H.264 is very broad term. It really only describes the format the video is compressed to, and how it can be decoded; it does not give information about how the compression was achieved. There is a big difference between good compression and bad; the table below details typical data rates for a single 1-megapixel camera monitoring a fairly static scene such as a building entrance:

It is important to do your homework and benchmark the compression from different suppliers so that you really know what you are buying. Great compression uses up to half the bandwidth of good compression. As well as reducing overall bandwidth, good compression also allows you to dual stream – high frame rate and high bandwidth locally, and low bandwidth for what you stream over the WAN.

An apt example would be the Vemotion Interactive VB-40 series that requires a GPRS, 3-G, ADSL/Ethernet or satellite router. Inputs and outputs (16 maximum outputs per unit) are configured and transmitted over the network to the control hub. The unit will connect to the server application and then, by installing a multiscreen viewer application on a PC or mobile device, you can view multiple live video feeds from wherever you are. Full telemetry for control of cameras is provided, and automatic bandwidth adaptation offers maximum flexibility.

For example, 16 simultaneous streams can be viewed from each VB-40 unit, and the operator can choose to increase the resolution of any of the feeds to provide enhanced video quality. The VB-40 will respond by automatically changing the video quality of other feeds in order to give the required channel the most bandwidth. This means that a fixed bandwidth can be intelligently distributed across all the video feeds in order to provide the optimal operating solution for the user. VB-40 can be “dropped” into location and give immediate access to camera systems already in place — from a private surveillance hub for temporary remote access, or to connect multiple locations and control rooms together where other network options would be cost-prohibitive.

Latency
Latency is another vital consideration. In recorded video, it does not matter if there is a little latency in playback of video from recorder to viewing station, but if an operator is trying to track real-time action and there is a double delay – delay in the images getting to the monitor, and then delay in the signal from the operator's joystick to the PTZ camera following the events – he or she is going to quickly lose track of what is happening. The time from the moment the light hits the camera lens until the image reaches the operator's monitor should be less than 100 milliseconds. Longer than that, and the lag is too much.

This is, in fact, one of the reasons analog systems are still around in so many areas – latency can be a real issue with IP video. Only a really well-designed system, carefully pipelining every stage of compression and transmission, will minimize latency properly.

Choose What to Send
Only send it if you have to: do not overload your network resource with data you do not really need. A good IP security management system will switch the transmission link into "idle mode" when there is nothing happening in the scene. The instant anything happens, things should switch back to full speed, and your system must make sure that is a fast changeover so that nothing is missed in the interim.

Real-time video analytics are vital too; they can identify when something relevant happens, perhaps when someone walks the wrong way down a corridor, or an item is moved. That is when you want to be sure you see everything that is going on.

Location of Recording
Recording location is another important consideration. Do not move all of your data back and forth between cameras and a central site. Design your network with NVRs close to the cameras they are recording, using your plentiful LAN bandwidth, and only transmit important information over the WAN.

Out of any video you record, you are typically only ever going to look at less than 1 percent, so keep the intelligence at the edge and only access what you really need to. A distributed IP video architecture, without the need for central servers, lets you record locally but view from anywhere you need to. Careful design will eliminate a lot of bottlenecks and headaches.

Managing Demand
This is possibly the trickiest part to get right, and the one that most people forget about: managing operator demand. This is crucial on any multisite system. Each operator has to learn how to share the bandwidth, and to make sure they get their job done without hogging limited resources. Depending on the product used, this can often be managed within the management system itself; a built-in understanding of what each area needs can be configured during setup and managed silently so that bandwidth is allocated well without operator input. However, staff must still understand the need to share and may have to be encouraged to do so.

Design Carefully
On top of all these recommendations, design your monitoring solution carefully and think about what is really important. There has been a move recently toward using HD cameras just because they are availabe and getting cheaper. But once you start putting 5-, 10- or 16-megapixel cameras in every situation, you are going to use up valuable bandwidth very quickly. It is worth bearing in mind that many higher-megapixel cameras are designed to work at slower frame rates; a lower pixel count but higher frame rate may actually be better at gathering evidence.

It is all about balance: choose the right mix of SD and HD cameras for your real needs, put them in the right place, and design the network to work well with them.