Whenever I visit the site of a new client who is interested in protecting their property with video security, the first question I always ask is “what are you trying to achieve?” More often than not, the client does not understand what I am asking so I happily spend some time to explain. One of the reasons for writing this article will be that it will become an introduction to the issues surrounding video security and a first point of reference before I visit. This will help to give the client some background on what video can do and probably save some time and avoid confusion.

There’s a common misconception that all video security systems are pretty much the same and all you have to do is slap a few cameras, from a hardware store, on the wall or ceiling and everything will be covered. This is not the case. A properly designed system based on the needs of the client will make all the difference to the end result.

One of the main factors in deploying a video system is understanding what asset is to be protected and what level of surveillance is required. Broadly speaking, a video system should do one or more of the following:

Observe an area or target.Recognise a person or objectIdentify an unknown person or objectTrack and document a person or event.

So, what do I mean by each of these and how does it affect the system design?

A standard video security camera will generally have a 3.5mm, or thereabouts, lens. This is roughly the field of view that you would get if looked at an area with one eye closed. It’s roughly a 90 degree view of the area and is not specifically focused on anything. This view allows you to adequately observe movement, such as a car driving through a car park, but doesn’t give you any useful detail unless the target is within a few metres of the camera. From a distance, you may see that a person gets into a red car and drives off but you probably won’t be able to tell who it is or obtain any detail of the car. It’s perfect for “keeping an eye on things” in a large area and allows you to track where a person goes or what happens to an object, such as a car.

Being able to recognise a person or object requires a higher level of detail. This means that the camera might need to be closer to the object or have a longer focal length. The effect would be similar to zooming with your pocket camera. Either way, the target area covered will be smaller but the detail of what is covered will be higher. This will allow you to recognise someone or something that you already know. For example, if you are familiar with Steve and he moves through the field of vision, based on his overall appearance, physical characteristics, clothing or other distinct feature, you will know that it’s Steve. There will be insufficient detail to recognise him based on facial features. If you only have a couple of cameras covering smaller areas, you won’t be able to track what he does or where he goes and you may not be able to prove that it’s Steve if required.

If an event occurs, let’s say a theft or assault, you may need to have a clear image of a person that you do not know. Fuzzy images taken from a distance will not be sufficient to assist police or security offices to identify the culprit. For this purpose you will need a camera which is tightly focused on a target area and has sufficient resolution to be able to provide a clear image of distinctive features, such as a face. To be able to obtain this image, a camera will need to be placed at location and at a height which will maximise the probability of capturing this level of detail. We commonly refer to such an area as a “choke point”. This is a common point through which people must pass and will often be an entry or exit point or a common walk way.

I also mentioned camera height when considering placement in a choke point. It is no use having the camera mounted on or near a ceiling as the most likely image captured will be the top of someone’s head or, worse still, a hat, thereby making them unidentifiable.

As an example of a choke point which I have found to be quite effective, I like to mount a camera on a wall at the top of a set of stairs, pointing down the stairs. Human nature, and my own experience in camera placement, seems to indicate that people who walk up stairs will look up as they approach the top of the flight; probably to see who is around or where they have to go next. This affords a great opportunity to capture a really clear face shot. Of course, anyone intending mischief and who is aware of the presence of the camera will deliberately NOT look up. This is where concealed cameras come in but that’s a story for another time.

So far, I have identified a number of factors which are important in determining where cameras should be placed and, together, these factors contribute to achieving the outcome required by the client.

At the end of the day, most clients want their shiny new system to do everything I’ve identified and this is why a layered approach is required. Using the scenario of a shopping centre car park, a typical camera placement strategy may include:

One or more wide angle cameras covering most of the car park from different angles to detect changes and to track movementOne or more cameras with higher resolution and longer focal lengths to capture more specific detail with minimal graininess or pixilation when zooming the image. This may also be achieved by having cameras closer to the target asset under observation, such as the lift areas or retail entrances. Identity recognition will require higher resolution cameras.Highly focussed, high resolution cameras targeting the car park entry and exit points allowing for vehicle and number plate identification. Cameras for this application need to cope with variations in lighting and target movement. A camera with a Wide Dynamic Range (WDR) and a fast shutter speed will often be required.

Using this scenario, a car entering the car park can be identified. It can be tracked as it moves through the car park to where it stops. The driver or occupants can be tracked once they leave the vehicle and they can be identified as they enter and leave the retail section.

In addition to issues relating to camera placement, it is critical that cameras cannot be taken out of service without the intruder first being identified by one or more other cameras. For this purpose, cameras should not be accessible from the rear and any connecting data and power cables must be adequately protected. Proper design and installation by a qualified technician is essential to maintaining the integrity of the system.

Finally, for the purpose of law enforcement, the images captured by the cameras need to be stored on a suitable recording device and retained for a mandatory period of time. This will either be determined by regulation or client preference. The specification for this device will be determined by the number of cameras, the amount of data traffic generated and the time for which the video must be stored.

There are other issues relating to the installation of video security cameras but the purpose of this article is to highlight the issues confronting the system design with respect to the client’s requirements and the added value of engaging an experienced professional. A good designer will take the time to understand the client’s requirements, raise relevant issues and help the client to maximise the return on their expenditure.

If you are thinking of engaging a professional to install a video security system, ensure that they ask questions about your objectives. Ask to see, and have them explain, some other project designs in which they have been involved and, if you can, check the quality of the finish.

Author: Craig Colnan

Power over Ethernet, or PoE, is probably now the most common method for supplying power to an IP camera. Using standard Cat5/5e/6 data cable for both data and power, PoE is a cost effective method for getting power to camera devices on a network without the need to install mains power at each camera location. This significantly reduces installation and maintenance cost and makes camera relocation comparatively easy.

So, how does PoE work…

Typical data cables, used by computing devices, including IP cameras, consist of 4 twisted pairs of wire. The actual data component only uses 2 of these pairs (4 wires) leaving 2 pairs spare.

There are two variations to how PoE is carried on a Cat5/5e/6 cable. These are Alternative A and Alternative B. Alternative A injects power along the wires used for data while Alternative B uses the 4 spare wires. DC power is pushed across 2 of the spare wires while the remaining two are used to complete the circuit back to the power source (see diagram).

It is more common for IP cameras to use the B standard although most cameras will identify and adjust to whichever option is in use. You should check your camera’s technical details before assuming compatibility with your PoE power source.

Ethernet cable connections also use one of two cabling standards, 568A and 568B. These standards only affect pins 1,2,3 and 6 which are the data only pins in PoE Alternative B. As PoE device standards call for polarity insensitivity, using either cabling standard with Alternative A will not affect the function of the camera.

To further complicate matters, PoE also has a number of standard implementations referred to as types. The most common type used for IP cameras is 802.3af and, within this, there are a number of classes. These classes define the operational parameters for PoE, the most important to us being the amount of power, in Watts, that is supplied to the device.

The most common specification used for IP cameras is 802.3af with no further class nominated. This specification means that between 0.44W and 15.4W of power is supplied at the source. Some IP cameras specify type 802.3af with class 3. This is a more stringent class and requires a minimum of 6.49W to be available to the device with an upper limit of 15.4W.

It is important to check the power requirements of the camera device when selecting a power source. Many cameras do not specify a type and class so 802.3af with no class is assumed.

So far we’ve looked at the PoE standards from the viewpoint of the camera requirements. Now we need to understand the source of that power, typically a separate PoE switch, an inline injector or a NVR integrated PoE switch.

It is important to understand the total wattage that may be drawn by all cameras when selecting a power source, typically a switch, and sizing that device accordingly.

Many PoE switches do not support PoE on all ports so the first step is to ensure that you select a switch with sufficient PoE enabled ports.

You will need to identify the total power consumption for all of your cameras, to be connected to the switch, under peak load. Many IP cameras have built in infra red LEDs for night vision and these consume power on top of the normal daytime operational load. It is important to calculate the total load including IR. For example, our 1.3MP bullet camera consumes 5 watts during daylight but this rises to 8 watts when the night vision IR is active.

If the power consumption of the camera cannot be determined, an inexpensive power measuring device can be used. I use a unit supplied by Watts Clever. These can be obtained for around $30 online or in many electrical and hardware stores.

The next critical step is to check the Watt output rating on the switch to ensure that it will support all of your cameras. Many switches only supply half of the power that you might expect. Often, the total power output averages 7.5W per port. If you consider our 1.3MP camera from above, the total power consumption for 8 cameras would be 64W under IR conditions. A switch outputting 7.5W would supply 60W across 8 ports.

So what happens when power consumption outstrips supply? Well, many switches will progressively shut down the port power, starting with the highest port number. Some cheaper switches will simply randomly black out a port. This may not immediately appear to be a power shortfall, leading to assumptions of camera faults and wasted problem assessment time.

As an example of the above, the D-Link DGS-1100-08P is an 8 port PoE switch with the following specification taken from the D-Link web site:

DGS-1100-08P complies with the 802.3af standard for PoE and supports a 64 Watt power budget.

Now, I like the D-Link for small installations and this description correctly states that the switch is 802.3af compliant but it does not state to which class it adheres. As such, it does not have to guarantee 15.4W per port. In this case, the switch will average 8W per port under full load. If our peak camera load exceeded 64W, the switch will progressively shut down devices until it falls back within tolerance.

In this article, I have identified the benefits of using PoE for powering camera devices and reviewed some of the precautions that have to be taken when implementing and powering these devices. In a future article I will examine the relative merits of the different means for supplying power to cameras using PoE.

Happy installing.

Author: Craig Colnan

Like any piece of electronic equipment your CCTV security system and its surrounding environment needs to be maintained to achieve and sustain optimal video quality.

This article describes a few of the routine maintenance procedures that should be followed for your system.

First off, the camera.

For both indoor and outdoor mounted cameras, there are some common factors which can adversely affect the performance of the overall system. Outdoor cameras, however, also have to deal with additional stresses arising from their environment.

For all cameras, the following are some basic, routine maintenance tasks:

Remote dust and contaminants. Regularly inspect your camera for deposits of dust and dirt. The lens, in particular, needs attention. Using a very soft cloth or a tissue, gently wipe the lens and the area around it. Gently wipe any dust off the camera housing, cables and connections. Be careful not to bump the camera or change its viewing angle.Remove spider webs insect infestation. Spiders and insects are often attracted to security cameras. Some insects are attracted to infra red light while others enjoy the heat that emanates from the camera, particularly in winter. Spiders may leave web across the lens which will disrupt the view and may trigger motion detection settings. This will cause motion false positives. Insects, such as wasps, may build nests on or around the camera, cables or connectors. These should be removed.Outdoor cameras are prone to having their focus or field of view moved by birds landing on the cameras. Regularly check the field of view for each camera and ensure that mountings are secure to reduce the incidence of angle change.Many cameras rely on infra red for night vision. Regularly check that the IR LEDs are working and that the camera is detecting the cut between day and IR night vision by inspecting live or recorded vision.Where systems are configured for recording on motion, check that motion events are triggering recording. Where they are not being recorded, confirm that the camera and/or recorder sensitivity is set correctly.For outdoor cameras in particular, check the camera housing, mounting bracket, bolts, cables and connections for corrosion or weather damage. Replace any elements which have become damaged or corroded. Indoor mounted cameras should also be checked by maybe less frequently.Check the quality and resolution of live and recorded vision. Changes to lighting at different times of the year or changes to internal lighting may impact the quality of the video. At some times of the year, the sun my rise or set in direct line with the camera. This may damage the lens and will certainly impact the recorded video. Where possible, cameras should not be angled to capture the horizon.IP cameras are often powered using Power over Ethernet. This power is generally supplied by a special PoE capable switch. Regularly check the switch to ensure that all ports are operating and that cameras are only connected to PoE ports.IP cameras are little computers and may, from time to time, glitch and require a restart. Regularly check that the camera is operating and power reset the cameras from time to time or when one fails. If the camera is PoE powered, this can be done from the switch or in-stream PoE adapter.

Now the recorder.

The video recorder or VMS is the point at which all of your video recording is stored. It is also the device to which you will connect to view real time and recorded video. The recorder will either be a NVR (network video recorder) or a PC. A NVR looks similar to your home personal video recorder or DVD player. A VMS looks like a PC (actually, it probably is a PC).There are some maintenance issues that you need to observe to keep your recorder operating at peak efficiency.

Ensure that the device has sufficient ventilation. Video is recorded to a computer hard disc and these can run very hot so cooling and ventilation is important. Make sure that there is nothing obstructing the fans and that nothing is stored on top of the unit.Check all cable connections, power and network, to ensure that there are no broken clips and that all plugs are securely connected to their respective sockets.If using a Windows PC for VMS software, periodically check that the latest Windows updates have been applied. Ideally, Windows should be hardened. This is a technique whereby unnecessary services and features in Windows are disabled, thereby reducing the probability of virus or intrusion attack. Virus updates should also regularly be applied, as should updates to the VMS software.Check the time and date settings on the NVR or VMS. Date stamping of video streams is important and incorrect dates and times may hamper investigation into events such as theft. Special care should be taken around changes to daylight saving time.

Finally, I need to mention the environment around the cameras. When originally set up, your cameras would have been directed at the area you need to capture or observe. Over time, changes to that area may occur. In the case of external cameras, many events can take place which encroach on that target area. These include:

Growth of trees or bushes. In such cases, the trees may need pruning or the cameras relocated to recover the required target area.New structures may be erected in the field of view. These may be on your or adjacent property and will more likely require a relocation of the cameras.Changes to the use of the area in front of the camera may change. A car park, for example, may now include a bus or truck space which will block the field of view. Again, a camera relocation may be required.New structures or encroaching trees outside the field of view may not be directly blocking the target area but may alter the lighting by, for example, casting shadow. This may impact the ability of the camera to capture the detail required of the target area. Tree shadows cast may also move in the wind, thereby triggering false positive motion events.

I have written his article from experience in the hope that it will help users of video security to understand that, like any machine or system, a degree of maintenance is required to sustain the system in peak operating efficiency. Video security systems are not “set and forget” and a failure in your system may mean that you do not capture that vital piece of evidence when you really need it.

Author: Craig Colnan

CCTV Camera Focal Length

This is part one of a series of articles which will help you to understand the basic factors involved in selecting the right camera for your video security requirements.

In this article I will examine the importance of the camera lens focal length, how that affects the image area that the camera sees and why choosing the right lens determines the usefulness of the captured video.

First off, some important terms.

The focal length of a lens is the distance, in millimetres, between the optical centre of the lens and the image sensor when focussed at infinity. The optical centre of the lens is the point at which the rays of light, entering the lens, cross.

The Field of View is the area in front of the camera that is captured and is affected by the focal length.

Now, it’s not important to have a technical understanding of focal length when selecting a camera but you do need to understand what different focal lengths will do to the field of view and how this affects what you are trying to achieve with video security.

A typical default focal length on security cameras is 3.6mm. This creates what we refer to as a wide angle view (about 72 degrees), that is, the image will cover a wider area at the expense of magnification detail. This is somewhat similar to what the human eye would see.

At longer focal lengths, the image focus is magnified but with a narrower field of view. Longer focal lengths are used in security cameras when you need to focus the camera on a specific target with a high degree of detail but with a camera that is mounted some distance away. An example might be a camera that focuses on a car park gate where you want to capture number plates from 30 metres away but are less concerned with events or movement leading up to the gate. The issue with using a long focal length is the amount of light that reaches the camera sensor as the camera moves away from the target. That's the focus of a later atricle.

The image below shows the effect of different focal lengths on the magnification of the target area. You can see that as the focal length increases, so does the magnification but there is a loss of detail from the scene.

Most security cameras have fixed focal length lenses. That is, the camera is manufactured with the lens that is required to capture the required field of view and this cannot be changed. It’s set and forget so, when ordering fixed lenses, it’s important to understand the image area that you will capture. If you are unsure, check the focal length on your phone or pocket camera, go to the place where you intend to mount the camera and take a photo of the target area. If the result is what you need then you now know what camera lens to order.

For more complex situations, there are also variable focal length cameras. These can be adjusted to any level within the limits specified for the camera. For example, Bluefly’s 5 megapixel varifocal bullet camera can be manually adjusted within a range from 2.8mm through to 12mm. We also have outdoor cameras with focal length ranges from 3.6 to 16mm.

There are other factors which affect the quality or resultant image that can be achieved using video security cameras. In coming weeks I will be publishing articles on several of these factors including aperture and light, the image sensor, and resolution. Together, with considerations such as weatherproof ratings and body type, these factors will contribute to helping you make an informed decision on which camera best suits your individual needs.

If you have any questions or feedback relating to this article of you need help to build your video security solution, please call us or use our contact form to get in touch. We're here to help and we'd love to hear from you.

Author: Craig Colnan

5 things to look for in a video security system

Whether you are a first time purchaser of video security or you are looking to replace or upgrade your existing system, there are a number of factors of which you should be aware and consider before you commit to a solution.

Different system components will each offer different features, attributes and prices so it is important to match those factors against your specific requirements. By making an informed decision up front, you stand the best chance of buying the system that you need and achieving what you set out to do.

In this article, I’ve identified the top five critical features that you should look for in a video security system.

Video Resolution

We’re all pretty familiar with the concept of megapixels from out daily exposure to television, computer screens and cameras that we find on our phones. We frequently hear terms such as megapixel, high definition and 1080p and we know to equate these with clarity and detail. Well, the same applies to security video cameras. The higher the resolution, the better the image quality… to a point. There is a point of diminishing return on investment where more megapixels doesn't add any further benefit.

Resolution is expressed in terms of the horizontal and vertical number of pixels in the image. In high definition terms, 1920(H) by 1080(V) equals 1080p resolution, where the “p” means progressive scan. This describes the way in which the image is scanned on the screen. If you multiply 1920 by 1080 you get 2073600 pixels which equates to 2 megapixels.

Older style video surveillance systems use Standard Definition recording which roughly matches the old PAL and NTSC video standards. PAL has a vertical line depth of 576 lines, referred to as television lines or TVL. PAL has a resolution of 0.4 megapixels. Standard Definition is typical of the cheap video surveillance systems sold in many electronics stores and on discount web sites. SD resolution should be avoided.

1080p or 2 megapixels is the current sweetheart resolution for day to day video security systems and provides an excellent result for most applications.

Motion Detection

Motion detection is a feature of the video security system which enables a timed segment of video to be recorded when either the camera or the recording device, depending on the type of system, detects movement in the field of view. The alternative to motion detection is to leave the video recording all of the time. This consumes more storage space, thereby lessening the amount of time that video can be retained, and may make locating an event in the video footage more difficult.

Some video systems support a combination of constant recording with motion events highlighted as alerts. This provides a convenient option for searching the recorded video for only those events in which you are interested.

Night Vision

The things that you most want to record on your video security system may not be limited to daylight hours. With criminal activity, in particular, the cover of darkness is the favoured environment. It is therefore important that your system can “see in the dark”. This is a feature of the camera and is accomplished in one, or both, of two ways.

Most modern, quality cameras can capture images in low light situations. Light is measure in LUX. This is the illuminance of an area or object as perceived by the human eye. Direct sunlight is regarded as being more than 32000 lux where as a moonless, starlit night is roughly 0.0001 lux. A quality video camera will detect light between 0.01 and 0.001 lux.

Very low lux levels will probably not allow for identification or sufficient detail in many surveillance situations. This is where infra red comes in.

Infra Red is a spectrum of light which is invisible to the human eye. At best, you might notice a dull red glow surrounding an infra red light source. However, IR cameras can use this spectrum to illuminate an area in the field of view and record that as a black and white image. The distance that can be illuminated is a factor of the number of IR LEDs that are built into the camera. Typical mid range cameras can illuminate up to 15 metres with good detail.

Video Storage Units

In the “old days”, video surveillance systems recorded the video stream to VCR tape. For some time now, video security recorders have used the same hard drives that you would find in your computer. For IP networked video systems we refer to the recording devices as Network Video Recorders or NVRs.

The two critical factors which will affect your NVR’s ability to store video are the number of cameras feeding a video stream and the resolution of the video. We’ve already seen in point 1 that 1080p is now the most popular video resolution for general recording. However, 1080p creates some pretty big files. Only recording motion on those cameras where this is possible helps save some disc space and is recommended where practical.

Most NVRs these days will support 4TB disc drives. Some will support more than one and others still will additionally support external networked storage. Generally speaking, disc space is cheap so should not be a factor when considering other necessary features such as resolution.

The NVR itself is quite similar to the home Personal Video Recorder which may be connected to your television. Like the PVR, the NVR will capture and store the video streams from the cameras and allow you to play back those videos at a later time. When the available storage space is full, the NVR will begin to overwrite the oldest video so you don’t have to change discs as you would once have done with a VCR recorder. The more disc space you have, the longer your archive files will be retained.

Remote Access

Most NVR units can now connect to a local network or Internet connection and, through embedded web server software, allow access to live and recorded video through a web browser on the LAN or Internet or by using an app on a mobile phone or tablet.

Remote access to video can be coupled with direct email or TXT notification of events such as movement and enable immediate access to the video stream from anywhere as long as Internet connectivity is available. This feature allows action, such as calling the police or neighbours, to be taken.

Remote access is now an invaluable feature of a video security system and should be a must have for anyone seeking to invest in a new system. Specifically, look for NVR units which support Android and iOS apps.

If you would like further information about security systems or have any questions or comments about my top 5, please feel free to contact me using the “connect” form on this site.

Author: Craig Colnan

In this article I will discuss some of the aspects that are important when considering the placement of cameras in your security system.

You’ll notice that I used the term “security system”. It is important that cameras are placed in a manner so that they complement each other. Each camera should be targeting a particular area in such a way that the likelihood of capturing an event is maximised. Too often, sometimes in an effort to cut cost, business owners will purchase one or two cameras and set them so that they each capture a wide area, the field of view. This approach frequently leads to disappointment when the recorded video lacks sufficient detail to clarify a sequence of events or clearly identify an offender.

Using an example, if a thief was to enter your premises, you would want a wider shot to observe their general behaviour and movements but, at some point, you want a camera positioned in a location that would capture sufficient detail to enable the culprit to be identified.

There are several other practical issues to be addressed when deciding where to place cameras in a video security system.

First off, let’s talk about the actual physical location.

Two of the most common places for mounting security cameras are the entrance and exit to the premises. A camera mounted too high will not capture sufficient facial detail of anyone coming in to the building. An image of the top of someone’s head will not be very beneficial to police. Similarly, a camera mounted too low is susceptible to interference or vandalism. There is always a sweet spot where the camera mounting is sufficiently out of arms reach yet still able to capture recognisable features.

While on the issue of height placement, it is important to remember that the camera may require periodic maintenance. Something as simple as dust accumulation on the lens can render a camera useless. I have experienced several instances where spider web has obstructed the field of vision. It’s important to be able to reach the camera so that it can be cleaned when necessary. This is especially important when cameras are mounted outdoors.

When positioning a camera to focus on, say a car park entry gate, rather than determining placement from the intended mounting position, work out where you think the camera will go first. Then, form the target area, look back at where you want the camera mounted and make sure that you can clearly see the spot. It’s surprising how often a target viewing area looks fine from the camera location but, when you look back the other way, obstructing objects become obvious.

A camera should not be positioned in such a way that someone can avoid detection by coming up behind the camera and disabling it. Either a camera should be mounted so that it is only approachable head on, within the field of view, or there is another camera which will capture the area and activity behind the first camera. This reinforces the concept of a security system.

Lighting is another critical factor when determining camera placement. Cameras need light. That’s how they form an image on the sensor in the same way that your eye captures light hitting your retina.

However, lighting is tricky and there are lots of factors to consider, particularly when you need to capture images both day and night.

Most important is changes in light throughout the day. It is important to consider the movement of the sun where the camera is located. Cameras facing east and west have a particular challenge with direct sunlight hitting the lens. This will cause an image to be washed out and will quickly damage the light sensor.

Backlighting, where there is a light source behind the target, is also a problem and causes the target to become silhouetted, thereby destroying image detail. It is always desirable to locate a camera where it will not encounter a direct light source at any time.

Many cameras are equipped with infra red LEDs. These will illuminate the field of view at night, even in complete darkness. IR illumination will depend upon the number and rating of the LEDs and this will, in turn, determine how far into the FOV the camera can see and how much detail it will capture. Supplemental infra red can be added with a separate IR lamp or spotlight if necessary.

Infra red is an area of the light spectrum which is invisible to the human eye. To an IR camera, however, it provides a light source. As such, an important consideration when using IR cameras is not to let the IR from one camera shine into the lens of another as this will blind both cameras. Similarly, cameras should not be placed such that there is a direct light in the field of view at night or that the camera is mounted directly below or in the path of internal lighting. All of these scenarios will impair the ability of the camera as it would if you were to try and discern activity behind a spotlight shining in your eyes.

A final lighting issue involves shadows and glare. Over the course of the day, shows will move and may obstruct detail. Glass creates reflection and glare and so cameras should not be focussed on areas beyond a glass window or wall.

A final note on camera placement concerns motion detection.

It is now common to configure cameras as recording units to identify and record a period of time around the detection of a motion event. This often makes it easy to quickly identify activity in the field of view. While it is generally inescapable to have events such as domestic pets triggering motion detection, cameras should be positioned to try and avoid incidental detection. This can happen when the wind blows and a plant leaf or branch in the FoV moves. If this happens too frequently, motion alerts will be numerous and most will be of no use.

This has been a fairly long article but the purpose was to demonstrate that there are many factors involved in determining good camera placement to maximise the return on a video system investment.

If you would like further advice or information, please contact Bluefly Vision to arrange a consultation with one of our friendly and helpful consultants.

When we started to visualise how this business would develop a few of years ago, I did a lot of research on reasons to implement a video security system. From our perspective, the immediate driving force was that we had experienced a break-in. When we called the police, one of the first questions that they asked was "did we have any video security?" The answer was "no". The culprits were never apprehended.

This is the traditional approach to video security, or surveillance as the earlier breed of suppliers like to call it. Personally, I think that term has negative connotations and limits the opportunity for video to provide business with a useful tool.

In this article, I’ll take a look at some of the more traditional “crime related” benefits of video and some of the newer business benefits that IP digital technology now brings us.

If I were to list a few of the traditional reasons why businesses implement video security, these would be them:

Video identification of intruders for use by law enforcementReduce employee and customer theft (or catch those perpetrating it)Improve employee productivity. Act as a deterrent to crime.Identify causes of damage and breakage to business assetsVideo evidence in the event of a litigation claim, e.g. a customer claims to have slipped and sustained injury on your premises.Time consuming dispute resolutions arising from events that become “he said, she said” accusations between customers and/or employees.After-hours monitoring of premises and SMS alerts for events such as motion detection.

All of these are perfectly valid and worthwhile objectives. Just one event in any of these scenarios may pay for the system several times over, particularly when factors such as loss of goods, time, reputation and costs to fight court cases are considered.

There are other paybacks to using video security systems. Often these can be categorised as business improvement benefits. These can include:

Understanding customer behaviour, particularly with regard to retail store movement and product selection.Assessing the interaction between customers and employees to identify opportunities for process improvement or the need for additional training. Don’t forget that this can also be used to identify exceptional performance and contribute to an employee reward scheme.Analysing resource use. This might be a practical opportunity to ensure that equipment is returning value, that you are not paying landlords for car parking spaces which are not being used and that there is sufficient customer turnover of, say, tables in a cafe.Triggering action when a particular event occurs. Maybe an important customer arrives at your premises and you want them to receive special attention. Techniques such as facial recognition can raise an alert, ensuring pre-emptive action by employees. This technique can also be used to initiate action in the event that corrective measures need to be taken, say when a known trouble maker enters the premises.

There are potentially many more ways that a video security system can help a business to develop a better understanding of the environment in which they operate, to grow the customer relationship, develop employee skills and increase revenue.

If you think that your business can benefit from the effective use of video, contact us today for a no obligation consultation and assessment. We’re here to help.

Craig Colnan