The IP Camera and IP CCTV Blog

Most businesses these days have some form or other of CCTV security or surveillance system on premise. For some this offers peace of mind, for some a surveillance system operates as a clear and present deterrance and for others as a ‘fire and forget’ system which only becomes critical when it is expected to work during an alarm event.

Larger corporations and some SMEs will monitor their CCTV systems at all times and respond immediately to break ins and violations, but most small businesses don’t have the luxury of resources and therefore rely on their security systems to work in the background, becoming ‘visible’ only when needed.

The idea that something as critical as the security of your business can essentially be forgotten about is not a concept which sits easy with most business owners, but in actual fact most will end up using it in this way, intentionally or no. Whether a security system is intentionally configured to work in this way, or whether over time businesses simply forget it’s there, there is always an element of CCTV working in the background. The real trick is to make sure any system functions correctly in the event of a security breach long before that mental backgrounding takes place.

With any IP CCTV installation large or small it pays in the longer term to test the system repeatedly and contextually. For instance, it’s no good setting up a motion detection window on a camera then simply walking past that camera to test the trigger works correctly. You need to test that trigger in a real scenario, usually at night, when a real event is most likely to occur.

Similarly, any event notifications must be stress tested on installation or businesses suffer the risk of email overload and thus even quicker mental backgrounding. The last thing any small business owner wants is to be woken at 3am by a raft of SMS messages or emails generated by false alarms from a poorly configured system.

Critically for your business, false alarms generate costs in money, time, worry and frustration.

If you have ‘backgrounded’ your CCTV system take a moment to consider how it is set up. Have you viewed the recordings lately? Has it generated any false alarms recently? Have you checked that it’s still working?

Get your CCTV system setup right and it will work to your benefit and perform its duties well, returning your investment rapidy and helping your business turn a profit. Fail to get the configuration right or skimp on testing and you risk rendering the system useless, shortening your temper and wasting your investment.

Choosing the right company to source your equipment from and to perform your installation and commissioning is therefore extremely important. A company with a deep knowledge of security, but just as importantly, of how your CCTV system relates to the needs of your business is a better company for you.

When you finally ‘mentally background’ your CCTV system be safer in the knowledge that you’ve done your prep.

Above all, sleep tight.

Axis communications have released information on their P13 series of IP cameras. Adding to the, already released, P1311 IP camera Axis are adding the P1343, P1344 and P1346.

According to Axis the focus of the P13 series is ‘precise iris control’ which enables higher quality images with higher contrast, increased clarity, higher resolution and better depth of field control. Auto back focus makes installation very easy when it comes to focussing the camera and the top of the range model includes Axis’ new P-iris technology which pairs a new P-iris enabled lens with specialised software designed to optimise the image quality even further. This new lens uses an adapted motorized mechanism to provide precise control over the iris opening and should reduce blurring and increase sharpness.

The Axis P13 network cameras also offer two-way audio support with enhanced audio quality, video intelligence such as video motion detection, audio detection and detection of camera tampering attempts and for further flexibility regarding storage and bandwidth usage, Axis P13 network cameras offer support for an optional SD/SDHC memory card for local video recordings.

The Axis P13 network cameras will be available in Q3 2009:

Axis P1343
SVGA resolution (800×600), day/night, H.264, digital PTZ and SD memory card recording

Axis P1344
HD 720P resolution (1MP), day/night, H.264, digital PTZ and SD memory card recording

Axis P1346
HD 1080P resolution (3MP), P-iris control, day/night, H.264, digital PTZ and SD memory card recording

Straight from IFSEC 2009, Axis have announced the Q6032-E outdoor PTZ dome camera.

It has an impressive set of features including:

• Full PoE connectivity. Using high-power PoE (IEEE802.3at) the camera can be installed using a single Ethernet cable. This will power the temperature controlled housing and the camera giving a very cost-effective and time-saving installation.
• IP66 rated weatherproof housing for security monitoring outdoors in all weather conditions.
• Arctic temperature controlled housing operating in conditions between -40C to +50C (-40F to 122F). It will also boot from shutdown at -40C.
• High quality, industrial-grade PTZ mechanics offering both fast and precise movement. 35x optical zoom allows monitoring of distant objects (e.g. can read a license plate effectively from 160m/525ft).
• H.264 video compression for bandwidth efficient monitoring at low bit-rates, reducing overall network load and storage requirements when recording.

We look forward to seeing this product in action when they are available from June 2009.

More information from Axis’ press release: Axis introduces high-performance, outdoor-ready PTZ dome camera with H.264

VIVOTEK have just announced the release of their IP Surveillance Handbook. The handbook is aimed at security installers and system integrators and hopes to enhance the level of knowledge about IP surveillance and IP CCTV systems.

The book takes you through the basics of IP cameras, video servers and recording solutions, covering hardware, lenses, sensors, camera housings etc. It also looks at IP-specific areas such as networking, bandwidth, video management and system design and provides the reader with the knowledge to help supply cost-effective IP video surveillance systems that truly match their customer’s requirements.

We think the book is a good read for system installers, integrators and end-users alike. The more information that is available on IP video, the more the industry will begin to see the benefits of making the jump from analogue CCTV to digital IP CCTV.

You can download a copy here: VIVOTEK IP Surveillance Handbook (PDF 6.01MB)