Is theft just a cost of doing business that companies must accept?
We’ve all seen the grainy footage on the news. Robbers hold up a bank or convenience store. Thieves break into a business. But the images are so jumpy, blurry or otherwise incomprehensible, they offer no real clues to the identities of the criminals.
With IP-based security cameras, however, that is all changing. IP cameras are sometimes called network cameras. Rather than transmitting their signals over a traditional cable connection, they send video over a company’s data network.
When an IP security camera records an image, it is initially in analog format. The camera, however, converts it to a digital image. In addition, the camera can use motion detection features to sense a problem, and it can compress video files. After files are compressed, they are sent over the local area network to a PC, where the images are stored.
With an IP system, rather than a traditional cable-based system, users can quickly retrieve video files. The images are clear, and individuals who are captured on film are easily identifiable. Advanced systems even allow for automated face recognition. With this technology, people who are allowed in a particular place at a particular time do not trigger an alarm. An unrecognized individual, however, would be tagged by the system.
Consider this example. A company had very expensive inventory on its premises. Unfortunately, some of that inventory was disappearing. Managers were not interested in a video security system, believing it would not solve the problem. After one too many losses, however, they installed an IP security camera. One night, the video captured a group of perpetrators pulling on ski masks, cutting the fence, going into the yard and stealing items. The security service automatically called the police, who made an arrest while the theft was in progress. So far, nine convictions have been made.
So what does it take to install IP security cameras? If you have an IP network already in place, you’re halfway there. No additional cabling or hardware is needed. Each camera simply needs a port where it can be plugged in. If ports are not already available, they can be easily and inexpensively installed.
With the right choice of IP security cameras, images can be clear and crisp – under all lighting conditions. Motion detectors can make the system call company personnel – or the police directly – when a break-in is detected. Business owners can even watch video remotely, from any computer with an Internet connection. And a small investment in IP cameras can pay off big-time when expensive losses are stopped before they can happen.
