Tuesday Tech Tip, July 29, 2014 Print
Tuesday, 29 July 2014 10:12

Capture, Analyze, and Use It Wisely

This is certainly the age of the cameras.  They are in everyone’s hands, hanging out in our intersections, hung in stores, and watching our street corners.  Consider how they could help your business providing video evidence to support your insurance claims, decreasing theft, discouraging detrimental acts, preventing unauthorized entry, and deterring shoplifting.   A business can even use these as an operations tool, as visual confirmation for the arrival or completion of a product or good.

Selecting the proper cameras and how to install them is our turf.  First, we help the client diagnose the type of system they will need, then the proper placement of the cameras, finally, cabling and installing for their use.  We can set up the system to record on to a custom selected device or simply broadcast to wherever our client wishes.

Here are some of the items we like to consider:

  • Camera Resolution (how crisp does the picture need to be, and from how far away)
  • Light sensitivity (how does natural light effect the image)
  • Compression format (how will storing or broadcasting be effected by file size)
  • Frame rate (how consistent does the movement between the images appears to be)
  • No WiFi – interference and hacking (security issues)
  • Wiring (proper placement of camera and the cabling to support them)
  • Storing Footage (secure device that does not affect current network storage)
  • Choosing Motion Activation (energy efficiency versus risk)
  • General Security  (layers of software security to the system, and keeping the business safe)

What you should be aware of is that filming a public place is fine, but filming someone’s private property can get you in legal trouble.  You should also consider the load of bandwidth your cameras will use, as well as how often you will check the footage.  You may need to consider an additional switch for all of the new devices.

Obviously, there is a lot to take in – but that’s what we are here for!  So reach out and let’s talk cameras!