Benefits of IP Surveillance Networks
IP surveillance was once affordable only by large enterprises, but several factors have changed that situation. Today, most organizations have already installed IP networks upon which surveillance video transmissions can piggyback. Also, prices for IP video cameras and storage devices have fallen dramatically. As a result, IP surveillance is not only a viable choice for organizations of any size. It’s usually the best choice.
IP surveillance offers a number of benefits that analog installations can’t match.
• No new cabling: Traffic can be carried by an existing physical IP network. PoE (power over Ethernet) allows cameras to be connected to that network, eliminating the need for expensive Ethernet and power cabling to those cameras.
• Lower labor costs: Digital network-attached storage (NAS) devices reduce labor costs by eliminating the need for personnel to mount, replace and store tape cartridges and deal with all the other small but time-consuming problems endemic to tape systems.
• More convenient viewing access: Security personnel, administrators and other authorized parties can access surveillance video from any location on a 24/7 basis. Video clips can be distributed to law enforcement as e-mail attachments. There is never a need for third parties to visit the scene of an incident to view the video.
• More reliable storage: Unlike tape, digital storage doesn’t degrade over time or when copied. NAS devices incorporate redundancy features and data integrity checks to ensure that every bit of footage is captured and available on demand within a few seconds.
• Easier integration with applications: IP surveillance systems are much easier to integrate with monitoring applications, from simple motion detection to advanced video content analysis such as face or license plate recognition, because no analog-to-digital conversion is necessary.
• No risk of obsolescence: As the world becomes increasingly digital, analog surveillance systems will inevitably become obsolete over time, whereas IP surveillance systems are future-proof and will always be easy to upgrade, typically through software alone.
