`Most SMBs can Use Existing Bandwidth for Video Surveillance’

While earlier installations used analog surveillance systems, we are seeing a dramatic shift towards IP-based surveillance. Advanced features in video analytics such as people counting, object counting, face detection and crowd detection are sought after.

What type of deployment of IP-based video surveillance (wired,3G,4G,wireless, etc.) is the most suitable for SMBs and why?

Companies use surveillance to ensure people and their assets are safe. It also helps them in ensuring business continuity. Earlier, only large enterprises could afford IP-based surveillance. However, with the expansion of IP networks and affordability of IP video cameras, SMBs are deploying IP surveillance on a large scale. The type of deployment is dependent on the location and the kind of network the SMB already has. Small deployments can work over the existing IP network. For instance, if an SMB has a Wi-Fi network and the surveillance needs to be deployed indoors, we would use wireless. However, in case the deployment is for a large spread area, the SMB may have to deploy it over a PoE (Power over Ethernet) network.

3G is the hot technology trend in the IP surveillance industry. 3G-integrated cameras operate even in cable-less environments for video broadcasting and streaming from a 3G IP camera to a 3G mobile.

The kind of deployment may also depend on the IT budget, considering wireless is expensive.

How should SMBs manage their existing bandwidth to allow for IP surveillance?

For most SMBs, the deployment is small (involving up to 10 cameras) and they can use their existing bandwidth for that. Additionally, it is interesting to note that there are IP cameras available in which streaming adjusts the video quality based on the available bandwidth.

Given the limited space that a typical SMB office may have(whether be it the head office or branch office(s) if any), how is it feasible to set up a surveillance network at all in the first place? Does this apply to all verticals?

Setting up surveillance does not require much space. The video camera available is of various sizes and can be easily mounted over a wall. Based on the requirement, suitable cameras could be selected. An SMB can install these using their existing free switch ports. Below are a few preferred camera types by SMBs:

- Indoor dome camera - These are either ceiling-mounted or suspended from a wall, depending on the application or the field of view required. These are ideal for indoor implementation.

- Outdoor bullet camera - Named because of it's shape and size, bullet cameras are small (2 to 2.5 inches long) and are equipped with varifocal lens to adjust the field of view required. Bullet cameras are good for monitoring corridors, parking space, gates.

- Indoor cube camera - cube cameras are ideal for home CCTV and other similar indoor IP CCTV applications where cost-effective indoor CCTV monitoring with remote access is required.

When it comes to monitoring the surveillance, it could be done remotely, on the mobile and also locally (if there is enough storage space). This applies to all the verticals. Apart from securing assets and people, some verticals like retail may use surveillance to study consumer behaviour, monitoring stock inventory etc.

Regardless of their size, vertical and location, SMBs can make efficient use of IP surveillance.