It can’t be economically done? It’s just not practical? Sorry, but it is, say manufacturers InitSys.
Digital video recording equipment and the newer network video recorder (NVR) now have a rival, say InitSys: ONR (Offsite Network Recorder). This technology gives you a way of recording images from CCTV cameras without the hassle of an on-site recording platform. All that is required is a connection to the Initsys network and a subscription. The Initsys network spans from Carlsbad in the USA to Prague in the Czech Republic and with servers positioned at key points it is probably the largest network of its kind anywhere in the world, the company claims. It reports 125 Terrabytes available and 9 Terrabytes in use.
How does it work? All you need at an installation is an IP camera(s) and a connection to the InitSys network. Then connecting to the network web interface gives you access to a range of configuration options. Images from the camera can be sent on a timed basis, say, once every 10 seconds and then seperately on alarm at a frame rate of up to four frames a second for a maximum period of 15 minutes a day.
How is it being used? Domestic customers from the USA are using it in association with local guarding companies who respond to alerts raised by the system, giving alarm response that is only necessary when someone is actually seen in or around the customerโs premises. In Iceland the same is happening but with local police attendance; again, only when visual evidence is produced. In the UK several alarm receiving centres (ARCs) are providing VerifiedAlarms to their customers by using the network; there is no need for transmission equipment. The network connection is a fixed cost and with cameras around £200 the whole concept of alarm monitoring is changing, InitSys claims. Also in the UK we have domestic customers who have SMS and MMS warnings of alarm activations. The new Panasonic BLC10 has privacy features that allow images to be viewed only when the system is armed. In Holland the company has, as reported in our February issue, hundreds of cameras from a high speed rail link sending images to the network, without an on-site recorder. In Scandinavia a container port is recording images of containers arriving and being moved around the port; programming has allowed customers to track their container visually and by tag.
