Network Camera Technology (also called IP Camera Technology) can be described
as the technology that allows us to view a stream of images, live or recorded,
over a computer network or the Internet. For example, Network Camera Technology
enables us to view a camera installed in New York from an Internet connected
computer located in the UK. The label 'Network Camera Technology' (also IP
Camera Technology) derives from the underlying premise that the camera is viewed
via an IP network, in which the letters IP stand for Internet Protocol.
IP networks are the most common networks used for data communication and we
all use them every day at work and at home by sending and receiving e-mails,
using our organisations' computer networks and browsing the Internet. The fact
that IP networks already are more or less in every work place and also in many
homes, makes it easy and cost-effective to install a network camera in virtually
any location. The widespread availability of IP networks around the world and in
our every day life gives every organisation or individual that has a camera
system requirement the opportunity to implement such as a system at
significantly reduced cost.
It is commonly accepted that network camera technology offers the following
benefits:
- Remote access to live and recorded images of any location, at any time and
from wherever you are
- The possibility to monitor a large number of remote sites from one central
location offers huge cost saving potential
- Networked video systems have many automated and advanced features,
significantly reducing the time and resources spent on monitoring, managing and
maintaining a video system
- These automated and advanced features enable improved security operations to
be implemented
- Reduced installation cost by utilising existing communication networks and
reduced cabling requirements
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These benefits are discussed in more detail below.
1. Remote access
'Remote access to live and recorded images of any location, at any time
and from wherever you are.' Network Camera Technology allows us to install
cameras in London, Dublin, Belfast and Glasgow and view them all from a PC based
in Manchester. All that is required is that each of the cameras and the PC in
Manchester are connected to a corporate computer network or the Internet. In
fact, the four cameras could be viewed from any PC with access to the corporate
network or the Internet, regardless of whether this PC is located in Manchester,
Birmingham or Sidney for this matter.
The cameras can also be viewed by more than one person at the same time. One
person could be in Manchester, one in Birmingham and another person in Sidney
and they would all be able to access the four live cameras at the same time.
Instead of having only one camera on each of the four locations, it is
possible to add numerous cameras to each location and also add other locations.
As far as the technology is concerned, it does not matter if only one camera is
required on only one location or if 20 cameras are required on 10 different
geographical locations, scale is not an issue. This 'scalability' often also is
mentioned as a key benefit of Network Camera Technology, as it allows users to
start off with the implementation of one or only a small number of cameras on
one location initially and gradually build a more comprehensive camera network
encompassing larger number of cameras and multiple geographical locations.
Access to live cameras on remote locations reduces the need to travel in many
cases and often leads to less travel time and reduced cost as a result.
Network Camera Technology provides users much more than just a live image
from a remote camera. Using the same technological principles, users also can
view recorded video material via a corporate computer network or the Internet.
Typically, camera output is recorded on a network connected PC or Digital Video
Recorder, which both can be accessed from any PC on the corporate network or the
Internet.
Remote access to video recordings makes the distribution of recorded evidence
material to the required people a very easy task. Where in the past evidence was
held on a video tape or disk that required physical distribution or travel to
the location where the evidence was recorded, now video evidence can be
distributed via the network, like any other file or document we electronically
sent to each other.
With the rise of wireless technologies it has become possible to connect a
network camera to a computer network without using any cable, creating even
greater flexibility in where a camera can be installed. Also, advanced mobile
phones and other mobile handheld devices (e.g. PDAs) that provide Internet
access allow users to view live and recorded video from their network cameras
while travelling, regardless of where they are.
2. Cost savings through central monitoring
'The possibility to monitor a large number of remote sites from one
central location offers huge cost saving potential'. Network Camera
Technology allows us to monitor an unlimited number of remote sites from one
central location. Whether a company has 3, 50 or 300 sites scattered across the
UK, or the world over, all sites can be visually monitored from one central
station.
Whereas conventional CCTV systems are operated locally and require local
monitoring staff on each individual site, Network Camera Systems allows
monitoring and system management from one central point and as a result reduces
the staff requirements on each of the locations. It also allows the
implementation of one central control team, with central decision making powers,
that manages and gives instructions to local operatives. It will be obvious, the
larger the number of sites within the organisation, the larger the cost saving
potential will be.
3. Automation reduces resources required
'Networked video systems have many automated and advanced features,
significantly reducing the time and resources spent on monitoring, managing and
maintaining a video system'. It would be huge task to list all the advanced
features found in network cameras today. Therefore, only a small number of the
most used features are mentioned here.
Movement detection - A number of network cameras have built-in movement
detection. Different manufacturers use slightly different detection techniques
and have given it slightly different names. Examples of the terminology used are
Digital Motion Detection, Activity Detection and Video Motion Detection. In
general, a camera can be set to trigger an alarm on the detection of movement
and automatically send and alarm notification by e-mail to relevant staff.
Image buffers - Most cameras with a motion detection function also feature
image buffers. Image buffers contain pictures of the moments jut before movement
is detected and the alarm is triggered. The 10 or 20 seconds prior to an alarm
event often holds crucial information of an incident, which without this feature
would not be available.
Automated recording - In addition to its prime function of alarming staff,
one of the other main benefits of using motion detection is that it allows the
recording of images on alarm trigger only. This way recording takes place only
when something is actually happening. It avoids recording and storing hours or
days of video material that shows nothing has happened. This makes is much
easier to find the relevant video material of incidents that did take place.
Using recording on motion detection also reduces the amount of video sent over
the network and the amount of video material stored, which, depending on network
and storage capacity, both could be an important factor to consider. Whether
recording 24/7 or on motion detection, there is no need for video tapes. Video
recordings are stored digitally on hard disks and can be automatically deleted
after a set period of time, e.g. 30 or 31 days. As such, video recording can be
completely automated and requires no human intervention. System management has
become much easier, requires much less staffing resources and as a result can be
carried out at reduced cost.
Pan, Tilt and Zoom - A number of network cameras have Pan, Tilt and Zoom
(PTZ) functionality. This allows users not only to view the camera from a remote
location but also to control it. Some cameras can be moved to the left and right
and up and down within set limits while others can rotate a full 360属 and pan
180属. Network cameras with a Zoom functionality allow users to obtain close up
views of certain objects, areas or people. Network cameras with PTZ
functionality are a powerful tool to monitor large or sensitive areas from a
remote location.
Smart software - A number of network cameras have enhanced processing power
and internal memory that allows them to be loaded with so called 'smart' or
'intelligent' software. Examples are number plate recognition, facial
recognition and event recognition. An example of the latter would be an
individual taking an unusual amount of time to open an entrance door, which the
system would recognise as suspicious behaviour and therefore would trigger an
alarm that could be sent to various people on the network.
Day/night functionality - Some network cameras feature day/night
functionality. They provide colour images during the day (or in general terms,
when there is sufficient light) and automatically switch to black and white
images at night (or in general terms, when there is low light). Network cameras
with a day/night function are suitable for 24/7 surveillance.
Wireless network cameras - A number of network cameras are so called Wi-Fi
compatible and can be installed without the need to use a cable between the
camera and a network point. Because there are no cabling considerations wireless
network cameras can be installed virtually anywhere.
4. Improved security
'The automated and advanced features of Network Camera Technology enable
improved security operations to be implemented'. System functions such as
automated alarm notifications by e-mail, image buffers containing crucial
information, automated digital recording, smart software and central / remote
control and decision making all can contribute to an improved security
operation.
5. Lower installation cost
'Reduced installation cost by utilising existing communication
networks and reduced cabling requirements'. Network camera systems, in the
majority of cases, require much less cables and cabling work than conventional
camera systems. Therefore, the cost of installation usually is much lower,
especially for larger camera installations. 
