Security by Frank Wickham: Be Secure!

One of the up and coming computer based solutions in the security space is video surveillance.  You may say to yourself "hey video surveillance isn't new".  Well it's not.  It's what is being done with the video after it leaves the camera that is new.  Commonly call CCTV or Closed Circuit Television these cameras have been analog based.  The cameras are connected to a central location via coax cable.  One cable per camera to the central location.  The cameras also require electric power to function.  Far more than 90% of the surveillance systems installed today are analog based.  Similar to the VCR technology rather tan DVR technology. Technology in this space is changing vary rapidly.

A new breed of camera is available by nearly ten vendors which offer  IP connectivity with many other advanced features. IP being "Internet Protocol" which is commonly spoken between computers on a network.  These new cameras include low light adjusting, infrared, remote control pan and zoom.  They can be set to record only when motion is detected.   These new video cameras are even powered by the Ethernet network that they are connected to.  That translates into lower wiring costs.   Some based on a small internal PC board can store up video and send it as requested.  Some hove wireless network interfaces too.

When the total cost of a solution is examined analog cameras cost $2K to $3K each while a similar digital solution would cost $1.5 to $2K per camera.  The initial purchase costs are higher then traditional CCTV cameras but the new features are extensive.

I have found that the market space is young but the players in the space are in some cases very mature.  Many have existing analog based solutions.    For more information on  Sun Microsystems Video Surveillance Solutions follow the link.

-- Frank