Industrial CCTV & Security Camera Systems: Finding the Best Solution

The world of video surveillance has dramatically changed over the last decade. Previously, CCTV systems were widely used, since cloud security cameras weren’t up to par for most commercial or industrial type usage.

With so many options in the market, finding the right solution to implement can be challenging for many IT and Operation managers. Luckily, we’re here to help!

Here are the topics that we’ll cover in this blog post to help you find the best security camera system for your industrial company.

• Identifying the type of video surveillance solution that fits your industry

• Common challenges with using a traditional DVR/NVR system for industrial companies

• The features that matter the most with industrial security cameras

Identifying the type of video surveillance solution that fits your industry

When searching for a video surveillance solution, it’s best to understand the reason why you need video surveillance and to create a list of technical requirements.

This ensures your goal is clearly laid out and that your review process will be as smooth as possible.

To help you get started, down below are a few example requirements that some of our customers have shared with us.

1. Cost of the overall system – is it affordable and does it align with the budget?
2. Type of Hardware – do I need a PTZ camera, dome style, manually adjustable, and etc.?
3. Ease of Deployment and Installation – am I looking for a system with simple installation?
4. Video Recording – do I need SD, HD, or 4K recording?
5. Video Storage – do I want to manage servers and hard drives, or do I want to store footage on the cloud and integrate it with other applications?
6. Bandwidth Requirements – do I have enough bandwidth to support the system?
7. Feature Set – what features does the solution provide that are useful for my use case?
8. Software Interface – is the software easy to use for me and my employees?
9. Maintenance Required – what type of maintenance is required after installation?
10. Customer Support – do I enjoy working with the company and are they able to answer my questions effectively?

Common challenges with using a traditional DVR/NVR system for industrial companies

A traditional NVR system that we replaced for one of our customers.

Traditional DVR/NVR systems require servers, hard drives and a ton of extra hardware. Alongside this extra hardware, comes more system maintenance and management as well as failing components that compromise your system and security.

With most hardware products, even with proper maintenance, things fail. And with video surveillance, hard drives and servers commonly give out only after a few years of operation.

Remote viewing capabilities are generally unavailable forcing you to physically be on-site to access and view your footage. In an era, where many of us operate from our mobile device, traditional systems can limit the value an organization can receive from a video security system.

For organizations that are looking for more flexibility and capabilities from their video surveillance, a traditional DVR/NVR system has its limitations but it can work for specific use cases and for organizations with plenty of time and IT resources.

The features that matter the most with industrial security cameras

When reviewing product specifications or features, things can get convoluted pretty quickly. In this section, we’ll provide the key features that you should focus on to help you cut through all the fluff.

The Rhombus R1 cloud-managed security camera.

Video Storage

Having a thorough understanding of how your video will be stored is critical when comparing different options.

If you’re a local industrial company with one location and are okay with maintaining servers and hard drives, then a traditional system will do just fine. However, many are beginning to modernize their infrastructure and move away from traditional legacy systems, with cloud video surveillance being the preferred choice for a wide variety of industries.

To properly vet a cloud solution, first focus on the process of saving video clips. Next, determine if the vendor offers cloud storage for real-time back-up of footage. Cloud storage ensures redundancy so that all your footage, across X number of days, is always accessible. If the cloud solution has both of these, evaluate them further to see if it’s the right solution for you.

Video Quality / Video Streaming / Compression / Bandwidth

In a market where vendors believe hardware specs are everything, lies the heated debate between HD versus 4K recording. Instead of worrying about terminology, what matters the most is how the video is processed and the quality of the image sensor.

Cheap cameras can boast to have 4K capabilities, but with a cheap image sensor and poor processing, that 4K video may look closer 480p.

When examining different solutions, you should have a good understanding of the following process:

How the video is captured >> How it’s processed >> How it’s encoded >> How it’s played back in the console >> How’s the experience within the console

This process is often overlooked but it heavily dictates how the overall system will perform.

Software

Software can make or break a great security camera. Without efficient software, organizations are less inclined to extract value from a system and improve their physical security.

How you intend to use your video security system will dictate what type of software you will need. If you’re planning to just capture footage and rarely review it or conduct investigations, then a traditional DVR/NVR system will do the job.

Modern security camera systems are constantly being released, with some even having AI and Computer Vision built-in. These options enable end-users to be more productive by allowing them to do their work more thoroughly, and quickly, when compared to a traditional system.

Closing

We hope you enjoyed this blog post! We know how challenging it can be when comparing a multitude of different products. At Rhombus, our goal is to provide you with as much information as possible to help you make this entire process as efficient as possible. If you have any questions about how modern video security can improve your organization, feel free to email us at sales@rhombussystems.com!