Cameras (IP & Analog)
IP stands for Internet Protocol, and basically refers to a digital video camera that can send and receive data via a computer network, as opposed to sending a feed to a Digital Video Recorder (DVR). This is advantageous for a lot of reasons:
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Picture Quality: The best analog surveillance camera still can't hold a candle to the worst IP camera when it comes to the resolution of the image it captures. At best, an analog camera can manage the equivalent of less than half a megapixel, whereas a Megapixel camera wouldn't be much good if it didn't produce an image of at least ONE of the things it's named after. Many of the Everfocus cameras we stock are available in 1.3, 2, or 3mp configurations, which is far better quality than you could hope to achieve with a traditional CCTV camera. Additionally, IP cameras capture a much wider field of view than comparable analog cameras, meaning a single IP camera is potentially able to do the job of three to four of the old school cams.
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Video Analytics: This is a fancy term that basically means you can set your network to flag “events” that occur in the cameras' field of vision. This could be anything from motion detection to missing objects to tampering with the camera itself. Instead of poring over hours of footage, your network can tell you exactly when these events occurred and point you right to them.
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Flexibility and Scalability: In a traditional analog DVR set-up, each camera must be connected directly to the DVR. IP cameras can circumvent this through the use of switches, which allow cameras in close proximity to each other to be connected to a single switch, which then runs a single wire to the NVR (Network Video Recorder). This reduces the amount of cabling runs, which makes it ultimately less labor intensive, and also allows you to connect more cameras because you're no longer limited by the number of ports on your DVR. On top of that, using a PoE (Power over Ethernet) switch allows your Cat 5e or Cat 6 cable to run the signal AND provide power to your camera, eliminating the need for a separate power supply.
DVR & NVR Recorders
If you're familiar with a traditional analog CCTV set up, you know that your cameras need to be linked to a Digital Video Recorder (DVR) that records, processes, and stores all the data. IP cameras require a Network Video Recorder (NVR) that serves much the same purpose. So what's the difference? Well, as we mentioned, through the use of switches you can connect many more cameras to a single NVR. There is also more freedom and versatility in their placement, as it only needs to be on the same LAN (local area network) as your IP based cameras.
From a technical standpoint, the two recorders differ in where the video footage is actually processed. In an analog set-up, a DVR is responsible for this, while in an IP set-up this is done in-camera and then streamed to the NVR. In actuality, an NVR is more or less a software program, and while it is usually run on a dedicated, standalone device, there are pure software NVR options available.
When selecting the right NVR, one of the most important things to keep in mind is throughput, which is the standard for determining an NVR's performance (measured in megabits per second [Mbps]). The higher the throughput, the more bandwidth the NVR is capable of handling. The higher the resolution and frame rate of your camera, the more bandwidth it'll take up.
Door Access Control
6 Access Control Benefits
1. Simplify Employee Turnover: High attrition businesses, apartment complexes, and college campuses can easily remove access to one individual keycard or replace a lost card without having to issue new keys to everyone.
2. Restrict Specific Areas: In most businesses, employees aren’t given full reign of every closet, office, and floor. One group, like the HR Department, might have sensitive documents and information that shouldn’t be available to all employees. Access control keycards can be set up to restrict exactly who can go where.
3. Save Energy and Money: Believe it or not, access control systems can be integrated with other building systems like lighting or even the heating and cooling system. The most advanced of these systems can tell exactly what areas of a building need light or even temperature adjustment at any given moment.
4. Protect Valuables: If your business has valuables, especially items with a street value, access keycards can identify exactly who entered after hours. This could help to catch a culprit or potentially prevent items from going missing. With regular keys, there’s no way of telling which employee unlocked the door after hours.
5. Multi-Shift Work Environments: If you have a lot of employees constantly coming and going, managers might not be able to recognize every employee. Access cards help identify impostors and allow authorized employees to come and go without hassle.
6. Multi-Location Access: For businesses with several locations or a campus of buildings, access control can help ensure managers and workers can travel from building to building or location to location with ease.