For decades, traditional closed-circuit television (CCTV) has been the industry standard for security camera systems. While this system has worked well in the past, it hasn’t necessarily changed to meet the needs of today’s security.

IP surveillance takes the tried-and-true capabilities of CCTV and updates it for the challenges of the 21st century by recording and storing video over your computer network instead of on analog tapes or discs. By allowing you to integrate your video surveillance system with your broader IT network, you can experience a seamless security platform and streamlined network performance.

The first IP surveillance camera was actually introduced in 1996, but that camera was very basic in terms of capability. It wasn’t until 2005 that what we could consider a true IP surveillance camera was introduced. Since then, the technology has been steadily improved upon. Once faster networking technology and cloud servers were introduced, the IP surveillance industry boomed, and today such systems are commonplace.

Whether your business is ready to upgrade your closed-circuit television security camera system, or you’re looking for the latest in IP video surveillance, Hamilton Group specialises in IP surveillance and outsourced IT support services designed to elevate your security platform.

Our team has the capabilities to design and deploy an IP surveillance network optimised for your facility at the most cost-effective pricing in the industry.

Elevate Your Security Platforms

At Hamilton Group, we develop and deploy IP surveillance solutions built to streamline your security platform. While you may already have CCTV in place, it may be time to upgrade to what is quickly becoming the new standard in video surveillance. Your current system may be several years old, use outdated technology, and may not cover the area as effectively as you would like. By upgrading, you’ll be able to take advantage of all of the benefits of IP surveillance and improve your security.

Surveillance cameras play an important part of protecting your company. They allow you to see who has entered or exited the premises and who has been in certain parts of the building. The main benefit to having cameras is that it deters theft or, when theft does occur, it provides you with the proof needed to bring the criminals to justice.

But surveillance cameras can do more than help prevent theft. In the event of an accident, they can provide video evidence of what occurred. Your recordings can help you learn exactly what happened to an employee who was injured, allowing you to improve your safety regulations. It can also be used in the event that a visitor to your office or job site was injured and has filed a lawsuit against you.

Security cameras also provide a feeling of safety to your employees who have to leave the building at night. Having a well-lit parking area that is monitored by cameras may deter attackers from preying on your employees, especially those who leave later than others.

How IP Surveillance Works

To customers, visitors, and employees, an IP surveillance system and a standard CCTV system are going to look the same since all they will be seeing are the cameras. It can be fairly impossible to tell if a camera is part of an IP system or a traditional system. Behind the scenes, however, the two are very different.

IP is short for Internet Protocol, and it basically means that the camera is a digital camera that transmits the video it takes to a server. Each camera has a unique IP address like a computer does, and it’s connected to your network.

Generally, because video files are fairly large, IP cameras are hardwired to your network rather than transmitting over WiFi, although you can set up IP cameras to send video over Wi-Fi when necessary. For example, IP surveillance cameras on a construction site or other temporary location may use Wi-Fi instead of being wired into the network simply because it’s easier than running ethernet cables.

Because there’s no physical medium connected to each camera, the only true necessity is that the camera can be connected to a power outlet or hardwired into a building’s electrical grid.

If Wi-Fi is an option, you don’t even need to run an ethernet cable to each camera. This gives you much more freedom about where the cameras can be placed.

After each camera is installed, it’s connected to your network and configured via your surveillance software. Once that’s done, you’re able to view footage in real-time or pull up recordings and search through them whenever you like. If you have your network installation configured to save the video footage to the cloud, you don’t even have to have a dedicated computer or server set up for your cameras to save to.

If you ever need to add more IP cameras or remove a camera from your network, it’s just as easy to do as adding or removing a computer.

Types Of IP Surveillance Cameras

There are a number of different types of IP surveillance cameras you can use. You may only need one type of camera, or you may need to mix several different options. From a networking standpoint, the camera type doesn’t matter. You can connect any type of IP surveillance camera to your network in the exact same way. Here are some of these different camera types:

Indoor cameras work very well for monitoring retail space, waiting rooms, hallways, and other interior locations. These cameras generally do not have the outer casing needed to protect them from the elements, so placing them outdoors can ruin the equipment. They may be fixed or may be attached to a motorised platform that allows them to track motion or be moved remotely.

Outdoor cameras, on the other hand, are designed to withstand the elements, including rain and cold. These cameras can also record in low lighting, a feature indoor cameras may not have.

Wi-Fi enabled cameras do not require an ethernet cable to transmit video to a cloud server. All they need is to be configured to connect to a local wireless router. Some considerations might be made for additional infrared blasters to cover an area better at night too.

Why IT Support Companies Urge Businesses To Upgrade To IP Surveillance

More businesses in all industries are upgrading to IP surveillance platforms for a number of different reasons:

Robust Search Capabilities

Because video footage is stored and archived digitally, recording can be accessed at a moment’s notice. In the event of an incident, your organisation will be able to pull precise video footage based on an exact time and date without having to review hours of tape to find what you’re looking for.

So whatever your location, if you need IT support in Leeds or IT support in Harrogate, you can also easily share video clips by saving them to an external drive or disc or by uploading them to a shared cloud or network drive.

Simplified Storage and Network Convergence

An IP surveillance platform enables your team to store your footage locally to your existing servers and storage infrastructure. This allows you to unify your networking, server and storage infrastructure, true convergence over IP. No longer do you need power, separate support contracts, hardware recording devices, and special cabling.

Also, with enough space you can save weeks, months, and even years’ worth of footage on what is today relatively low cost SATA hard drives. IP systems even allow remote viewing in real-time, allowing your team to see what’s going on at any moment and from any camera.

Improved Image Quality

Digital archival capabilities deliver higher quality footage when compared to what’s possible with analogue cameras. With scalable resolutions ranging from 720p to 4k (and even higher with special IP cameras), an IP surveillance platform allows you to customise the video quality based on your unique needs.

At the same time, digital video quality does not degrade when stored for extended periods of time as with film. Cameras can also be equipped with infrared night vision in order to capture detailed video of events that occur after the sun goes down or in poorly lit locations.

The exact capabilities of your IP surveillance network will depend on the cameras you purchase, of course. This is one area where you may want to budget more for the initial setup in order to install top of the line equipment. This is because when you upgrade your system, you will be purchasing all new hardware.

Upgrading the software that runs your IP surveillance system won’t have any effect on what the cameras can do—it won’t improve their image quality or add additional capability to the hardware. Spending more upfront may allow you to put off upgrading your system and save money in the long run.

A Converged Network

One of the premium benefits of choosing Hamilton Group as your video surveillance partner is that our team has the capabilities to develop a holistic network solution which incorporates your security platform.

We can install cameras with motion detectors that alert your team via email that motion has been detected in specific areas of your facility without triggering alarms beforehand. At Hamilton Group Ltd, our overarching goal is to simplify your technology platform without sacrificing security or reliability.

Our IP surveillance solutions are a critical part of achieving that goal by tying a robust security platform into your larger network solution.

As with any security solution Hamilton Group offers, we will work with you and your team to create a customised IP surveillance network that provides security camera coverage in all of the areas you need it in.

Your Security Experts & Managed Service Provider in Yorkshire

At Hamilton Group, we have hands-on expertise in everything from IT cybersecurity to on-site security camera systems.

If your organisation is ready to elevate your security platform to the next level by deploying a solution that’s greater than the sum of its parts, contact our team of experts today. We’ll work with you to identify industry-specific threats and proactively protect your operations against them, so your team can stay focused on mission-critical operations at every level.

You can also call us on 01423 438953, fill out our form or book an appointment and find out how we can help your business.

Need expert IT assistance? Contact Hamilton Group today! Our specialists offer top-notch solutions tailored to your needs. Don’t let tech troubles hold you back.

Talk to us about your business 0330 043 0069

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