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CCTV Recording System

The building block of any CCTV surveillance system is the recording system and video management software that is used. The core function of the recording system is to process the video images from the CCTV cameras and store this video data in a way that is easily retrieved and reviewed.

 

The primary function of any CCTV recording system is to store the video footage, but with the progression of technology and processing power, your recording system can now move forward from being a reactive system investigating events that have already happened and now become a proactive system that alerts you to events before they happen.

 

A few ways that this can be achieved is by integrating these systems with Facial recognition, License Plate recognition, Fever detection, Analytics, Access control systems and building management systems. Integrations with third-party equipment and software are continually being developed and with the advancement of Artificial Intelligence being integrated into these recording systems, the abilities of your surveillance system are becoming crucial to the functionality of your business.

 

The recording systems available today are Embedded DVRs and NVRs as well as PC based NVRs & Cloud Based.

Digital Video Recorder (DVR)​

A Digital Video Recorder (DVR) records video to local storage devices, most commonly a hard drive.  DVR can record analog video sources on-site or capture video from a digital source. DVRs can be connected to analog cameras via coaxial cables, enabling them to be accessed remotely.  DVRs offer enhanced functionality like the ability to search recordings for events, or sort by time and date. DVRs can be configured to automatically replace older footage once storage becomes full.

Network Video Recorder (NVR)

The NVR (Network Video Recorder) is the solution for Megapixel IP cameras. With an NVR the video images are processed by the camera and the NVR stores the footage. This equates to the higher price of the cameras, but more functionality, the ability for more storage, as well as the better-quality video that is available with IP cameras. Although a stand-alone network is preferable for a CCTV system, existing networking infrastructure for example POE switches to power the cameras as well as spare Fibre can be used to reduce installation costs.

PC Based NVR

The PC-NVR is a PC based network video recorder designed to be used with IP cameras. These PCs come equipped with the latest Intel processors and NVIDIA graphics cards to meet and exceed the requirements of the included surveillance software. Users will be able to choose between having the different surveillance software installed on the PC. Every PC that we build is built to order. The overall build process can take up to 5 business days as all of our PCs are built from scratch and stress tested to ensure reliability for years to come.
VMS Software

VMS Software

Video management software takes your surveillance system to a new level. Bringing you all the features of an NVR and DVR, and additional functionality like Pop up alarms, site maps, video walls. The VMS brings together multiple recording units into a platform to view all the cameras, Video wall functionality gives you the option to lace multiple screens together to view hundreds of cameras seamlessly. Pop up alarms along side Site maps can create a black screen effect of monitoring your surveillance system. Instead of operators meaninglessly viewing hundreds of cameras, only video feed of cameras that have been activated by an event will pop up visually on the screen. This pop up can be integrated with an audible alert ensuring your controller is made aware of any situation. Integrating this alarm with a site map instantly alerts your Security to the exact location of this alarmed event.

Embedded Vs PC Based

Embedded DVRs and NVRs have progressed dramatically, storage capabilities are now right up there with PC based solutions. Embedded units run on a Linux operating system that is not only more stable than Windows-based machines, they are not vulnerable to Viruses.PC based recording systems are more expensive due to the processing power required and are more vulnerable to cyber-attacks and viruses, but the flexibility of the software and integration abilities are a great advantage for many installations.A really good compromise is to use embedded recording devices for your storage and to use a PC based VMS (Video Management Software) to enable you to take advantage of all the features available to you.

Cloud storage​

CCTV cloud storage is a comprehensive programme that allows users to store camera-related footage remotely without worrying about storage capacity on-site. It is fairly simple to set-up and requires minimal equipment. And even gives the comfort of upgrading existing traditional cameras to cloud as state-of-the-art NVRs support a wide range of hardware. With cloud gaining a lot of popularity these days, new age video recorders are gaining traction in the market- CMVR i.e. cloud-managed video recorders. With keeping cloud needs in mind these are designed with no physical recorder on-site and there is just a bridge appliance connecting all the cameras with the cloud data center directly with no human interaction in between.

Storage Capabilities

Edge recording – Edge recording refers to the ability of the camera itself to save the video footage to onboard storage. On some higher-end cameras, this can be with a built-in solid-state HDD, but in most cases, this is done with an SD card. Recording times are limited to the size of SD card available, but this is a cost-effective method for small sites or even covert installations that don’t require extended periods of recording or are not accessible to network or recording systems. Edge recording can also be used as a failover solution to ensure no footage is lost if something goes wrong with your main recording solution.

DVRs and NVRs – These devices have a set number of SATA drives for you to install up to 10TB HDD. All devices have different capabilities as to the number of hard drives they can accommodate and your limitation to recording will be according to the make and model of your recording unit.

NAS and SAN – NAS (Network Attached Storage) and SAN (Storage Area Network) units allow for the expansion of your video storage capabilities. With these devices your storage expansion is endless and data can be stored away from your recording devices.

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