5 Reasons to Move to Digital IP Solutions for Commercial Video Surveillance

In most audio, video, and communication technologies, there has been an inexorable trend toward digital formats and platforms. The reasons are manifold, but the overarching advantage of digital technology is the ease of processing vast amounts of data and the ever-increasing processing power available to manage it. Keep reading below to see how IP and digital technology have affected commercial video surveillance solutions and what it means for your San Antonio, TX installations.

SEE MORE: 3 Camera Systems Ideal for Commercial Video Surveillance

Simpler Installation and Equipment

Analog Closed Circuit TV Cameras (CCTV) typically require two wires to operate – one for power and a coaxial cable for transferring video images. IP cameras can utilize one cable – standard, easy to install low voltage ethernet cable that handles both power and data delivery on one wire. As video feeds also use standard video formats like MPEG and H.264, standard PCs and smart devices already have the necessary capability to view video feeds without specialized equipment.

Digital Formats Contain Far More Information

Digital formats efficiently package and compress video to make better use of bandwidth. Analog formats take up much more of the capability of a given cable. This same capability is why the telephone system, broadcast TV, cable TV, and even radio went to digital formats years ago. Digital formats are also more easily searchable and contain valuable metadata that aids in finding and identifying situations.

Better Security

If you recall stories from the past about how special physical filters were used by hackers to unlock pay-TV programming and channels, you might understand that analog surveillance solutions are easier to infiltrate physically. While cybersecurity is an issue with any digital system, digital technology offers many sophisticated encryption and authentication mechanisms for devices and data to prevent hacking. Digital systems also make it far easier to decommission a camera or device on the network that may be compromised, which becomes especially important for remote locations without people.

Centralized Management

IP systems make system management much more straightforward. Video can be recorded locally or centrally, on premises or in the cloud. Incidents can be reported to the current devices with the right levels of administrative permissions. Compromised devices can be taken off the network when necessary. The system can also monitor and log all the activity around the network, including everything that has been recorded and viewed. Centralized systems can also monitor system health remotely, diagnose problems, and push fixes via software updates to cameras, switches, and other equipment.

More Scalability

IP systems make it easy to scale. An organization can start at one location and go from a few cameras to many cameras, and swiftly grow to multiple locations with many cameras. All the advantages stated previously about digital IP technology make integrating, scaling and managing an extensive surveillance system far easier than an analog one.

ASAP Security Services has vast experience across Texas with sophisticated security and surveillance solutions in the commercial sector. To learn more about commercial video surveillance solutions, set up a consultation with our team by calling (877) 418-ASAP, filling out our contact form, or starting a live chat with us below. We look forward to working with you!