Video surveillance technology is evolving faster than ever before, and it’s difficult to know what to buy and when – it seems there’s always something new around the corner! However, there are a few key trends in video surveillance technology you can rely on to guide your purchase decisions and prepare your surveillance systems for the upcoming year and beyond.
As we look toward 2015, here are four key trends in video surveillance.
1. As IP cameras become less expensive, more people will incorporate them into varied applications
Traditionally, HD megapixel cameras have been expensive, making it difficult for some businesses to make the jump to HD surveillance. But as the technology has improved, the cost of HD cameras has come down substantially, making HD cameras affordable to more businesses. We expect that prices will continue falling throughout 2015.
This means that HD cameras will be more common, and used in a wider variety of applications and situations.
2. All HD cameras are not equal, we are seeing poor image quality with minimal features
While the cost of HD cameras will continue to decrease, we’ll also see more low-quality HD cameras entering the market that don’t have the feature set of previous models.
One key thing that is important to look for to ensure you’re getting a superior camera is the length of the warranty. Most low-quality cameras include one or two year warranties, while the higher-quality cameras from brands such as IQinVision, Sony and Axis include 5-year warranties. Considering the lifecycle of a system is usually 5 years, the 5-year warranty will often cover the entire lifespan of the system.
3. 360° technology is an interesting option for C Stores and QSR
When 360° video surveillance cameras entered the market, the concept was intriguing, but the price point and lack of integration slowed markets adoption. However, the technology has improved significantly and the price has decreased, making them more affordable and favorable in more situations.
360° cameras allow you to survey a larger field of view, as well as focus on multiple specific areas, with a single camera. You can put one 360° camera in the middle of your store and record everything within the full range of view. And with dewarping software built into the server, you can choose to focus on specific areas of interest.
As the technology continues to evolve with deeper integration by the NVR companies, we will see more 360° video surveillance cameras in more applications.
4. Businesses intelligence will provide business owners with a better ROI on their traditional video surveillance solution
Besides the improvements in cameras and network video recorders (NVRs), the biggest trend in 2014 is the integration of business intelligence software to the video surveillance system.
By utilizing your system to capture marketing and point of sale data, you’ll be able to realize far more value from your video surveillance. While increasing security and loss prevention, data captured by the cameras will also give you information you can use to improve other aspects of your business.
Recently I talked with the owner of a quick service restaurant who shared that he could increase profits by about $50,000 per year simply by improving his drive-thru throughput during lunch by 15 seconds per car. Cameras can track total throughput along with individual transaction times while recording best practices. This can then be put into a report that provides detailed and measurable data along with a visual overview of the best practices or specific opportunities for improvement.
