IP Camera 101 for Today’s Security Guard

Enter Technology

 Today’s security professional is a far different person than the security guard of yesteryear.  Gone are the days when padlocks and fences were sufficient to keep intruders at bay and a guard’s duties consisted of making patrols and admitting authorized workers with the wave of a hand. The adoption of IP cameras heralds a new era. At many facilities, guards need a working knowledge of IP cameras and Video Management Software.

The growing prevalence of IP devices also marks the tearing down of the wall separating the IT department from the security department.  The very fact that IP security system devices reside on an organization’s local area network (LAN), link the two.  And when you come down to it, it's all about catching intruders, whether they're virtual intruders like hackers or phyisical intruders like thieves or terrorists gunmen. So aren’t IT and Security  charged with the same tasks - risk management, response, and the ever-present need to be on guard?

However this doesn’t mean IT and security should require the same skills. Just because an individual knows how to install a firewall doesn’t mean she knows how to assess IP camera technology.  So more and more we're seeing  the responsibility for choosing an IP camera system to the security department.

 “Hiring” an IP network

Today’s security guard doesn’t work alone.  He, or she, has an IP network at his/her fingertips.  But when it comes to “populating” that network some IT / IP savvy comes into play. And that brings us to exactly what security personnel need to know in the 21^st century.

Cameras????

Before a security official can decide on the cameras he needs, he must determine what he needs to see, or rather how clearly he needs to see it.

• ·         Does he just want to detect that an individual is on the premises?
• ·         Does he need to recognize that individual as a known employee? 
• ·         Or does he need to see a stranger’s facial features for the purpose of forensic identification?

Once he’s determined that, he needs a basic understanding of resolution to help him make the best choice.

 Resolution

 In digital imaging, the smallest element of a picture is called a pixel. Pixels are usually square and arranged in a two dimensional grid. The resolution of a camera or lens is usually expressed in terms of the total number of pixels in a frame. An image with a resolution of 1280 x 1024 is a frame containing a count of 1280 pixels from left to right and 1024 from top to bottom. Work out the math and we have a frame composed of 1,310,000 pixels. And since every 1,000,000 pixels is expressed as 1 megapixel. We are looking at a resolution of 1.3 megapixels.

•   If the purpose is mere detection of the person with no notice given to his facial featureschoice should be a camera that supplies at least 5 pixels/foot.
• If the purpose is to recognize an employee or a known visitor,  since the mind tends to  “connect the dots” when it comes to recognition, the choice should be a camera with at least  50 pixels/foot
•  But when it comes to identifying a stranger,  facial characteristics must be clear in order to compare them to a database of offenders. In this case,  a minimum of 70 – 80 pixels/foot is recommended.

Light????????

Now he needs to assess the location where the camera will be mounted.  

Day/Night Cameras

Will he be placing some of his cameras in areas that are fully lit during business hours, but minimally lit after hours? If so, he will need a day/night camera.

Most cameras have an IR filter over the lens to filter out the infra-red waves of the light spectrum. Day/night cameras automatically set them aside when the lighting is low so that more light can hit the sensor.

Other day/night cameras switch to black and white mode which increases light sensitivity. 

 Some can operate in as little light as 0.05 Lux (for the sake of comparison, the light level of a fully lit office is 500 lux, and the light on a full moon night is 0.270)

Cameras with Wide Dynamic Range (WDR)

Will some cameras be in areas of contrasting light, where the field of view includes well-lit areas as well as darker ones? Examples of such places might be the main entrance of a hotel at night where guests are crossing over from the relative darkness of the street to the bright illumination of the lobby, or the parking area or garage where the bright headlights of cars constantly alter the range of light.

In conditions where there is a significant range of light variation, a regular camera cannot change its shutter speed or iris settings to adjust.  However, a camera with Wide Dynamic Range (WDR) capability uses a special technique called multi-frame imaging to capture the light variations and heighten the details in the area of view.

Lens????

To talk about a camera without considering a  lens would be telling half the story.

A Megapixel  Lens  will be of particular importance if he has selected megapixel cameras since the  quality of video depends on the clarity of the lens and its ability to capture the most light possible in poorly lit areas.

A Varifocal Lens will give him flexibility when he needs to adjust the focal length in differing conditions.  Focal length is expressed in millimeters (mm) and to determine 

his particular needs, he must take into consideration the width of an area and the distance of its object from the camera.










A good rule of thumb is the  lower the number (mm) lens, the larger the area it takes in, but with less magnification. Conversely,  the higher the number ( mm), the smaller the field of view, but with more magnification.

Video Management Software?????

Whether it’s the case of a single office building, a flowing hospital setting, or a multi-building college campus, the security department needs software to control,  manage, amd get the most from their cameras.  

Video management software (VMS) can be installed on any Windows computer and its applications tailored to meet many situations. At its most basic, VMS will allow guards and administrators to stream live video

from each camera separately or simultaneously on a video wall or divided monitor.

Another useful feature in a large facility is carousel viewing in which the

security officer can determine which cameras are included in a rotating cycle. A live feed will be highlighted and featured for a set period of time before giving way to the next camera’s field of view. This allows the guard on duty to view different areas or sections without the monotony brought on from trying to view the whole screen of windows at once.

With the right VMS, the guard on duty can

• Record and retrieve video,  
• Control PTZ cameras with a joystick
•  Add digital PTZ function to a live feed.

Video management software can also be set to automatic functions like monitoring alarms and issuing alerts. And should police need any recorded video for forensic investigation, most VMS programs will allow security to find and retrieve specific recorded events without going through the archive

The Takeaway???????????

An ambitious security guard should take it upon himself to continually update his computer skills, for who knows what degree of technical will be required in the future. As more and more organizations adopt The Cloud, the day may soon be upon us when IT and Security may find themselves sharing the same office.

 Anyone interested in more information on IP cameras, lenses, or video management software is invited to contact Kintronics, Inc., the experts in Security solutions. Call one of our sales engineers at 914-944-3425,  check out our website, www.kintronics.com. Or just state your needs on one of our information request forms