IP is an abbreviation for Internet Protocol, the protocol most commonly used today for communication among computers via network and Internet. IP Surveillance consists of digital images which are transferred through an IP network, wired or wireless, permitting the surveillance and recording of video as far as the network reaches and integrating other types of systems such as access control.
According to Industrial Analyst, J.P. Freeman and Co, Inc., there are today more than 20 million analogical cameras installed in just the United States. Of these 20 million cameras, 1.5 million were sold in 2002. With this impressive number of analogical cameras, the network cameras have emerged rapidly in their segment, giving us a good indicator that IP-based systems are bound to dominate the surveillance market.
Network cameras are connected directly to an IP network and integrated to application programs of the network, allowing users to have the image of a remote camera, store and analyze live video from another location or multiple locations, via local network, Internet or an intranet.
There is a forecast that network cameras dominate more than 50% of the security camera market in 2007 and that the world market of IP cameras was around US$790 million in 2005.
Whether a network camera, analogical cameras connected to video servers, or an installation that employs both types of cameras, IP Surveillance is attactive to practically all types of vertical market.
In many applications, this revolutionary technology is substituting the traditional systems to reduce costs and increase security. As in other applications, it's being used for the first time to create and stimulate a market.
Due to ist scalability, among other advantages, IP Surveillance is an attractive and reliable technology not only to improve or revitalize the present remote surveillance, but also for a new type of market, including:
- Education:
- security and remote surveillance of schoolgrounds, hallways, classrooms, and security of the premises themselves.
- Transportation:
- remote surveillance of train stations, highways, and airports.
- Banks:
- traditional security applications in banks, offices and ATMs (automatic teller machines).
- Commerce:
- security and remote surveillance, making commercial management easier and more efficient.
- Industry:
- Monitoring of production processes, logistics system and stock control systems.
Why a bad impression of IP Surveillance?
As in any new technology, there is a period of maturing of the market. The more complicated the technology is and the better established and up-to-date the business model is, the greater the maturing period of the market. During this learning phase it's natural some failures of knowledge and misunderstandings occur. It is from these conditions that a bad impression and myths could arise and spread themselves.
The technology of IP Surveillance is in no way very complicated, but the "IP" portion of the technology takes security out of its natural habitat and moves it to the domain of information technology, a territory unknown to many. In this sense, the new technology and the new conditions can arouse fears and give support to the present status quo. The fact that IP Surveillance competes directly with DVRs (Digital Video Recorders) raises a number of problems, among which the latest is that it defies the present claim that DVR technology with analogical cameras represents the last word in surveillance technology.
Let's visualize the fact that there are many industries from manufacturers to installers and integrators and even to final users and their companies, who have a great interest in seeing DVR as the dominant technology. In addition to the conditions of this "Myth Creator" market, take into consideration that in the security industry one expects own solutions from a solitary manufacturer. The IP Surveillance solution combines the "Best of the Best" products and services of different manufacturers. This definition is serving well for the final user, but is quite different from the current expectations and conditions.
Now that we understand the reason for the bad impression and half-truths that grow around IP Surveillance, we can examine each of them in more detail.