In this installment, Eric walks through the configuration of a GeoVision DVR and shows you how to connect one to a Control Center V2 System.

Enjoy – and let us know if you have any questions or comments.

How To:

• Configure GeoVision DVRs to Connect to Control Center
• (You Are Here)
• Configure GeoVision IP Cameras to Connect to Center V2 System
• Configure a GeoVision Video Server to Connect to Center V2 System
• Configure GeoVision’s Control Center V2 for Client Connections
• Configure GeoVision’s Control Center V2 to Connect to GeoVision DVRs
• Configure GeoVision’s Control Center V2 to connect to IP Cameras
• Configure GeoVision’s Control Center V2 to Connect to a GeoVision Video Server
• Use GeoVision’s Remote DVR Feature in Control Center V2
• Use GeoVision’s Remote Desktop Feature in Control Center V2
• Use GeoVision’s Remote ViewLog Feature in Control Center V2
• Configure GeoVision’s Matrix Views in Control Center V2

Not so long ago, that scene would have been science-fiction.  But now security systems run the gamut from very inexpensive do it yourself packages to custom software and real-time analytics that will make your head spin with their sophistication.

In the self-storage world, there are a lot of ways to approach purchasing such a system.  I have seen lots of owners do different things with their surveillance equipment, from covering their most basic of liabilities to providing an available in-unit night vision camera that their customers can see from home… with a monthly charge attached for the privilege, of course!

Most businesses, large and small, use surveillance equipment for the purpose of limiting their liabilities.  It is important to be able to prove that you have not done anything dangerous or negligent in the case of a civil lawsuit, which may or may not take into account your bullet-proof waiver or renter’s agreement.  Also, unpaid storage unit liquidations can get unpleasant in various ways that I won’t enumerate here.  In these cases, even a very simple surveillance system, when installed and configured correctly, can provide evidence that you have done nothing illegal or unethical, and can help you deter and even convict anyone who tries to take advantage of you.

But what about turning a profit?  Are other self-storage locations in your areas providing surveillance for their customers?  This can prove an excellent sales advantage to your competition.  Some customers may have high value items like classic cars and boats in their units, and if you can offer a solution that can actually email or send them a text message if there is motion inside their storage unit, many will accept that additional “insurance!”  All that is required is a mid-level digital video recorder, a night vision camera, and even the most basic of internet connections.

High-end systems can provide all kinds of added benefits to both you and your customers.  Integration with access control systems can trigger a camera to record when your gate is opened, when individual units are accessed, or when access cards are swiped.  This lets you match up the face in the video to the access method used and make sure the person is actually supposed to have access.  You can record the comings and goings of employees to make sure they are claiming hours correctly.  You can log into your cameras from virtually any internet enabled device, from internet coffee shops in Europe to your cell phone, palm, or even devices like an iPod touch.

Advanced motion analytics can detect if vehicles are parked in your fire lane, how many people are currently in the facility, or if an object is removed that should not be.  Faces can even be recognized to ensure that all individuals on property are authorized to be there.

On the other end of the spectrum, if you prefer to just monitor your property from home or abroad, you can buy a simple IP camera with a built-in web server for less than $100, and watch it from almost anywhere.  As a matter of fact, you can record these network based cameras on an existing PC, without the need for additional hardware, for review later.

All kinds of technologies exist to lower the cost of installation.  Network cameras can use your existing cabling infrastructure to provide coverage, and can even be powered over the same line.  If you do not have network cable, there are devices that allow you to put IP security cameras on existing power lines and create a network with that infrastructure, as well.  Both of these methods reduce the labor costs of purchasing and pulling cable, often to difficult locations that require going over or under your parking areas to reach.  Wireless cameras are also an excellent option for this, and range from simple cameras that work with your existing router to dedicated hardware that can create network connections up to five miles.

Don’t have power in a building you’d like to cover?  No problem.  Wind and solar powered wireless systems are available for a modest cost, and allow you to deliver network video anywhere on the property without having to run power or network cables.

Simple standalone DVR packages complete with cable and four cameras start as low as $500, and include everything you need for a simple installation.  Intermediate systems with internet connectivity and outdoor cameras still start well under $1000, while enterprise level installations with dozens or hundreds of locations networked together can still run well under $750 per camera, installed.

Here is a quick feature list you can fill out and call any reputable surveillance company with to get a quote.  Keep in mind that points of ingress and egress at the facility are most important to cover.

1)      How many cameras do I need indoor / outdoor?

2)      Can I get cable everywhere I need cameras?

3)      Do I need missing object detection, alarm integration, or access control integration?

4)      Which cameras need to record at night?

5)      Do you need to view your cameras through the internet?

6)      If you have any idea of a budget, write that down too.

It is always best to comparison shop for this equipment.  Most shops can give you an equipment quote, so start with that.  There is no reason to have someone out to do a site survey until you have an idea what equipment is going to cost.  Be sure to ask for a copy of their security license and liability insurance so you can get things sorted out if there are any problems.

Google is also an excellent place to shop around, and many local installers will do a labor only install for you, especially in these tough economic times.  Search terms like “CCTV Camera” and “Security DVR” will get you pointed in the right direction to create a simple budget check.

With the range of options and the low cost of simple systems, there really are not many barriers to having a professional surveillance system if you decide that you need one for your business, so check it out – Neither you nor your customers are likely to regret having the additional protection and peace of mind that a good security camera system provides.

Our first video covers configuration of a GeoVision DVR so that it will connect to the Control Center Software. If you’ve got any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.

Also, please note that the rest of the series will be linked at the bottom of this article as each tutorial is posted.

Thanks for viewing – let us know what you think!

How To:

• (You Are Here)
• Configure GeoVision DVRs to Connect to a Control Center V2 System
• Configure GeoVision IP Cameras to Connect to Center V2 System
• Configure a GeoVision Video Server to Connect to Center V2 System
• Configure GeoVision’s Control Center V2 for Client Connections
• Configure GeoVision’s Control Center V2 to Connect to GeoVision DVRs
• Configure GeoVision’s Control Center V2 to connect to IP Cameras
• Configure GeoVision’s Control Center V2 to Connect to a GeoVision Video Server
• Use GeoVision’s Remote DVR Feature in Control Center V2
• Use GeoVision’s Remote Desktop Feature in Control Center V2
• Use GeoVision’s Remote ViewLog Feature in Control Center V2
• Configure GeoVision’s Matrix Views in Control Center V2

Apparently it took the police 20 minutes to respond to this… not cool.

Computers are very similar. If you upgrade components in your computer, you also should consider what sort of strain this will place on your computer’s power supply.

Your standard, “bare bones” computer does not require much power. With only one 400 gigabyte hard drive, a dual core processor, 2 gigabytes of RAM, one optical drive… At a minimum you need a 300 watt power supply. With a mid level computer, that is a computer consisting of one, one terabyte hard drive, a Quad core processor, 2 gigabytes of RAM, a high end video card – you definitely need a 500 Watt (or greater) power supply. Anything above that and a 600 – 700 Watt power supply is a must.

For example:

Central Processing Units
Under an extreme level of process tasking, from your computer’s CPU – for example Intel’s Q8400 – you should expect to see around 200 Watts of power consumption.

Hard drives
For hard drives, most manufacturers post their power supply requirement / information online. As a general rule of thumb, though, each hard drive uses about 10 Watts.

Video cards
For Most of the newer video cards – for example the GeForce 9500 GT – the manufacturer’s minimum power requirement is a 500 Watt power supply (or greater). The power consumption, of course, varies per application. Under a heavy processing load, though, you should expect to see about 212 Watts of power consumption.

CD / DVD drives
At the CD / DVD drive’s maximum burst output, you should expect to see about a 25 Watt power consumption.

RAM
Under a heavy load, you should expect to see a 1.5-2 Watt power consumption. This value is based upon Kingston KVR667D2N5 – 1 Gigabyte – DDR2 RAM.

Furthermore, all USB devices (unless powered through an AC/DC adapter) also draw power through the Universal Serial Bus. If you are trying to make a precise estimate of how much your minimum power requirements are, you might also want to take this into consideration.

If you add these values together :
(200 Watts (CPU) + 10 Watts (HDD) + 212 Watts (Video card) + 25 Watts (CD / DVD Drive) + 2 Watts (RAM)) = 450 Watts.

These values were calculated in reference to a basic “mid-level” computer system, as mentioned above.

Just remember: If you upgrade the components of your computer, but neglect to also upgrade your computer’s power supply – the more inevitable it is that you will have problems somewhere down the line.

If you have any questions or comments, be sure to let us know! Thanks for reading.

You will find DNS and WINS helpful when setting up personal or client security camera systems. Both services allow for easier access to CCTV cameras without typing in their direct IP addresses – who remembers those anyways?

Part 1 – Basic Networking Information
Part 2 – Finding Your Router’s IP Address, or Default Gateway
Part 3 – Finding Your Router’s Default Username & Password
Part 4 – Finding Your Network’s DHCP Range
Part 5 – Finding Your Router’s Existing Port Forwarding Information
Part 6 – Finding a Static IP Address for Your Network Device
Part 7 – Finding Your Public IP Address and Setting Up Dynamic DNS
Part 8 – Locating Your Static IP Address Information
Part 9 – (You Are Here)

Stay tuned, the next video will be released next week, and don’t forget to let us know if our videos are helpful!

Welcome to the February 4, 2010 edition of the Security Cameras and CCTV Practices blog carnival. We got several decent submissions this month everyone, so keep them coming and we’ll try to include everything we can! Remember, try to keep it relevant to security cameras and surveillance, although we will include a few “general technology” pieces as well, if interesting.

CCTV Security Cameras

ApexCCTV presents Choosing what type of Security Camera you need for your Installation posted at The CCTV Blog, saying, “Choosing the right security cameras for a particular application is an important step in designing a surveillance system, especially if you want that system to actually be an effective crime solving tool, rather than simply a deterrent.”

General Technology

Roxanne Mcann presents 30 Gadget Sites Taking the Internet by Storm posted at XRAY Technician Training.

Matthew Paulson presents Prepare for a Full Body Scan posted at American Consumer News saying, “Across the United States, airports will be introducing full body scan machines to help authorities run more effective scans of airline passengers before boarding flights. This move stems from the Christmas Day attempt bombing on a flight destined to arrive on US soil.”

Suhani presents An iPhone Security Camera posted at iPhone Help.

IP Cameras

ApexCCTV presents Axis Communications introduces IP-based mobile video surveillance solution for use in vehicles – CCTVBLOG.NET posted at CCTVBlog.net, saying, “Axis Communications has introduced a complete, IP-based mobile video surveillance solution consisting of a new series of network cameras and a network video recorder for use in buses, trains, subway cars and emergency vehicles.”

Security Systems

ApexCCTV presents Integrating your POS with Video Surveillance to Prevent Theft and Liabilities posted at HowToSurveillance, saying, “Point of Sale (POS) and video surveillance systems serve important purposes on their own; however, integrating your POS system with a video surveillance system can help to prevent several types of losses and/or liabilities from happening to restaurant/hotel/retail owners including:”

Surveillance Practices

ApexCCTV presents Arguments against Video Surveillance posted at The CCTV Blog, saying, “As the use of CCTV cameras increases across the United States and globe, so does the debate over their numbers and motives. In a previous post, Arguments for Video Surveillance, we looked at four arguments for video surveillance. These arguments included peace of mind, loss prevention, crime deterrent and crime solving.”

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of Security Cameras and CCTV Practices using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Technorati tags:

security cameras and cctv practices, blog carnival.

Part 1 – Basic Networking Information
Part 2 – Finding Your Router’s IP Address, or Default Gateway
Part 3 – Finding Your Router’s Default Username & Password
Part 4 – Finding Your Network’s DHCP Range
Part 5 – Finding Your Router’s Existing Port Forwarding Information
Part 6 – Finding a Static IP Address for Your Network Device
Part 7 – Finding Your Public IP Address and Setting Up Dynamic DNS
Part 8 – (You Are Here)
Part 9 – DNS & WINS Setup Best Practices

Stay tuned, the next video will be released next week, and don’t forget to let us know if our videos are helpful!