Remote Monitoring
With even the most advanced "stand alone" CCTV system, if an incident occurs it can only be viewed, recorded and then reviewed. Where security or staff are not in attendance the system can not physically prevent an incident or apprehend the offender. Images recorded by the system may prove pivotal in gaining conviction, but the damage has already been done!
An increasingly popular way of overcoming this situation is to connect the system to a Central Monitoring Station.
To achieve this, existing or newly installed systems will be connected to broadband (using IP) or older ISDN or PSTN may sometimes be used where broadband is not available.
Depending on the type of CCTV system installed the remote monitoring centre will:-
- Check the images from each camera twice daily and advise of any faults found
- Respond to any alarm signals from the site.
- Reports can be made to document the cause of the alarm.
- Action can be taken when an alarm is triggered - call Police, contact key holder.
- If audio devices are installed the Remote Monitoring Centre can send live verbal warnings and/or sound sirens.
- Where pan tilt and zoom cameras are in operation the monitoring operators can move cameras to follow intruders around the site.
When these features are added to a CCTV system they can effectively prevent incidents occurring as opposed to just recording them happening
