Planning a Business CCTV System
What are the most important points when planning a business CCTV system? This article describes precise functional requirements for a business security system based on CCTV cameras. Setting these requirements is essential when planning this kind of projects.
1. What types of threats are going to be monitored?
Is the system responsible for protection of human lives, classified documents and data, big amounts of cash? Moreover, it is important to reckon probability and incidence of assaults to take measures against them already at the early stage of overall design of the system. All this should influence general conception of surveillance system, selection of equipment, means of protection against attacks and devastation, emergency procedures e.g. holdup in case of power failure.
Some systems are especially exposed to damage, therefore it is important to consider the use of adequate devices then, for example: cameras with polycarbonate housings or spheres (terminals, drunk tanks). It is also worth installing camouflaged cameras, hidden in e.g. clocks. To increase visually the number of cameras, it is worth deploying dummy ones. It is also essential the way of making cable installation, it should be secured from cutting. Another important thing is that system should be resistant to blinding by direct strong light pointed at a camera.
2. What areas are going to be monitored?
On the design for the building there should be pointed important areas that are to be observed. It will enable the designer of the surveillance system to select adequate number of cameras with proper lenses and to plan their deployment.
3. What is the purpose of observation of particular zones?
The aim of monitoring of a chosen zone may be activation of determined alarm procedure. One should point out these zones. As opposed to the areas that are only to be observed, one should describe what kind of threats can occur in these particular zones.
4. What is the required level of automation?
One should aim at maximal level of automation, because man-operated systems are expensive and unreliable for a long term. On the other hand, there must be a possibility of manual operation in individual instances.
5. What reaction of the system should be exercised when individual areas are violated?
CCTV devices after breach of a zone usually trigger automatic operation like activation of recording, switching on the light, closing the door, turning on the siren etc.
6. What reaction time of the system is needed?
Delay in operation can be caused by mechanical (e.g. rotator) or electronic (VCR, DVR, telemetric devices) lags. In critical situations, where no delay is acceptable, all devices must work round-the-clock with minimal number of implemented control functions that could bring on an inertia of the system.
7. What environmental conditions will devices have to work in?
One should determine temperature and humidity range, dustiness level, occurrence of electromagnetic interferences, lighting conditions etc., but also some specific conditions, if needed, e.g. explosion hazard.
8. What way of control of the system is anticipated?
There has to be determined the place where the control over the system is to be realized from, persons who will manage it, fixed and variable parameters (all functions not intended to be changed should be blocked).
9. How many simultaneous events should be handled by the system?
When anticipating two or more simultaneous alarm events, it is needed to provide adequate means for handling them, e.g. two or more separate monitors and control systems etc.
10. What is sufficient range and security level of signal transmission?
The use of digital signal processing techniques makes possible Internet transmission - without any range limits. However, already in designing phase the reservation of specific telecommunication connection (for example: bandwidth, fixed IP address) is required, as well as decision at which moment digitalization of signal should be made: in camera (web camera), after cameras (in video web servers) or in recording devices (DVR cards, stand alone DVR). Digital video signal transmission gives new opportunities for remote surveillance of places and objects.
11. How should the training of surveillance staff / security guards be conducted?
Apart from conducting training course for the whole surveillance staff it is worth to complete written instructions for the system users, including preventive maintenance and procedures of eliminating simple faults etc.
12. What kind of maintenance of the system will be needed and who will be responsible for that?
Some parts of mechanisms of certain devices may require regular lubrication, housings - tightness check, lenses - cleaning, VCR heads - cleaning or exchange. It should be decided whether the basic maintenance is to be performed by the staff or outsourced.
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