The use of infrared with video cameras has been a proven partner for military, law enforcement, aviation and scientific research for several decades.  But traditionally, due to higher costs and lack of awareness, IR technology has not been widely used for business and home applications.  In recent years, however, I've seen explosive growth in use of infrared products by the general public, driven by more affordable price tags, easy-to-use form factors, and designs that meet the needs of nearly any application.  What's more, consumers continue to benefit from the many technology advancements paired with tried and true components to produce superb surveillance.

When looking for surveillance cameras, here are some of the top reasons to consider infrared:

1. Perfect for covert applications.  Infrared illumination is in a frequency range beyond what the human eye is capable of registering as light.  Conversely, most video cameras perceive infrared light just as they would any other type of light.  So if your goal is to catch a bad guy in the act – and they usually strike in the darkness, then infrared is an invaluable tool to obtain irrefutable evidence of a suspect who believes he is not being watched.
 
2. Never get left in the dark.  The day/night capability of IR cameras provide the best of both worlds, delivering vibrant color images during the day and high resolution b/w images at night. 
 
3. Save on energy costs.  Video cameras equipped with IR capabilities typically use LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) to produce infrared illumination.  In comparison to incandescent lighting (normal light bulb), LEDs use 80% or less energy while still producing the same level or sometimes greater intensity of light.
 
4. Save even more over time.  Infrared cameras are usually equipped with photocells that turn IR lighting on/off, giving you IR lighting only when necessary and thus boosting the LED life.  In addition to help of the photocell, LEDs simply last a long, long time.  LEDs last between 20,000 and 25,000 hours of constant use, compared to the lifetime of a normal light bulb of 700 to 2000 hours.  Some cameras equipped with advanced LEDs will even last up to 100,000 hours.
 
5. Suited for any application, outdoors and in.  IR cameras are available in countless form factors, IR ranges, and feature sets, and most IR cameras produced today are rated for outdoor use.  That said, it is common place to see IR cameras used indoors, especially IR dome cameras that can be mounted in such a way to be pleasing to the eye.
 
6. Got vandals?  No problem.  On the surface, IR dome cameras may appear to be vulnerable to the attack of vandals… but for the most part the opposite is true.  Today's IR dome cameras use Polycarbonate clear domes that can withstand direct blows of a three pound hammer or more…now that's tough.  What's more - most mounting brackets provide an enclosed channel to protect Ethernet, video and power cables - preventing the bad guy from snipping the cables.  The same mounting brackets can withstand 5 tons of force without breaking, making disabling the camera a near impossibility.
 
7. Save time…  Ready to go out of the box.  In comparison to other types of cameras, the time required to install IR cameras can be dramatically less, because everything comes all in a single plug-and-play package.  IR cameras typically come with the lens pre-installed and precisely focused for infinite viewing.  You will also save time not having to install a camera into a housing, or cut and strip cable for the housing. 
 
8. Save money at time of purchase.  Along with time savings, there is usually a sizable cost savings associated with buying a camera that's ready to go out of the box - versus buying a separate illuminator, lens, housing, camera, extra cable and multiple power supplies.
 
9. Improve light penetration.  A little known fact is that infrared light penetrates atmospheric haze better than visible light.  Underwater researchers that use video gear have long been leveraging this unique benefit of IR to help cut through murky waters.  Similarly, areas of the country with high humidity and pollution can experience better video quality using infrared versus normal illumination.
 
10. Decrease light pollution.  In times past, security needs for homes and business that called for 24/7 visibility typically meant lots and lots of lights placed around houses, yards, parking lots, driveways, etc…  This often does more than provide security… it annoys the heck out of neighbors.  IR cameras offer you the perfect blend of surveillance with the twist of not having to punish your neighbors with glaring lights.

On occasion I meet a person that can't help but ask, "do you practice what you preach Jake?"  When it comes to security the answer is "yes".  Every single one the cameras on my house is equipped with infrared.  When I hear a noise outside or when I'm traveling and remotely monitoring my house, it is quite a comfort to see what is going on day or night.

Thanks for reading my blog.  I hope I've helped you in selecting the right tools for the job.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions, comments or suggestions at jake@supercircuits.com

Jake

Like so many others in law enforcement, I learned early-on that only the dumb criminals get caught… and statistics prove this out. According to Department of Justice’s 2004 Clearance data, less than 19% of theft ever results in an arrest. Many business owners have responded by taking necessary action to turn the odds in their favor. In fact, according to a recent National Retail Federation (NRF) survey, over 87% of retail establishments are currently employing surveillance equipment. However, NRF statistics indicate that many businesses are still missing the boat – and that much crime is still going undetected.

Over the course of 2006, the NRF reports that losses due to theft soared to 34.5 Billion dollars - split between employees, customers and vendors. This increase in theft (over the same period that saw a dramatic increase in the use of CCTV) points to the fact that smarter thieves see traditional surveillance as a meager hurdle to great gains.

My solution? Augment traditional CCTV with covert video equipment. Covert surveillance is the single tool that gives YOU the advantage over those crooks, and the power to finally put a stop to your losses.

Here are ten vulnerable areas in your business that make ideal locations for covert video equipment, including tips on which covert gear to use and how to use it.

#1 The Cash Register

Just like a gaming table, cash registers are teaming with temptation. Unfortunately, in the crook’s favor, transactions with a cash register often entail a lot of fast action - which blurs even the most suspicion eye. Seasoned shoplifters will look for the more busy registers, hoping the cashier doesn’t recognize the items stuffed underneath the cart, items underneath the heavy dog food bag, items stuffed into other items, and mislabeled items. What’s more, employees operating the till commonly pocket some extra spending cash, and will even coordinate efforts with friends posing as customers so that items purchased can be undercharged or not charged at all.

An eye that never gets blurred by fast action is a tiny covert camera placed near a cash register. And because of their small size, covert cameras can be placed close to the action - disguised in fixtures and signage – and often require little or no disguise. Whichever kind of camera is used at the register, I always recommend coupling it with a cash register overlay, that instantly ties in cash register data with the video and provides an easy way to pinpoint suspicious activity.

#2 Back Door & Dumpster

Back doors and dumpsters are favorites places for thieving employees. It’s easy for employees to camouflage valuable merchandise with trash leaving the building, even when prevention measures are employed, such as managers checking trash as it leaves the building.

A covert camera disguised as a utility enclosure or loudspeaker blend in perfectly in these areas. When these cameras are connected to digital video recorders they’ll not only catch the thieves when they come back to retrieve the loot, the recorders will also alert you when they do.

#3 Storage & Layaway Areas

Stockrooms are typically lacking of supervision, and traditional surveillance cameras are easy to avoid or disable. Store owners commonly uncover proof that this area is one steeped in vulnerability - finding discarded packaging and RFID tags – but long after the crime was committed.

While dishonest employees find comfort in these backrooms, these areas also are probably the easiest places to conceal covert cameras. One common place to conceal cameras is in storage boxes and/or containers. Ultra-pinhole cameras, for example, can be easily placed inside a cardboard box, needing less than a 1/16th inch hole for complete surveillance of a room and crystal clear video.

#4 Vending Machines

Vending machines are often overlooked by managers as a serious item of vulnerability. Those that suspect loss from vending machines, often find themselves giving up investigations quickly due to the time involved conducting inventories and money counts. Even when investigations turn up losses, the relative size of a single incident often doesn’t warrant a confrontation of the employee. But these managers are missing the big picture.

Like most employee theft losses, vending machine losses over the course of a year can be huge - but occur a little at a time. Furthermore, it is often these employees who are taking advantage of your other vulnerable areas. Covert video systems using recorders with both time/date search capabilities and large memory sizes will compile days, weeks and months activity together, expediting investigations and ensuring seamless and confident dismissal and prosecution.

#5 Self Serve Areas

Seasonal garden centers or other merchandise displays in store parking lots are favorites areas for both dishonest employees and shoplifters. Traditional cameras affixed to the top of store facades will typically provide great documentation of thieves literally helping themselves to valuable merchandise… but it’s an entirely different story when it comes to providing identification for the authorities.

Covert cameras placed near the most valuable items can provide close up shots for clear identification, and can be positioned at the proper angle for identification – a shortcoming of traditional overhead cameras. Covert disguises that work well in self serve areas are faux rocks, plants and safety cones.

#6 Office Supplies

#7 Theft of Time

Because this category of theft is more of a gray area, managers typically feel powerless to take action to stop the actions of these less than stellar employees. Covert cameras can provide clear documentation of this activty, and instill a great sense of confidence that employees are productive even when supervisors aren’t there to witness.

#8 Service Areas

Many employers that I speak with never consider employing surveillance in their service areas, but it is in these areas that some companies are most at risk, not only for theft but for poor customer experience. Customers with the confidence in a business to service their vehicles often exercise that same trust by leaving valuables inside the car - which dishonest employees are quick to steal. When customers recognize that items are missing, the business pays both in compensation and in losing that valuable relationship.

Dishonest employees who overcharge naïve and/or less knowledgeable customers covering their tracks by turning in a proper invoice, or those who provide less than acceptable service, risk compromising future relations with that customer.

Fortunately, both dishonest and poorly performing employees are easy to catch with covert video surveillance. Today, I work with a leading national car lube chain who has recognized these issues and put great stock in the benefits of using covert video. Several of the managers take surveillance several steps further by placing cameras inside car engine compartments to monitor the quality of work done, and use body-worn covert gear to catch excessive charges and poor customer service.

#9 Intellectual Theft

Just as valuable as merchandise and tools is intellectual property. Trade secrets on how your business operates, sales numbers, vendor information, customer information, proprietary processes and manufacturing techniques are all very marketable for a dishonest employee - especially so in this information age.

I will be the first to admit that catching employees stealing trade secrets is one of the harder activities to catch. This caliber of thief is typically very paranoid, and checks his surroundings carefully for hidden cameras before committing his crime. To make hiding cameras easier, we offer self-contained devices in the form of clock radios, tissue boxes, PIR sensor, electric outlets and more - that blend into any work environment, are very difficult to detect, and install in mere seconds.

#10 Robberies

According to the Department of Justice, theft by robbery typically goes unsolved a whopping 87% of the time. Rightly so, many robbers commonly believe they can avoid being identified by traditional CCTV merely by wearing a ball cap or pulling over a hood. The resulting video is great documentation of what happened, when, how, etc… but sorely lacking the most important answer… who?

Covert video cameras again can play a pivot able role in changing these statistics. Robbers can’t avoid what they don’t see, making covert cameras ideal for capturing fantastic mug shots of crooks should they rob your place of business. Businesses using covert cameras for this purpose effectively place hidden cameras in entry/exit ways, behind counters at eye level and on counters looking up.

A Final Thought – Watch Your Blind Spots

While your traditional CCTV system is absolutely necessary to capture much of what goes on in the primary activities of your business, it inevitably has its blind spots. You know it. But the problem is, so do the bad guys – especially the ones who work for you. Without spending a fortune on security, you will likely never cover every square inch of your facility. However, there’s a common technique that will turn this weakness into your advantage – we in the business refer to it as "funneling".

Funneling is simple, yet effective, and requires little investment on your behalf. Simply identify your company’s blind spot(s), that you believe is most commonly sought out for illegal activity, and position a covert camera to track it. Not only will you uncover theft, you will literally funnel the thieves to an area where you can get a closer identifying shot for sure termination and/or prosecution – and you will be amazed at how much activity you will catch when criminals feel they aren’t being watched. In fact, I believe in this tactic so much that I encourage businesses wanting to use covert video to install at a minimum a basic CCTV system to help direct the illegal traffic to the hidden cameras.

Some Additional Notes

Recorders
Whatever form of covert cameras are being used in a business, I also recommend connecting them to either a NVR (Network Video Recorder) or a networkable DVR (Digital Video Recorder)… mainly for remote monitoring. Remote monitoring allows owners, managers and investigators to watch activities in the comfort of a recliner or even on a cell phone while parked just outside the business. Crime never happens at an ideal time, and as any business owner knows – the criminals typically wait until you have left the premises. Having real-time access to your cameras will provide you with peace of mind, and the opportunity to respond to any wrongdoing immediately.

Analytics
If the covert gear will be used in environments teaming with activity, it is ideal to use some sort of analytics device in conjunction with your cameras and recorders. Analytic devices digitally process live video and automatically analyze it for suspicious activity. Some of the better analytic devices can even determine the difference between a customer picking up merchandise for examination and a shoplifter not returning an item. When using these devices in conjunction with DVRs and NVRs, many can be configured to alert you via text or email only when a suspicious activity has occurred.

I hope I have helped you to recognize some potential areas of vulnerability in your business, and some ways to remove unwanted elements from your payroll. If you have any further questions, comments or suggestions on future blogs, please feel free to contact me at jake@supercircuits.com

Thank you,
Jake

While IP cameras and recorders offer some of the latest and greatest in security technology, IP video has yet to be widely adopted. Why? The two most common reasons I hear from our customers are that it is either too expensive, or that it’s just too hard to use. I will argue that neither is valid today. In contrast, I do see many customers who have completely converted to IP gear - and when visiting with them, I quickly learn that they have done their homework and clearly recognize the advantages of IP video. Here is what they know about IP video:

1. Easy to Use - Can you use a computer mouse? If so then you can use IP video. IP video systems have easy to use menus that can make first-timers look like experts.
2. Higher Resolution - IP cameras are digital end to end, and use progressive scanning to make full use of camera imagers - providing up to 25% more resolution than analog cameras with similar imagers. IP is also available with Megapixel cameras, delivering super-high resolution images with 30 frames per second of real-time video.
3. Lower Cable Cost - Analog cameras can require up to three cables - video, audio, and power - for each and every camera. IP cameras can transmit all three (and more) on a single network cable. Even better - cable is less expensive, a single cable can handle 4-8 or more cameras, and network cable is probably already wired throughout your building. That results in significant savings - especially considering the cost of copper these days.
4. Future Proof - Like computer devices and programs, IP gear is easily updated for new capabilities and compatibility as technology advances.
5. Creates Efficiencies – Continual monitoring of live activity is quickly becoming an expense of the past. IP systems can easily alert personnel when problems occur by sending live video to laptops or even cell phones for immediate review. This functionality can also be used for non-security applications, such as customer service, deliveries, work-flow monitoring and more.
6. Intelligence - Today’s IP video systems are equipped with on-board processors to analyze events in real-time, alerting you about suspicious or criminal activity and knows to overlook benign matters.
7. Secure Transmissions - End to end, IP video systems encrypt your data to ensure your complete privacy, eliminating the need for expensive fiber optic cable.
8. Reliable and Redundant – Paired with the advances in today’s computers, IP systems leverage decades of technical evolution to deliver proven reliability. IP video systems can be easily set up to store video at multiple remote locations for security against disasters and theft.
9. System Integration - IP video systems can easily team with your alarm systems. Many can also integrate with lighting, environmental and access controls for a virtual presence anywhere. And thanks to industry standards and cooperations, IP video systems are increasingly compatible across manufacturers.
10. Infinite distance -  IP data travels exactly like computer data.  Just as computers may communicate with each other from anywhere in the world via the Internet, a camera can be across the room or across the world and your recorder doesn't care.

Bonus: Four Additional Reasons to Consider IP

11. Flexibility – No longer do you need to buy an entirely new recorder just to add a few extra cameras in problem areas. With IP video, you can add additional licenses for the recording software to match how many cameras you need when you need them. This can save thousands in comparison to analog systems, which often require a new DVR to add even a single camera.
12. Backwards compatible – IP technology allows you to leverage your existing cameras.  Using video servers to convert standard  cameras to IP, you can use your existing analog cameras in  installation situations that would typically best be suited for  IP.  Hybrid recording systems also allow the peaceful co-existence  of IP video devices and analog camera installations.  This allows  you to continue to use your existing cameras, while expanding with  IP cameras, reaping the benefits of the new technology, without  having to replace entire security systems at one time.
13. High Speed Recording - Analog cameras will often produce a blurry picture when recording video containing fast moving objects. IP video provides crisp resolution on every frame enabling effective investigation of events.
14. Lower Total Cost of Ownership - Considering that IP video can leverage your existing cabling and computer network infrastructure, the cost of installation can be half or more than an analog system. And given the added benefits and related cost savings provided above, the reduction in total cost of ownership can be significant.

There is, of course, a learning curve to installing and operating IP video – which is likely to discourage many potential users from taking the initial leap IP. But as prices continue to become more competitive, I highly recommend that you take the time to learn this new technology, and start to leverage the many advantages of using IP.

Welcome to Jake’s blog. Yes, I realize that this one is more of a rant than a blog, but this is what you get when you ask me to write about something I’m passionate about.

In fact, at the recent 2008 ISC West show in April, I presented this very topic to a standing room only crowd of over 200 people… and had people lined up at our booth to discuss their covert video applications with me for the next 3 days. Bottom line, I truly believe that many people are coming to the realization that covert video is a strategy that they need to better understand, and use to deliver the most effective security solutions. I hope that this blog sheds some light on the topic.

In the coming weeks, there are a number of topics that I am planning to write about – but to be honest, I would rather hear what you’re interested in