When to use a Fish Eye Security Camera

Having eyes in the back of your head — an attribute relegated to vigilant parents, strict librarians, and more than a few teachers — is a condition that would serve the security industry well. After all, who doesn’t want the ability to have eyes on the action, wherever it’s happening?

Since such forms of sight are a physical impossibility, security personnel have turned to cameras to be their all-seeing counterparts. The problem, however, is that even cameras don’t always capture every movement and moment in a critical scenario. Many cameras have fixed views and pan-tilt-zooms, and even with their wider range, can sometimes be looking in the wrong direction when they really need to be focused elsewhere.

Thus, the industry developed the fisheye technology or 360-degree cameras to provide that all-seeing viewpoint. As camera resolutions increase, the fisheye is turning out to be an especially advantageous choice for situational awareness within the retail industry, not only because these cameras fit their coverage needs, but also because stores can now lower their camera count and save a bit of money as well.

That’s not to say that the fisheye is limited to retail settings. These cameras, with their sweeping views (for example, 360 degrees if ceiling mounted or 180 degrees if wall mounted), are also ideal for university lecture halls, elevator banks, indoor parking areas, hospitals and casinos. As with all camera installations, it is important that camera selection is based on the combination of surveillance system needs and camera capabilities. For 360° cameras, the resolution “sweet-spot” for a 6MP fisheye capturing sufficient details is 20-25 feet. Due to the extreme wide angle lens, objects in the camera’s field of view beyond this distance will become too small to capture details. Thus, other types of cameras would better serve a large, outdoor parking lot application.

As with any component in a surveillance set up, the fisheye is at its best when used in concert with other cameras. For instance HD fixed cameras might be a better choice over the cash drawers, or multiple fisheyes could be used together to surround an HD PTZ unit that can zoom in and closely track events or suspicious individuals identified in the fisheye video. In some cases, however, a single fisheye can cover an entire room, such as classroom, without missing anything.

The 360-degree fisheye camera expands the line of vision and takes surveillance into far corners not easily seen before. Over time, working with the views from this latest entrant into the video field will become second nature to surveillance system operators, and security personnel will relish having a new tool in their arsenal as they look to achieve all-seeing status.

OSI CCTV has a large selection of CCTV IP Cameras(Including a 6MP Fish Eye Camera) and NVRs with Built-in Poe as well Complete CCTV Systems, DVRs, Access Control, and Wiring and Accessories. Visit www.OSICCTV.com today! We offer Free Shipping to anywhere in North America with orders over $200, Free Technical Support and have been in business for over 45 Years assuring you that we will always be around to help you with any questions you may have about your product in the future.

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http://www.osicctv.com

What are the Benefits of Redundant Hard Drive for your NVR surveillance system?

In a nutshell, the fundamental technology of digital surveillance storage — the hard drive — is only the beginning of the hardware involved in a storage system.redundancy means using more internal drives than necessary to store the information, or in other words, storing the same data in more than one place. There are many ways to do this, but the most popular is the use of a type of RAID, which can be set up on storage devices with two internal drives or more. That said, the first and foremost thing you should remember is that redundancy is not a form of backup, but just a fail-safe measure. The most popular RAID configurations that offer redundancy are RAID 1 and RAID 5.

 

Redundancy is not a form of backup, but just a fail-safe measure in case of failure of the storage device’s internal drive or drives.

 

RAID 1 (which requires at least two drives) uses double the number of drives necessary to store the information. The two drives mirror each other. Thus, only half of the total storage space is available to the user, while the other half is used for redundancy. RAID 5 (which requires at least three drives) uses at most a third more drive(s) than necessary. In RAID 5, what’s available to the user is the combined storage space of all drives used in the array minus one. This way if one drive dies, the rest will kick in immediately and no data is lost.

 

You can think of redundancy as using two plastic bags, one inside the other, to carry groceries home from the market. This way, if one of the bags is broken or punctured along the way, food, especially broken eggs, won’t spill out.

 

The biggest and most obvious virtue of redundancy is it protects data against drive failure in real time. This means if you are working on a file and one of the internal drives in a RAID fails, the storage device can continue to work normally. (Some RAID setups can survive when two drives fail.) It will just indicate that one of internal drives has failed, offering you the chance to back up important data and replace the failed drive with another. After that the device itself will blend the replacement drive to become part of the RAID the way the drive it’s replacing used to be, in a process called RAID rebuild. During this time, the storage device is still available to use.

 

In short, redundancy offers an immediate type of data protection. And since internal drive failures can happen at any time, it’s important to have redundancy for storage devices that host critical information or that provide a service that must not be interrupted.

 

Last thoughts on redundancy: No matter what type of redundancy RAID you use, remember that it’s just like insurance, something you need to have just in case, and hope that you will never have to resort to. The option to hot-replace a drive should be used only when absolutely necessary and not viewed as a “fun” or “cool” feature. The more often you use this feature, the more likely you are to lose all of your data stored in the storage device. For this reason, when you get a RAID-capable storage device, it’s best to get one that offers lots of storage space to avoid having to replace its internal drives to increase the storage space.

 

OSI CCTV has a large selection of CCTV IP Cameras and NVRs,HDTVI DVRs (available with redundancy), Complete CCTV Systems, DVRs, Access Control, and Wiring and Accessories. Visit www.OSICCTV.com today! We offer Free Shipping to anywhere in North America with orders over $200, Free Technical Support and have been in business for over 45 Years assuring you that we will always be around to help you with any questions you may have about your product in the future.

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http://www.osicctv.com

What Are The Long-Term Benefits Of Owning Security Cameras?

You simply can’t put a price on protecting your family and your home. A home surveillance system gives you the power to do just that. Our premium selection of home network surveillance cameras offers a considerable number of benefits both in their design and performance.

Increased Safety: Instilling a sense of safety is a top concern for discerning homeowners. Whether it’s protecting the family and the pets or guarding the property and valuables, keeping safe is what matters most at the end of the day.

24/7 Alerts: What’s superior about Internet-based video is that you can set it up to send direct alerts to your phone or email whenever it detects motion or tampering. Our home surveillance cameras also come with alarm input/outputs to trigger your external alarm in the event that suspicious activity is perceived.

Peace of Mind: Investing in security cameras for your home ultimately provides peace of mind for you and your family. No more worrying about your home or property while you’re away on vacation or at work. Security cameras can do the job so you can go and live your life.

OSI CCTV has a large selection of Spy & Covert Cameras, CCTV IP Cameras and NVRs with Built-in Poe as well HDCVI Cameras, HDTVI Cameras, Complete CCTV Systems, DVRs, Access Control, and Wiring and Accessories. Visit www.OSICCTV.com today! We offer Free Shipping to anywhere in North America with orders over $200, Free Technical Support and have been in business for over 45 Years assuring you that we will always be around to help you with any questions you may have about your product in the future.

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http://www.osicctv.com

Why use a door strike plate?

Today I am going to address the deadbolt strike plate, which in reality is the other half of the deadbolt locking system.

Before I talk about the deadbolt strike plate I want to look at the traditional use of the strike plate and why it is called a “strike plate.” The traditional strike plate is used with the latch. The latch holds the door closed even though the door may be unlocked. The latch always protrudes, or sticks out on the edge of the door ½ inch to ¾ inch. Or 12.7mm to 19mm. When the door is closed the latch must be retracted by turning a knob, pushing down a lever or some other means by which the door is opened.

When the door is open it can be closed and latched without touching the knob or lever. This is because the latch is spring loaded. When the door is closed, the latch “strikes” a curved piece of metal (called the Lip). The purpose of the Lip is to push the spring loaded latch back into the door until the door is completely closed. The latch will spring out into a hole when the door is closed and hold the door in the closed position. The Lip and the hole the latch springs into are parts of the strike plate.

The deadbolt strike plate works nothing like the latch strike plate. A better name for the deadbolt strike plate would be “dress-plate” or “reinforcement plate.” The deadbolt lock has one function, secure the door against thieves or the enemy or both. Most deadbolt locks have a 1 inch (25.4mm) bolt or bar that extends into the door frame after the door is closed. If the deadbolt lock is a quality lock mounted in a good quality door the chances are slim the door is going to break if someone tries to kick the door in. The weak link then becomes the door frame the deadbolt is locked into.

Therefore it is imperative the deadbolt strike plate act as an anchor point and means to reinforce the door frame and deter, even prevent the door from being kicked in by robbers and home invaders.

OSI CCTV sells a Standard Recessed Door Strike (Square Corners), Surface Mount Door Strikes (for most push bar doors) and a Universal Door Strike and has a large selection of CCTV IP Cameras and NVRs with Built-in Poe as well HDCVI Cameras, HDTVI Cameras, Complete CCTV Systems, DVRs, Access Control, Door Strikes, and Wiring and Accessories. Visit www.OSICCTV.com today! We offer Free Shipping to anywhere in North America with orders over $200, Free Technical Support and have been in business for over 45 Years assuring you that we will always be around to help you with any questions you may have about your product in the future.

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http://www.osicctv.com

Benefits of Fisheye / Panoramic CCTV Cameras

Fisheye and panoramic cameras offer a much wider field of view than fixed cameras, up to 360 degrees. Unlike fixed cameras that narrow in on a specific spot or area such as a room, hallway, office cubicle, and entrances and exits, fisheye and panoramic cameras can cover a much higher wider area. Depending on your security needs, a fisheye or panoramic camera may be what you’re looking for, as both can provide surveillance for broad areas like stores, warehouses, parking lots, stadiums, museums, concert halls, and ports.

Fisheye cameras create an image that replicates a circle or barrel, with a 180-degree or 360-degree wide field of view shown in the lens’ diameter circle. The curve of the fisheye lens can see in all directions at the same time, making it a practical surveillance camera choice for retail boutique stores, transportation vehicles, of office. Fisheyes are usually flush mounted on a ceiling or wall to monitor and record a wide area, particularly at the center point of the location. Furthermore, fisheye cameras have a discrete shape so they blend in exceptionally well with just about any background.

Panoramic surveillance cameras use more than one image to create a 180-degree or 360-degree view of a large area of space. Perfect for sporting events, parking lots, marinas, and department stores, panoramic security cameras can monitor and record all activity in its field of view. If you’re seeking to capture entire scenes with greater detail in many directions, then panoramic security cameras may be the right fit for your surveillance coverage needs.

OSI CCTV has a large selection of CCTV IP Cameras including Fisheye Cameras and NVRs with Built-in Poe as well HDCVI Cameras, HDTVI Cameras, Complete CCTV Systems, DVRs, Access Control, and Wiring and Accessories. Visit www.OSICCTV.com today! We offer Free Shipping to anywhere in North America with orders over $200, Free Technical Support and have been in business for over 45 Years assuring you that we will always be around to help you with any questions you may have about your product in the future.

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http://www.osicctv.com

Why Covert/Spy Cameras Help You Sleep at Night

Every night before bed, people across the world turn off all the lights, set alarms, lock their doors and shut windows. How can we be sure we are properly protecting the things we hold so dear to our hearts? While these measures may keep us safe from the outside world, what if the threat comes from within your walls?

When homeowners invite unfamiliar people into their homes who aren’t supervised, theft or other crime may occur. Many homeowners are concerned for their property and seek out security systems to be their eyes and ears while away.

Hidden home spy cameras, typically referred to as spy cams or nanny cams, can dramatically ease a homeowner’s anxiety if he or she regularly has non-family members in the house.

Hidden spy cameras have one very obvious benefit over standard security systems – they’re hidden! Criminals can’t see them, and neither can your friends, family or employees. The cameras have the ability to catch criminals red-handed without the risk of being tampered with or being the natural deterrent that a visible camera would be.

These cameras are non-invasive and stay out of the way while observing the natural behavior of the people around your home. Many types of spy cams use the same advanced technologies found in traditional security cameras. These cameras can often record in high-definition color, and may even be installed with a wireless setup.

By nature, these camera systems are also quite small. Most hidden cameras are available for purchase already placed in everyday items that a normal person would expect to see in a home.

For example, some of the hidden home spy cameras on the market are contained within fixtures you may find on a wall or ceiling in any room. These include light switches, smoke detectors, wall plugs, and more. Other pre-built spy cameras are designed within décor items like picture frames and clocks.

The customization of your system doesn’t end there. By purchasing a stand-alone mini spy camera, you can place your camera within just about anything! Pots, vents, stuffed animals… all of these are viable options and you can choose the option that fits best for you.

You can’t put a price on peace of mind. Luckily, nanny cams can range anywhere from $100 to $550 depending on the model and features, such as field of view or wireless versus wired.

Considering the low cost and numerous options related to technology, size, and type, hidden spy cameras are becoming more commonplace in households everywhere. Utilize this technology to monitor your home and protect not just your property but also your family from criminal behavior.

OSI CCTV has a large selection of Spy & Covert Cameras, CCTV IP Cameras and NVRs with Built-in Poe as well HDCVI Cameras, HDTVI Cameras, Complete CCTV Systems, DVRs, Access Control, and Wiring and Accessories. Visit www.OSICCTV.com today! We offer Free Shipping to anywhere in North America with orders over $200, Free Technical Support and have been in business for over 45 Years assuring you that we will always be around to help you with any questions you may have about your product in the future.

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http://www.osicctv.com

How to Catch Shoplifters!

We thought we’d give you a few tips on how to catch or at least dissuade shoplifters from preying on your business during high traffic times during popular holidays such as Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Christmas.

Improve Employee Engagement

Simply put, shoplifters hate being noticed. Greeting every customer as he or she enters the store is not only good customer service but also puts shoplifters on notice that they have been seen. For the best effect, all of your employees should continually engage shoppers no matter how long they have been in the store.

Take a Fresh Look at the Layout

Working day after day at the same location can give a store owner or manager a false sense of security when it comes to layout. It is imperative that you throw away your blinders and take a brand new look at the store from a theft perspective. This process will help eliminate any spots where shoplifters can practice their craft.

Install Security Cameras

Another prime tool against shoplifting is the security camera – hidden ones work well but visible ones can be doubly effective.

While covert cameras are especially useful for catching shoplifters in hard-to-see areas, visible surveillance cameras capture thieves in the act and make a statement to customers and employees alike that the owner or manager is watching for unlawful activity.

Place the Cash Register Near the Exit

While many boutiques and other high end-retailers like to keep the front of their location available for display space, more pragmatic retailers understand that this technique creates an opportunity for shoplifters.

Instead, they opt to place their cash registers and watchful cashiers near the door, establishing another barricade against thieves and an additional level of security.

Keep High-End Items Under Lock and Key

Whether a store stocks mobile phones, jewelry, or perfume, keep expensive items under lock and key unless being personally overseen by a trusted employee.

Restrict Access

On a similar but more substantial level, it is important for businesses to control access to their most sensitive areas. Shoplifting is often a crime of opportunity, especially if money or other valuables are left unguarded in an area thought secure, such as the office or counting room.

The use of self-locking doors with electronic password protection is just one of the many ways to ensure that only authorized persons can enter restricted areas.

OSI CCTV has a large selection of CCTV IP Cameras and NVRs with Built-in Poe as well HDCVI Cameras, HDTVI Cameras, Complete CCTV Systems, DVRs, Access Control, and Wiring and Accessories. Visit www.OSICCTV.com today! We offer Free Shipping to anywhere in North America with orders over $200, Free Technical Support and have been in business for over 45 Years assuring you that we will always be around to help you with any questions you may have about your product in the future.

Source:

http://www.osicctv.com