A shopping mall presents a nightmare for a security team. Large numbers of people constantly entering and leaving, hundreds of small objects that can easily be pilfered by a nimble-fingered thief, and a wide area of space that needs to be covered by surveillance. For this reason, shopping malls need a surveillance strategy that utilizes the best planning, resources and technology available to protect the safety of goods, staff and customers. IP cameras, also known as network cameras or Internet cameras, represent the latest in surveillance technology, and help to solve the nightmare of shopping mall security.
The Benefits of IP Cameras
An IP camera sends recorded information via the Internet, rather than onto a tape like previous technology. This is a benefit not only in terms of cost and convenience, but also in the protection of the people and objects being watched.
Internet cameras can be totally wireless, allowing easy set-up that takes a matter of minutes rather than days.
Since surveillance video is sent over the Internet, the video server can potentially be accessed from outside the site of business, an advantage not present in previous surveillance systems. This means footage of criminal activity can be instantly sent to authorities, quickly identifying suspects. This also means security teams can keep an eye on the store from anywhere in the world, and do not have to always arrive at a single location in order to keep an eye on surveillance practices.
Amazingly, even control functions can be accessed through the Internet through any pre-designated computer. But even with these capabilities, security personnel can't maintain an eye on each camera twenty-four hours a day. Network cameras cover this problem as well, as they are usually equipped with motion-detector technology as a standard feature. This means the camera will only record when something is moving on-screen, making review of the footage far easier and saving disk space. It can also be arranged that security personnel are notified by email or SMS when movement is taking place in a certain area.
Installing the IP Camera System in Your Store
While the latest technology in surveillance offers many advantages in convenience and safety, a great amount of thought and care still needs to be taken to make sure the cameras in a shopping mall are well laid out, in order to minimize blind spots and target areas with a high risk of criminal activity.
It's most important that cameras cover every entrance and exit of the store, as well as hallways and pathways to and from other businesses. Areas in which high levels of activity take place over a wide area may have to be covered by more than one camera, as criminals may become aware of blind spots in the cameras vision and target these areas.
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