A video system has a lot more features than you might realize!
Our security recorders have features that can do more for you than just record. Features such as Alarm Triggers.
Do you realize that you can connect your alarm control panel to your recorder? Program into the alarm input, set it up to send you a notification on the alarm. This will be independent from your alarm monitoring central station. Now you can find out what caused the alarm, see how long it takes for responders to arrive, and how effective they are on arrival. You can verify the accuracy of official reports and make sure what actually happened is reflected in the reports. There will be no “He said, she said” when you have it on video. This ability will also allow you to make sure they don’t add to the losses. Does the central station respond quickly? How long did it take for them to turn in the alarm? You will have total verification of everything. Did your employee arrive promptly? Also, if you are getting false alarms, you will be able to see if there was something going on environmentally that can cause a false alarm. A storm, lightning, heavy winds, rats are a few things that don’t show up when your service tech arrives. This can save a lot of grief and return calls.
What do you do when you are at home and your alarm company calls to say your fire alarm has gone off? First off, you can connect your fire alarm control panel to your recorder like your burglar alarm panel, allowing you to be immediately notified of the alarm. Then you can go on line and see what is happening at your premise. A real fire? Head on down. False alarm? You will have a head start in tracing out the point of origin. How are the responders handling the alarm? Really doing their jobs or having a party? And you can even monitor the repairman while he is doing his trouble shooting.
Using the remote control relay outputs on the recorder can allow you to do all kinds of interesting things. Have an electric gate out front? You can go online on your way home and open it before you get in the driveway, also making sure nobody is lurking around waiting for your arrival. If there is, you can use a second relay output to trigger a siren to frighten them off.
Do you have an access control system? Well, your video system can act like one. No, you can’t control 14 doors, but you can control one with your DVR. A person wanting access can call you, you verify who they are, and open the door for them. You will also have video evidence of who they were and when they arrived, when they left and what they did while they were there. You can connect a motion detector to the alarm input. The recorder will trip the alarm relay output which can both open the door automatically and notify you.
Even simple duties, like turning lights off and on remotely, to make your house look more lived in. Also, most of our recorders support audio, so you can listen in to what is going on.
I have even been told of people using these outputs to open and close powered window blinds.
Virtually any electrical device can be connected and controlled this way.
These techniques take a device that is normally considered a passive, reactive device and transform it into an active, proactive tool. Instead of just telling you what had happened, it allows you become involved directly in the activities. This is a huge step forward in security for your home and businesses. Keep in mind that these notifications go directly to you, not to a third party that then calls you. Or doesn’t. Have important equipment that has to be working all the time? You can monitor it constantly. Freezer with expensive food products? Temperature alarm connected to the recorder. You can correct the problem before expensive damage occurs. Back in the day, I had a client that coated heavy oil pipeline pipes with tar. The tar tanks had to maintain a high temp constantly or it would take days to reheat that tank, effectively closing down their operation. Problem solved. Many clients needed refrigeration equipment monitored. No problem, and the recorder can even allow you to SEE what is happening. You can even put a camera watching the thermometers. You have such total control of the situation. How long did the service tech take to get there? He billed you for 3 hours – did he actually take that long or was he playing video games on his phone? Told you he got there at 2:00AM but you don’t see him until 3:00AM? You can correct that immediately. Chances are quite good that he will not over bill you again.
Like many other tools, the applications are only limited by your imagination.
If you have a situation that requires monitoring, but you are not sure if or how you can accomplish that, give us a call. Our techs will give you options for the most effective ways for you to attain that control. Eliminating the third party response will cut down on the amount of delay in getting notification, and will guarantee that you get your message quickly and more accurately.
Control is a concept that we all want more of in our lives. Taking a tool that we think of as just being a way to see what happened and turning it into a very useful tool that gives us a greater degree of control over our lives is a very nice form of unexpected consequences. Many interesting ideas that can be implemented to your advantage, all at basically no cost over the CCTV system you already have and use. Giving you many surprising benefits that will improve your control over your life.
If you think of any other possible uses for this technology, please forward to me, so we can share with the others.
Thank you for your time and interest.