But I already have analog cameras

Ideally, surveillance in a retail environment should comprise an all-IP system with high-definition, intelligent network cameras connected to modern analytic software, and video management software (VMS). However, if you are using analog cameras, the good news is this older technology can be extended into the digital world without replacing existing cameras. Moving from analog to IP can be done in small manageable steps.

If you have working analog cameras at your store, a video encoder can allow them to be compatible with digital systems. Video encoders digitize analog signals, connecting them to a VMS software engine running on a new server. This adds intelligence to an otherwise ‘dumb’ recording system, as well as improves image quality.

If your plan is to purchase new IP cameras but cannot afford to remove and replace existing cabling, Ethernet-over-coax converters can be installed to reuse coax cable and send the IP signal from the digital camera to the new software platform.

This means retailers can retain their analog investments while benefitting from advanced analytics, better access to the video feed, and easier management of recordings until the analog system eventually dies out. When the old cameras no longer work, you only need to replace them, not the entire system.

Consider your light

Jewellery stores employ bright lights to highlight merchandise, however, reflections from glass cases can cause lower-end cameras to underexpose the scene, creating video that is too dark to be usable. To address this, retailers can install wide dynamic range (WDR) cameras. These capture two or more full-frame snapshots of the scene at different exposures—some overexposed, some underexposed, and some in the middle. The processing power in the IP camera combines multiple exposures in real time to deliver properly exposed images.

WDR cameras are also ideal for store entrances. In a scenario similar to the glare from glass cases, bright outdoor light and dimmer light inside the store results in backlit silhouettes in the video feed. These are of little use for identification. WDR cameras can handle this dynamic range and deliver usable video images. Conversely, other areas, such as back rooms and hallways, are often dimly lit. Installing special low-light IP cameras in these areas can produce high-quality colour images in near darkness.

Benefit from intelligent video

Utilizing a digital video feed can also provide jewellery retailers access to intelligent video through analytics, which turn video into a proactive tool to mitigate risks in real time, as opposed to reactive uses, such as witnessing a crime after it has occurred. Software inside the camera and VMS platform allows camera systems to think. Instead of simply recording security video, the system can, for instance, measure how many people enter and exit the store on any given day, allowing better management of staffing requirements. In addition, wait times at the checkout counter can be assessed. Retailers can also look at loitering hot spots and understand where customers and employees congregate. Loitering is often considered a pre-cursor to crime. More innocently, though, it could indicate a customer who has a question about your product. In any case, video analytics can help alert staff or security personnel to a situation requiring their attention.