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The production process in the manufacturing industry is an ever-busy and never-ending cycle. Whether your company is supplying products to the public or providing manufacturing services for other companies, the many moving parts of operating the business require the use of manufacturing camera systems.
Also called a video monitoring system (VMS), the technology can be a valuable component in ensuring that all business activities are smooth, secure, and safe for everyone in the manufacturing facility. Using security cameras allows you to monitor potential criminal activities while also keeping track of production continuity and worker safety.
How to Choose the Perfect Manufacturing Video Surveillance System
Identifying the most ideal manufacturing video surveillance system for your business requires looking into different factors, such as functionality, user-friendliness, and customization of the system, among others.
Here’s what to look for in a manufacturing video surveillance system for your large industry operations
1. Type of cameras
You can connect either the modern internet protocol (IP)—also called network camera—or the traditional analog camera to your VMS to capture and send footage to video recorders.
IP cameras and analog cameras differ in several ways:
- Analog cameras are used in CCTV systems that need a local recording device to convert the CCTV footage into digital format, while IP cameras connect to a network (either locally or over the internet) to transfer the footage to the recorder.
- Both IP and analog cameras may use coax cable or wireless connections to send video to recording equipment, but wireless connections for analog cameras produce footage with lower resolutions.
- IP or network cameras turn out clearer video footage with an image resolution ranging from 1 to 5 megapixels, while their analog counterpart has a 0.5-megapixel resolution.
- IP cameras can be powered by and send data through a switch known as a PoE (Power over Ethernet), while analog cameras require separate power and data transmission mechanisms.
2. Quality
The quality of cameras used in surveillance systems can be tied to whether the cameras fall under commercial- or consumer-grade classifications. Between these two categories, superior quality is primarily associated with commercial-grade cameras because of their powerful video sensors and other structural components that work even in low light settings.
The best quality cameras are also designed to handle the toughest conditions like extreme temperatures, humidity, vibrations, etc.
3. Coverage area
The area you want your surveillance system to cover can help you determine a couple of things, such as your camera model and network type requirements.
Pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras are perfect for warehouses as they can cover large areas thanks to their pan, tilt, and zoom capabilities, while static CCTV cameras are ideal for small spaces like hallways or reception lobbies because of their fixed position.
4. Features
With the rapid pace of how technologies are advancing, the range of features of VMSs also keeps growing. Aside from providing high-resolution images, modern video surveillance systems can detect irregular activities from intruders through infrared heat signals and night vision capabilities.
Any movement within the camera’s field of vision automatically triggers an alarm and sends a copy of the recorded footage directly to a smartphone, tablet, laptop, or any other device linked to the system, giving your security team a chance to check what’s going on.
There are also cameras with video analytic capabilities. They can detect line-crossing events—or workers reaching an unsafe zone—or use facial recognition technology to identify unknown or unauthorized faces in your manufacturing facility
5. Costing
Pricing will depend on a combination of factors, including the type and number of cameras you need, the size of your business, and the features you want.
IP cameras are practically more cost-effective because you get what you pay for in terms of features. They offer network access, have higher resolutions, and provide third-party systems integrations, among others. IP camera systems also require less cable work, which can further reduce labor costs.
6. Ease of installation
Multiple cables are needed to install analog cameras. These are for video, audio, and PTZ functions. On the other hand, IP cameras need only a single cable for these functions. You may need to work with a professional to install a video surveillance system, especially if you have a large manufacturing facility with many areas to cover.
7. Access to remote troubleshooting
One of the benefits you should be getting from your VMS is remote access. Apart from remote viewing, your camera of choice should enable you to apply a fix via remote connectivity to common problems, such as when your DVR is not recording, or the camera shows a black screen.
Remote troubleshooting should be simple and quick, as you don’t want to waste any time lest your surveillance system fails to catch crucial security details
8. Customization
The more sophisticated video surveillance products and services can customize the security solutions that your manufacturing plant or factory may require. For instance, if you want your footage recordings to be hosted on your own server aside from the cloud, you can request your provider to do so through firmware or app modifications.
9. Storage
Whether you’re using analog or IP cameras, recordings of your video footage can go either in a network video recorder (NVR) or digital video recorder (DVR). NVRs receive pure digital signals from the cameras, hence having a better video quality than DVRs at the same resolution.
Hybrid video recorders (HVRs) are another option, which comes with the flexibility of having a digital input while also accepting signals from analog cameras and converting them to digital format. You should be paying attention to the amount of storage you need, especially if you plan to keep recordings for long periods.
Alternatively, cloud storage can be added on top of video recorders for more storage space and remote access to recorded video.
All Systems Go in Manufacturing
A video surveillance system is a necessary tool for manufacturing businesses, ensuring your facility’s security and your employees’ safety. So with everything running smoothly, the business is easier to manage.
Request IVC Co for a quote for large-scale video and control solutions today.
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