Feature

Protecting IP Surveillance Cameras

(DITEK Surge Protection)


As intelligent, networked IP cameras become the industry standard, protecting them from damage and downtime has become a crucial part of any security system. IP cameras can deliver constant analytic information such as the routes customers take through a store, in addition to providing the round-the-clock surveillance necessary for protecting your business. Should an electrical surge event occur, unprotected cameras can easily become damaged and require maintenance or replacement, which is costly both in price and in downtime of critical systems. It is more necessary than ever to safeguard the consistent functionality of your IP cameras by installing surge protection.

Analog cameras require separate functionality – a standalone system often managed outside of an established business network. IP cameras can communicate over your primary data network, and can easily integrate with other systems. This provides faster, simpler connectivity and higher performance, but also comes with higher risk. A surge event at one of your IP cameras – often outside and exposed to weather – can be introduced into your entire network, damaging or even destroying other systems and devices. Surge protection for your cameras has become essential risk prevention for your security system.

Downtime on your system is a huge security risk. With IP cameras more able to cover large areas and process data, fewer cameras are required on a modern surveillance system to achieve good coverage. Downtime on any individual camera could therefore leave larger areas without coverage and present more of a threat to your system’s functionality. A surge event that causes even a single IP camera to go down could present incalculable loss and possible risk to your business. It is more important than ever to ensure protection from surge events on every individual device on your network, and prevent a catastrophic event, like a lightning strike, from damaging additional parts of your system.

IP cameras provide a wide range of functions beyond video surveillance to protect your business and provide higher return on investment (ROI). Today’s best-in-breed devices can track customer behaviors, perform facial recognition, and allow managers to watch sales and provide customer service in real time. With more functionality on individual cameras, losses are costlier if they are damaged in a surge event. Should a camera go down, your business is losing more than video data – you are losing the real-time ability to optimize and grow. To prevent loss of important functionality, always have surge protection on your cameras and switches.

IP cameras are often the most exposed part of your surveillance system because many are installed outdoors and exposed to weather. Though lightning strikes are not the most common instigator of surge events as imagined by most people, outdoor IP cameras are often equipped with metal housings and are in much more danger of conducting a surge to your network than other devices. Surge protectors should consider required protection when installing an outdoor IP camera.

Surge protectors are designed to be cost-effective ways to protect your IP cameras. Self-restoring devices keep the surge protectors functional after a surge event, and most are designed to survive several power surges. Should a surge protector be destroyed in a surge event, it is simpler and far less costly to replace than an expensive IP camera. Most surges are not caused by lightning strikes – more often, surges are created from nearby or even from within the facility such as when a large HVAC system kicks on. Surge protection should be considered a simple preventative measure, necessary to protect your cameras – and as such, your entire business – from these surge events.

As a business incurs risk, liability, and costly downtime should its surveillance system go down, it is crucial to protect these devices from damaging surge events. Modern IP cameras that are networked to your system present a high risk should they not have proper surge protection. When installing IP cameras onto your security system, the addition of surge protectors should be considered an essential feature to protect your business.

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