"Why Remote Video Verification Makes All the Difference" - Xtralis

"Most people understand the basic premise of the intruder alarm system: detectors are strategically positioned in a building, with door contacts and a control panel that are usually connected to internal and external sirens on site, and then are connected via a standard telephone line to a Central Monitoring Station (CMS). Most customers are under the illusion that this protects their premises, but in reality it doesn't make the doors any stronger or the windows any tougher, they still break when struck. Nothing actually stops the intruder from getting into the building other than deterring them with the promise of a response. 

An intruder alarm system is really just designed to detect an intruder AFTER they have broken into the premises and at best will limit the time an intruder spends on the premises since they know the authorities have been notified. In a single sentence, an intruder alarm system is 'designed to limit loss.'

False alarms can and do happen, and oftentimes the primary causes of false alarms are actually quite simple. It boils down to poorly designed and installed security systems or human operating error. Even something as harmless as the positioning of an advertising module or display near a ventilation outlet may result in a false alarm when it moves in the air currents. A 'break-in' might actually be nothing more than a display that tips over and triggers the alarm. And while CCTV is great for recording what happens as evidence in the event of a break-in (or for things like parking lot surveillance), if the intruder is wearing a mask or a cap and their face cannot be identified all you really have is a recording of the loss.

However, remote video verification from a centralized monitoring location can help protect a building AND better account for real and false alarms. A remote off-site video verification system includes a detection device that covers the same field of view as the CCTV camera. The cameras and detectors are connected to an ADPRO transmitter. The ADPRO system is then connected to the customer's public address system or an amplifier with speakers sited eternally around the premises. On site the customer has complete control of the CCTV system as an onsite surveillance system. The difference is that when the customer vacates the premises and arms the intruder alarm they also arm the ADPRO system.

If an intruder approaches the building, when they enter the field of view of the camera, the ADPRO system 'grabs' three frames of video from that camera at 1-second intervals and dials through to the Central Monitoring System. In the Control Room the attending operator receives these three frames of video on a single Quad screen along with a fourth video image that replays all three frames of video in a video loop, to ensure that the operator can clearly determine what generated the alarm. This way the operator knows if the alarm is actually something that needs to be addressed, or if it's just a false alarm. The operator can then switch to live video from that camera of select any camera to view. The operator can observe someone on site, and simply use a microphone to challenge the intruder with a simple warning such as 'You in the grey jumper, you have activated a remote video alarm system please leave the site immediately!' This way the intruder knows they are being actively watched by someone!

The operator could operate any PTZ camera from the CMS and obtain a good image of the intruder prior to warning the intruder off. This may in turn be forwarded to the police for appropriate action. A customer can also control access to the site by motorizing the access gates, installing an intercom at the gates and connecting the remote outputs to the ADPRO system.

Having remote video verification allows businesses and organizations to save money. Many municipalities will issue fines for false alarms to cover the costs of dispatching police or other personnel. Video verification alerts the operator as if something that triggered the alarm is in fact an intruder, or if it is something due to human error. In some areas, having alarm verification is a requirement for a security system. Some city police departments will not respond to a building alarm unless the alarm has been verified as a 'true alarm' first. Without a verification of the alarm, the police may not respond which could leave the building vulnerable if an intruder is in-fact trying to get in. 

The success of video alarm verification has been clearly demonstrated by the installation of ADPRO products on tens of thousands of large scale commercial, industrial and government sites around the world. These installations are well-engineered, integrated solutions, comprising a variety of outdoor and/or indoor sensor technologies and a combination of CCTV and video transmission systems." 

Source: http://blog.xtralis.com/?p=120