How do you know when it's time to go digital?

Jun 1, 2000 12:00 PM, Charlie R. Pierce

Today is a day just like any other day. The phone is ringing off the hook, the bean counters have cut your budget, at least one person on your staff has called in sick, and you haven't been able to get in five minutes to yourself in the past three hours. So ... is this the day to "go digital" with your video security system?

If you are looking around at all of the various available products and thinking about updating your CCTV system to digital, then you're ready to take the first step. Through this article and others in the coming months, we will cover each step in the process of going digital. From how to decide if the time is right to the last moves, we will discuss how to choose equipment, how to avoid the potential pitfalls.

Before going digital, consider a few common sense rules:

Rule 1: Don't hurry. Even if you have a "use it or lose it" budget and the deadline is next month ... don't rush! You don't need to purchase the first system that you look at. You don't need to let yourself be pressured. You have time, if you use it properly. Patience today will save you money and time later.

Rule 2: Plan, plan, plan and think. Now is the time to take a look at your existing system and think about everything that it doesn't do or hasn't done for you in the past. Are all of your cameras providing the images you require for security, both day and night? If not, let's make part of your plan to relocate and/or upgrade the cameras. Are there parts of your current CCTV system that you can modify to be automated? Do you have the proper interface detection devices in place to allow automation? Are you thinking about door contacts, photo-beams, passive IR motion detectors, video motion detection, 3D video motion detection? If any of these creep into your plan, then we must plan to work with the wiring and interface needs. What part or parts of your security video system do you need or want to update? Cameras? Recording devices? Multiplexers or switchers? Controlling systems? Is there a product available that can circumvent multiple points of your operations simultaneously? Can a digital product replace your recording system as well as your switching or multiplexing system? Would you want it to?

Rule 3: Investigate, compare and demonstrate. If you have ever owned or known someone that has owned an eight-track, quadrasonic stereo, or a Beta video recorder, then you know the value of patience and comparison. Not all of the various "digital" CCTV products popping-up will fall into the same debunked, satirized, antique category. But a warning: Many will fall by the wayside in a fairly short time. Buyer beware!

Investigation includes taking a good look at the manufacturer of the equipment you are thinking of investing in. Remember, the salesperson is seldom a representative of the manufacturer. Most often, the saleperson is a secondary or even third position subcontractor in the chain between you and the manufacturer. In the end, you can change security companies any time you want, but it is difficult to change equipment. Investigate the source and know who your future partner in CCTV really is. Once narrowed down to two or three potentials, ask for a live demonstration. In the end, you will end up with the cream of the crop for comparison purposes.

Rule 4: Purchase proven technology from reputable manufacturers. Do some research on the manufacturer you are purchasing from. Does it support past products that are no longer in production, either from the perspective of parts and/or technical labor? If so, how far back? You don't want to invest into something today, only to find yourself holding an eight-track in a year or two that has no technical support or replacement parts. It is important that the manufacturer you are going to purchase from has a reputation for standing behind its products an average of five years or more after the product is removed from production.

Rule 5: Learn the language of the industry you are buying into. Do you know what "streaming video" is? Have you ever worked with "J-peg" or "AVI" files? Do you understand the concepts involved in "frame grabbing"? Do you know the difference between a floppy disk, CD-ROM, DVD, hard drive or DAT?

With your first step into digital arena, you are entering the world of computers. You should prepare as if you were about to go on an extended visit to a country that speaks another language. You either need to learn the language and customs of the area or hire a guide for the duration. I know personally the possible frustration. Over the past six years, I have spent in excess of $350,000 to upgrade our computer systems and still can't have a simple conversation from my PC to one of my offices in another state. If you do plan to hire a consultant, do not hire someone solely based on a friend's recommendation. Do not hire someone without investigating past employers. Do not hire someone who has never been in the security industry. You will get burned!

Every manufacturer in the security industry says it has the best and hottest method of digital recording, transmission, and/or management available. In the end, who are you to believe?

Don't be afraid to get three opinions. I learned this valuable lesson in India many years ago. We were driving on a country road. No road signs, no maps and a three-way intersection with no markings. My friend asked a man walking for directions. The man gave what appeared to be excellent and detailed directions. We drove 100 yards and asked another man. He also gave good directions. We drove another 100 yards and asked a third man for directions. The first man gave very good directions. But, sometimes, people give directions to impress someone that they know what they are talking about. The second man's directions did not match the first man's directions completely. The third man's directions matched the second man's and so we were off. We ended up where we were going. Ask the first, check with the second, and verify through the third. A bit cumbersome, but in the end, you will get where you are going.

Rule 6: Document everything: The one thing that has saved me on more than one occasion is that I keep - and insist that my employees keep - impeccable records in a world that seems to think that the job is done once a person is hired. From the get-go, you should start a daily diary. Your diary should be a living documentation of the various people you speak to. It should include times, dates and overviews of conversations, promises and comments. It should also include various definitions that you learn along the way. It is a common and accepted tradition that most extremely busy and successful men and women keep living "to-do" lists. However, it is equally common that the same people document business transactions poorly. Documentation while upgrading to digital will be your life's blood. If you try to remember conversations, facts, statistics, equipment model numbers, definitions, etc. ... you will go mad. Document everything. Write down the date and time and person that you had the conversation with. Write down the model numbers of equipment discussed. Write down the pros and cons of the equipment discussed. Write down technical definitions. When you finally purchase equipment, document the model and serial numbers of the equipment. Document which location(s) it is installed into or stored at. Learn to cross-catalog your notes so that you can find the smallest piece of information by date, person, model, definition any time you need it. Keep all product brochures and make notes about where to locate the information that you learned and from whom you learned it when you received the brochure.

The process of documenting and creating a paper trail of your digital upgrade path could save you several tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars. It will definitely help you sleep at night because your mind won't be trying to keep track of all the facts. I am confident that you will also find that good documentation will insure that your net result is exactly what you want. The good news is that when it is all over, if you have kept good notes along the way, you will be able to whip out a best seller on the pains of upgrading or going digital in the industrial CCTV industry!

Well here we are. Back to the initial question. When are you ready to go digital in CCTV? I don't know. But if you follow the six rules listed above, you are well on your way to improving your CCTV system (not to mention everything else in your security plan). The next article will approach and define the language you need to know in your quest for digital CCTV.

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© 2008 Penton Media Inc.

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