Protecting a restaurant is now easier with HD security cameras

Restaurants are fast-paced, low-margin businesses in a cut-throat industry where few succeed and fewer still thrive. Many factors hinder restaurant success, not even taking into account the erosion that can be caused by untrustworthy employees, fraudulent lawsuits, or eat-and-run customers. At least these factors can be reduced with a quality security camera system. As an owner or manager, you can’t always be in the restaurant 24/7. However, with the security cameras installed, the managers or owners can keep an eye on what is going on all the time from anywhere in the world. The latest security camera systems even employ the ability to view your cameras directly on a tablet, PC, laptop, iPhone, Android, BlackBerry or other PDA device from anywhere in the world with HD TV video streaming so you You can zoom in live or after the fact to really see what’s going on in your business. There are several different main styles of restaurant security camera systems, ranging from traditional CCTV cameras to high-definition MegaPixel IP cameras. Each style of system provides benefits to the restaurant owner and can offer various features and benefits. Traditional CCTV systems provide great flexibility for low-budget applications, while high-definition HDTV IP security cameras provide higher-quality video that allows live or playback video to be zoomed in, allowing homeowners to use less cameras with higher quality video.

Many security camera systems are on the market today and are available in several different system types that offer different features and quality. Traditional CCTV security cameras remain very popular for restaurant security camera installations, providing high quality video up to 720×480 resolution with excellent day and night vision and motion detection video recording. These systems are very popular for their relatively inexpensive nature, digital motion detection recording, and remote viewing capabilities (which vary by system). Traditional CCTV systems are available in PC-based systems that record to a PC with a DVR card and standalone DVR systems that have a separate video recorder and vary in price based on system features.

Newer style restaurant security camera system designs include the new HD quality IP cameras. These systems use IP-style cameras that can record at much higher resolutions (7-25 times the resolution of traditional cameras). These cameras have a built-in network card and video processor to send video directly over the network to a computer running NVR software. NVR software will allow you to record from multiple cameras in high definition, make motion detection recordings, forensically zoom in on live and pre-recorded images, and remotely view your cameras in high definition over the Internet. While slightly more expensive than traditional CCTV security camera systems, high-definition IP camera systems provide much higher video quality than CCTV cameras, so fewer cameras are needed to provide more coverage with greater detail. The cables used for these newer HD camera systems are also smaller and less expensive, making installing a camera system much easier. Only one CAT-5 network cable is needed for each IP camera, and in many cases you can run power from a PoE switch to the camera and connect the camera to the network to deliver video to your NVR recorder. With fewer cameras and lower cabling costs, HDTV security camera systems come in range for even smaller chains and restaurants. With professional-grade IP camera NVR software, multi-location restaurants can even back up video over the Internet to a home office location, where video can be easily reviewed when needed.

Whether you are looking for basic coverage of your restaurant or want to be able to see details in high definition, security cameras are a great option for your restaurant. Having cameras installed deters employees and customers, making them think twice before behaving inappropriately. With employees, having cameras in place can also help prevent them from sitting around when there’s work to be done. If something happens, remote access security cameras will allow you to access and see exactly what is happening when it happens from an iPhone, Android, Blackberry or other PC or laptop. View live video and play back pre-recorded footage remotely, allowing you to stay connected no matter what.