IP Video Surveillance Solutions for Gas Stations - By: Wes Fernley

Security is a major part of any gas station. In this day of self-service, the threat of drive-offs is unfortunately high. An IP video surveillance system using network cameras can help to mitigate the threat of drive-offs and help to protect your gas station, as well as attached convenience stores.

Protecting Your Pumps

It happens every day. A person drives up to a gas station, fills up their car and then drives off without paying. Methods such as prepay have helped lesson its occurrence, but it still happens. IP video surveillance is an excellent way to help protect your gas pumps.

Unlike traditional CCTV cameras, network cameras take digital rather than analog video. This provides higher resolution than previously available, for clearer images of cars driving in and out of your gas station. With digital imaging, video analysis software can also be used to do things such as pick out license plates, zoom in on them and take a high resolution still picture for even better clarity. Images can also be linked directly with transactions to make sorting through surveillance video easier than ever.

The presence of video cameras makes would-be drive-offs more cautious. In the event that something should occur, video surveillance allows you to easily pinpoint exactly which car was responsible with license plate information to provide the authorities. This will make it easier for you to bring any wrong-doers to justice, and deter future offenders.

Protecting Attached Convenience Stores

Many gas stations also have convenience stores attached. In many areas convenience stores are seen as prime locations for robberies, due to their often long hours, high turnover rate and large amounts of cash handling. IP video surveillance solutions can work not only for your gas pumps, but for attached convenience stores as well.

Many would be thieves will be deterred simply by the presence of video cameras. After all, no criminal wants to be caught. In the event that a robbery or other criminal act should take place, however, IP video surveillance can take real-time, high resolution video of the event. Combined with video analysis and event management software, it can also be used to automatically activate alarms, contact authorities, send out alerts to employees, managers and much more.

IP video surveillance provides a safer environment for your gas station. This is helpful for employees, as many gas station employees are very worried about security, especially those who work late night shifts. It also provides a more inviting environment for customers to your station.

Other Benefits of IP Video Surveillance for Your Gas Station

One of the great things about IP video surveillance systems is that they are easy to install. Just a couple of quick connections and you are ready to go. Initiation of an IP video surveillance system could not be simpler.

For reducing cabling needs, there are a couple of options with IP video cameras. If you do not have network cabling supplying your pumps, for example, you could go with a wireless network camera. Wireless network cameras only require power to operate considering video signals will be sent via WiFi to your station's network to provide real-time video surveillance of all goings on. Alternatively, if power is a concern but not network cabling, you can use Power over Ethernet cameras. These cameras have power provided through the network cable itself, and there is no need for a separate power supply.

Remote monitoring access is another benefit which many gas station owners find useful. Because video is sent over a network, monitoring is not limited to physical connections. Anyone from a computer is able to log into the network and monitor video feeds. Should an event occur, for example, alerts can be sent to managers and others who may not be on site, and they can simply get onto a computer or even PDA or other device and access live video feeds so they can know exactly what is going on as it happens and react accordingly.

Copyright (c) 2008 Wes Fernley

About the Author

Network camera products offer many features over traditional CCTV security cameras. They offer the ability to monitor any location - both personal and business - from a remote location via the Internet. Network camera products should be considered for any type of surveillance application

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