News

If you have an analogue CCTV system which is not performing, don’t feel you need to rip everything out and start again, a new technology is breathing life into old CCTV systems without having to undertake costly infrastructure work.

In the UK there are many hundreds of thousands of existing CCTV installations, many of which are frankly unfit for purpose. Every week the police release footage of a pixilated blob or blobs attacking another pixilated blob, asking if you can identify any of the pixilated blobs in the image.

The reason why this footage is often so poor is that older Standard Definition (SD) analogue cameras are recording to a small hard disk meaning the images are compressed, reducing quality even further, and over time the cameras degrade or are not serviced correctly – it’s surprising there’s a recorded image at all!

Technology has moved on significantly in the past few years, and CCTV cameras are now High Definition (HD), Hard Disks are getting substantially larger to accommodate these HD images with little degradation, and even IR lighting has improved.

If you have an existing CCTV system in place, you may be looking to upgrade to High Definition but are put off by the cost. This is usually because there is a misconception that the only way to upgrade to HD is to rip out the whole system and replace it with an IP solution, meaning the cameras, recorders, and cabling all need to be replaced, which is a costly exercise.

This is no longer the case, and there is a technology now available which allows you to upgrade your existing analogue CCTV system to HD, but keep the cost down by reusing the existing cabling and only replacing the cameras that require a HD image (remember that not every camera needs to be HD).

Many CCTV installers are now offering HD upgrades to existing system by replacing the recorder with a Hikvision Turbo HD DVR, giving you the option to simply replace your analogue SD cameras with HD versions which record at 1080p (the same resolution as your LCD TV), with the benefit of not needing to upgrade your whole system in one go. Existing cameras can be left in place and upgraded at later date if required, so you can migrate to HD quality in your own time and within budget.

Ask your CCTV installer about upgrading your CCTV system to HD using your existing cabling, and see the benefits of HD without the cost.

We’re a guest speaker at the Hikvision UK road shows in January 2015, presenting our experiences of how installers manage and maintain their large scale multi-site installations effectively using CheckMyCCTV.

The roadshow will be visiting the following venues:

January 15th 2015 – Bisham Abbey, Marlow [FULLY BOOKED]

January 16th 2015 – Brandon Hall, Coventry [FULLY BOOKED]

January 21st 2015 – Bolholt Hotel, Bury [FULLY BOOKED]

January 22nd 2015 – Mercure, Livingston

Aimed at CCTV installers, the key topics of the roadshow include:

• An introduction to Hikvision.
• The latest SMART feature set.
• The Turbo High Definition range designed for new installations and legacy upgrades.
• The iVMS 4200/5200 management systems.
• Managing and maintaining multi-site installations using CheckMyCCTV.
• The future of Hard Disk Drives for surveillance.
• Monitoring solutions through EMCS.

Places are limited so please book your place today using the form below.

Registration form

[si-contact-form form=’8′]

Following the successful launch of their CCTV Sentry health checking service,  EMCS, one of the UKs largest independent monitoring stations, has extended the service to cater for customers with unmonitored CCTV installations.

EMCS identified that faulty CCTV systems or network outages could impact the effectiveness of their monitoring service, as well as leaving their customers at risk.

CCTV Sentry was introduced by EMCS to help ensure the connections to their customers’ CCTV systems are operational 24/7 and the system is working as expected.

Mark Hewerdine, CCTV Manager at EMCS comments “As a reputable monitoring station, EMCS have to know that the CCTV equipment installed at a site is operating correctly, as a faulty or incorrectly configured CCTV system could mean the difference between an alarm activation being handled effectively or not”

“Our CCTV Sentry monitoring solution allows us to check the status of each CCTV system automatically, so we know when a system has a problem as it happens rather than after an incident occurs. We inform the installer of faults so they can be resolved in a timely manner”

“CCTV Sentry is available on all the main monitored CCTV platforms such as Xtralis Adpro, Dedicated Micros, Heitel, and Videcon, and Hikvision, and is now also available as a ‘stand-alone’ service for multi-site environments where an operational CCTV system is a necessity, such as retail, logistics, education, transportation, and critical infrastructure.”

Darren Rewston, Managing Director of CheckMySystems Ltd. adds “The success of the CCTV Sentry service from EMCS is testament to their commitment to raising standards in the monitoring market. By extending this service to customers with unmonitored network attached CCTV systems, EMCS can detect and report operation issues of CCTV installations whether they are a single CCTV system, to large multi-site or multi-location installations.”    

For more information about how EMCS can monitor the status and effectiveness of your CCTV installations, contact EMCS on 0800 716 179 or sales@nullemcs.co.uk

UK based monitoring station, ASM have launched LiveCheck, a CCTV status monitoring service to ensure your CCTV systems are operating correctly 24/7. 

ASM LiveCheck automatically monitors CCTV systems for problems every hour of every day and reports issues as they happen – before they become critical.  

Speaking about the ASM LiveCheck service, Matt Edgley, Sales Director at ASM comments ‘With our LiveCheck solution we’re able to give all monitored clients the assurance that on-site CCTV systems are operating correctly by remotely monitoring the health and operation of critical functions.’

‘ASM customers do not have to rely on someone noticing that something is wrong or be exposed to the increased security risks that come with a CCTV system that’s not in 100% good health. As soon as a problem arises we will know about it and, if we cannot fix the issue remotely, immediately recommend an engineer visit to solve the problem.’

Darren Rewston, Managing Director of CheckMySystems comments ‘ASM LiveCheck is a great example of how ASM is providing their customers with innovative services to ensure their CCTV is operational 24/7. After all, if the CCTV system is faulty, it is possible that a critical alarm is not sent to the monitoring station, leaving sites with an increased security risk’.

ASM LiveCheck performs a number of system checks every hour to identify issues such as Connection problems, Camera Failures, Recording Issues, Hard disk failures, Time accuracy, and more.

To find out more about ASM LiveCheck, visit ASM at www.asmuk.net or call 0333 888 4038

We are delighted to announce integration with CCTV products from Merit LILIN, one of the worlds leading CCTV manufacturers.

By joining Merit LILIN’s Software Alliance Partnership programme, we have received specialist technical support allowing us to integrate Merit LILIN DVR and NVR products into CheckMyCCTV in record time.

Installers of Merit LILIN systems can now offer automated remote system checks as part of their service contracts to ensure the integrity of their customers’ CCTV systems 24/7 rather than only on maintenance visits.

CheckMyCCTV is already used to monitor the status of thousands of remote CCTV systems 24/7 as part of their installers’ proactive maintenance solution. Drop us an email at info@nullcheckmysystems.com for more information about CheckMyCCTV and how it is helping installers attract and retain business and increase their margins.

Remote Video Response – a CheckMyCCTV Monitoring Partner – have launched their new ‘Wrap Deal’ which includes a quality Interlogix DVR, Detectors, Monitoring, and CheckMyCCTV status monitoring with no capital outlay.

In today’s competitive market, Installers want technology that is quick and easy to install, that satisfies their customers’ needs, and maximises their financial returns.

By adding CheckMyCCTV 24/7 status monitoring into the package, Remote Video Response also monitors the status of the installation and alert the installer to faults and operational issues as they occur, offering the reassurance that the installation is operating correctly at all times.

Remote Video Response are an NSI Gold approved company with a proven track record in CCTV monitoring, and with best-in-class partners help maintain their exceptional levels of quality and service.

Colin Walters, General Manager of Remote Video Response commented “launching this wrap deal with CheckMyCCTV included demonstrates without limits, our commitment to providing cost effective and innovative solutions to our customers.”

Darren Rewston, Managing Director of CheckMySystems Ltd. adds “Remote Video Response were one of the first CheckMyCCTV Monitoring Partners, recognising at an early stage that monitoring the status of remote CCTV installations is key to ensuring their service levels.”

“Including CheckMyCCTV status monitoring as part of the ‘Wrap Deal’ package, shows their commitment to ensuring not only are their customers’ sites protected, but that their CCTV is working correctly 24/7”.

To find out more about this unique package from Remote Video Response, and how it can give you a competitive edge, call them on 0844 879 1007 or email rvrsales@nullsmc-net.co.uk

We’re proud to announce our CheckMyCCTV software is a finalist in the 2014 Benchmark Innovation Awards.

We have long believed that remote CCTV checking is an essential part of maintaining the effectiveness of modern CCTV systems, and by nominating CheckMyCCTV for this award, our customers agree.

CheckMyCCTV is currently used to monitor the status of over 6,000 CCTV systems, helping to ensure they are operational every hour of every day.

At a time when CCTV end-users are demanding more from their security spend, Installers using CheckMyCCTV are raising the standard and value of their maintenance service by offering a proactive and customer focused service.

Installers who use CheckMyCCTV can view the status of their customers’ CCTV systems at any time, and are alerted to CCTV system faults or on-site issues as they happen. This allows problem sites to be proactively targeted with remote or on-site servicing when it is needed, rather than waiting for their customers’ to report issues, often after an incident has happened and it’s too late.

CheckMyCCTV is being used in many sectors including; Retail, Education, Waste Management, Local Council, Critical Infrastructure, Logistics, Food Preparation, Healthcare, and Transportation, with more systems being monitored every day.

The introduction of CheckMyCCTV Connector has further strengthened our customers’ service offering, allowing Installers to monitor their customers’ CCTV systems even if they are behind a firewall or on a corporate network.

If you provide maintenance services for customers with multi-site or remote CCTV systems, contact us to discuss how CheckMyCCTV is helping CCTV installers provide innovative maintenance solutions, and arrange a no-obligation demonstration or trial.

Phone 0161 870 6137 or email info@nullcheckmysystems.com

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