Avoid the pitfalls

How a remotely monitored CCTV solution is installed and maintained can be just as critical for the effectiveness of remotely monitored CCTV as what actually goes on in the control centre itself.

At the end of the day, it is no good having the most up-to-date transmission equipment, or highly trained operators at the RVRC, if the installation itself is not up to scratch. The bottom line is that a weakness in one element will have a knock-on effect on all of the others.

Thankfully, the introduction of BS 8418, the standard for detector activated CCTV, has raised the bar for everyone, highlighting all the pieces of the jigsaw that go towards a successful solution. There can no longer be any excuses for not being aware of the bigger picture!

From the perspective of someone who has been involved in running an RVRC (Remote Video Response Centre) for over ten years now, some of the most common pitfalls which can cause headaches, and the steps can be taken to avoid them, include:

Designs on detection

With detector activated CCTV, the positioning and configuration of detectors, as the frontline of this whole approach to security, is fundamental to its successful operation – a fact recognised in BS 8418. We are constantly amazed by the unsuitable positions detectors have been placed in, probably the worst being next to some steam vents!

To build the foundations of an effective system it is imperative that installers, when risk assessing a site – before they do anything else – identify where detectors are required and how they are going to detect unauthorised intruders.

From wildlife to traffic reports

Wildlife certainly needs to be taken into account when setting-up detectors. It is amazing how often cats, dogs and even rabbits can be picked up if detectors are too sensitive. About 20 per cent of our activations are caused in this way and, on sites where this is not handled correctly, the figure is likely to be much higher. The remedy to the activations caused by our furry friends really lies with installers adjusting the height or sensitivity of detectors – one favoured solution is simply to mask the lower area of a detector – so wildlife is not a factor in the first place.

It is amazing how often cats, dogs and even rabbits can be picked up if detectors are too sensitive

Of course it is not just the natural world which can figure highly in unnecessary alarms, sadly even traffic on roads, or pedestrians on footpaths adjacent to sites can act as an unwanted trigger. This can happen if a PIR detector is installed facing outwards with the area of detection extending past the main gate; a beam across the gate may be more appropriate. The BS 8418 standard also recognises the problems which can result from the range of detectors over-spilling the site boundary and suggests that “where possible detectors should be positioned facing inwards”.

Where’s the incident?

Given that incidents need to be assessed visually, it is imperative that all the areas of detection are visible to a camera on a system and entry/exit routes are covered effectively. It should be possible to tell immediately at the RVRC which detector it is. The last thing anyone wants is for the RVRC operator to think that there is no visible cause for an incident, when in fact it is all down to poor camera positioning. A configuration where the PIR detector is under a camera is far from ideal. The likelihood is that this will not match the field of view of the camera. A really smart criminal would probably just walk under the camera and PIR detector, the detector would go off but camera would not pick him up!

With PTZ cameras becoming ever more common on site, presets need to be implemented so they can be treated for all intents and purposes as multi-position fixed cameras. Each preset then, as highlighted in BS 8418, requires a separate detector indication, feeding back individually to the control equipment. Care should also be taken that presets are in the correct positions.

The size of the camera field of view also needs to be considered; if there are too few cameras then the temptation may be to make them cover a very wide area. The danger here of course is that it will not be possible to verify a human target, never mind recognise one.

At the end of the day it is all about ensuring that nothing is missed and an effective assessment can be made of what the cause of a particular incident is. There is nothing more frustrating than knowing something is happening but it is just outside the range of the cameras!

An illuminating experience

Lighting conditions can be a major issue for detector activated as for any other type of CCTV, the BS 8418:2003 Code of Practice recommending that “there should be sufficient lights on site to illuminate the camera’s field of view”. The reality is that on a typical site at night there is going to be a considerable variation in light levels, with the frontage as the public face tending to be illuminated most, whilst in comparison areas at the back are prone to neglect, in the worst examples being pitch black.

We find that about one in ten of our activations are caused by the customers themselves!

Clearly having a high percentage of a site in darkness is far from ideal, BS 8418 expresses this in practical terms noting that, “it should be possible within two seconds of display of a complete picture at the RVRC for an RVRC operator to verify the presence or not of a human form 1.6m high occupying not less than 10 per cent of picture height during day and night conditions”.

Too much light in the wrong place can also be a bad thing, particularly if that light is shining directly at a camera blinding it, so care should be taken at the installation stage to ensure this does not happen.

From our point of view it is better if the lights themselves do not incorporate PIRs so the main drivers of illumination are the PIR detectors used as part of the remotely monitored CCTV solution. Duplication of detectors is a recipe for confusion, as those associated with the cameras may pick something up but the lights will simply not come on because the intruder is outside the range of its PIR. The result is an activation which we would be unable to verify because the scene is not illuminated.

In practical terms, it is much better to have control over the lights so there is illumination at the right level when it is actually required. Ideally the on-site transmission equipment should be able to drive a relay which can turn lights on for five minutes on command or when there is an alarm. The Code of Practice states that it “might be desirable for the RVRC operator to control lighting on the site”. The latter can act as a deterrent for intruders in addition to other measures such as an audio warning. The best transmission systems should also offer the potential for a manager to turn lights on remotely. We actually have one customer who does this when he is literally on the other side of the world!

The cost of illuminating an extensive site overnight can be prohibitive so it definitely makes sense in terms of the customer’s bottom line that the ability to turn lights on and off is built-in from the very start.

Weathering the storm

As we are all too aware, the good old British weather presents its own unique challenges. There are some things which we just have to put up with, but others can be readily countered with a bit of care and attention.

Customers need to be encouraged to keep sites as tidy as possible and trees under control. Polythene sheeting covering timber, blowing around in the wind can set-off beams triggering constant activations, as too can overgrown foliage. One of the worst examples of an environmental false alarm in my experience was caused by a piece of unsecured tarpaulin flying around a yard, setting off one detector after another as it swirled around in the wind.

Customers need to be encouraged to keep sites as tidy as possible and trees under control

In the case of sunlight, alarms can be caused due to incorrect detector positioning – installers need to make sure they are not looking across an area in an east-west plane. This tends to be brought into sharp relief over a weekend, when a site may be closed for business, with monitoring happening around the clock. It can often be difficult to actually verify that it is sunlight, but we know from experience that from 10 am to 6 pm it causes a high percentage of activations where there appears to be no visible cause. The solution which many RVRCs seem to adopt is to take a particular detector out of the system completely; we take a more considered approach, ignoring it when it is likely to be affected by the sun but making sure it is still there when it is needed most overnight.

At the end of the day the knowledge which we as operators have of a site can be invaluable in coping with changing weather conditions, whether sun or wind, as patterns emerge and we tend to learn which sites are likely to dial through. Information which we can then feedback to installers so remedial action can be taken.

Customer care

When it comes to site operational procedures, there needs to be clarity, especially setting and unsetting of the detector activated CCTV system. Where setting and unsetting occurs within a secure area, which many end users prefer, they will be given an entry route and time. Sadly a considerable number of activations occur when they fail to follow these procedures. It is important that everyone is aware of this, otherwise things are not going to run smoothly with staff coming back unannounced out of hours – we find that about one in ten of our activations are caused by the customers themselves!

Communicating change

Once a site is fully operational communication is key; installers for their part need to make sure that any changes to cameras and detectors are passed on to the RVRC, so that for example a reference image held for a camera is correct and that the field of view covers that for an associated detector.

A remote future

If the common pitfalls can be avoided at the installation stage, remote CCTV monitoring has the potential to offer an extremely effective security solution for sites of all sizes. Certainly with the introduction of BS 8418:2003, supported by the police and insurers – and a dramatic reduction in cost – interest in this type of ‘intelligent’ CCTV solution has never been greater.