Smaller retailers face much the same theft, shoplifting and fraud problems as larger stores and supermarkets but they may feel that they can't afford the kind of CCTV monitoring and deterrence systems widely used by their larger rivals.
Recently however, CCTV manufacturers have addressed this market by introducing smaller CCTV observation systems specifically for retail premises including shops, convenience stores, fast food outlets, building societies, car showrooms, jewellers - in fact just about any operation that deals with cash and goods of any value.
A good example is the latest Eazeo CCTV observation system from Bosch Security Systems, which allows smaller retailers to enjoy the benefits of continuous digital recording from multiple cameras with the same sophisticated features such as alarms and motion detection etc that larger retail operations enjoy.
The Eazeo is a complete all-in-one surveillance solution that allows monitoring of up to 8 cameras in colour or B/W with optional digital recording to hard disk. It can be easily expanded to include door entry and door control with intercom, remote monitoring allowing viewing of premises or checking of alarms from home, remote alarm alerts via a network, the Internet or mobile phone and lots more.
Despite being designed to operate right out of the box, Eazeo provides a powerful CCTV solution that can guard premises night and day. For example, its built-in motion detection can detect motion in selected zones and automatically start recording and trigger alerts during the day e.g. when a customer enters the premise or deliveries are made. It also allows premises to be guarded day and night - any motion at night or weekends when premises should be vacant is automatically recorded and alarms raised. The system can automatically switch from normal recording during the day to night-time operation with alarms etc to provide cost effective round the clock security.
With a till interface, Eazeo can also automatically monitor transactions from multiple tills and record both video and the actual transactions, making staff fraud much easier to detect and prevent. Similarly it can automatically record and alert staff whenever a door is opened or someone enters the premises, acting as a safeguard for staff and helping prevent theft and shoplifting.
Up to 8 cameras allows most parts of the premises including entrances, shopping areas, shelves, tills, store rooms and car parks to be monitored and the video either continuously or selectively recorded to a hard disk for storage and archiving. The system can be set to record any or all cameras continuously at normal resolution, or just those cameras which detect movement or alarms in high resolution - such as when an alarm is activated someone entering the shop, till transactions, movement, doors being opened or staff alarm buttons activated.
According to Bosch Security Systems, the system is ideal for deterring shop lifting as well as staff fraud and has the additional advantage of providing staff with the comfort of knowing that the CCTV system is always ready to capture any incidents such as violence against staff etc to make detection identification and prosecution more effective.
There's a wide choice of cameras including colour as well as monochrome for higher sensitivity in low light such as outdoor car parks plus covert cameras and rugged outdoor housings. The system is also highly expandable with accessories such as a weatherproof Intercom unit for easy door-entry control, plus action boxes to open doors or gates if required, making it the perfect solution for door entry control.
Events or alarm video can be sent locally, by mobile phone or over a network or the Internet allowing owners to check on their premises from home, or for central monitoring of remote branch outlets or franchises. The benefit for shopkeepers is that they can quickly and easily check on alarms etc while away from the premises at their premises at night or at weekends.
For deterrence, a slave monitor can be installed visibly near the entrance to alert customers to the presence of CCTV surveillance as soon as they enter, and further monitors can be installed at the till area as well or the back office.
According to Bosch, the design of the Eazeo cameras allows them to be installed up to 350m away from the main monitor unit, providing coverage of large retail sites, car parks etc very easily. And since the single cable carries both power and video signals, there's no need to run additional power cables to the cameras, making installation simple and more convenient.
When Eazeo senses an intruder, an action feature can immediately trigger other devices such as lights, sounds or alarms. Separate inputs from PIR detectors, cash registers etc can trigger automatic video recording. At the touch of an event replay button, all recent alarm events can be instantly displayed with full pre- and post-event video for easy investigation. A useful built-in snapshot facility also automatically records all door entry events so you can see who called and when, even without a video recorder.
Eazeo can also record 2 audio channels along with the video making it easy to see and hear what caused any event. Recorded images or video clips can be quickly downloaded to a PC for storage and viewing using the video recorder's built-in Compact Flash card slot.
"Eazeo is a complete system that is not only easy to set-up and use but also provides high quality video plus a host of useful features such as motion detection, alarms, digital recording, door entry control etc to meet virtually any small to medium sized requirement" said Malcolm Chadwick of Bosch Security Systems. "It's the perfect solution for retail applications requiring up to 8 cameras, and it's easy to add extra facilities such as door entry control, video recording, remote viewing etc as the situation demands."
Another major advantage of this integrated all-in-one approach is that Eazeo comes with a comprehensive 3-year warranty from a Bosch, one of the world's largest CCTV manufacturers. It's not a mix and match system with parts from different suppliers all requiring separate warranties and servicing arrangements.
