Compro IP540 PTZ network camera brings competitive edge to Japanese small businesses

Compro IP540 IP megapixel camera with 1/3 inch chip

Introduction

 

Japan is not only known for its creative products and love of sushi. In Tokyo alone, there are approximately 160,000 restaurants and dozens of supermarket chains. It goes without saying that competition is fierce, and many small businesses are trying to improve operation efficiency and customer service by adopting new technologies.

 

Customer satisfaction is instrumental to improving the bottom line of restaurants and supermarkets. As more often than not, the amount involved in each transaction and profit margin are small, and profitability relies heavily on the repeated business from regular customers. In a bad economy, their ability to maintain high customer satisfaction and achieve a high retention rate can often make the difference between staying in the black and being pushed out of business.

 

 

Compared with other types of cameras, PTZ cameras are better-suited for small stores and restaurants, since people often move about in the stores and restaurants and fixed cameras simply don’t have the flexibility to pan and tilt when people of interest move outside of camera coverage. The Japanese has had its own flavour of PTZ network cameras before. PTZ network cameras from leading Japanese manufacturers are popular choices for many security projects. But once the economy makes a turn for the worse, their steep price tag often makes them an expense hard to justify. Not to mention many Japanese businesses still have the stereotype of security being a cost center in lieu of a profit centre.

 

 

When Compro begins bringing its award-winning IP540 PTZ network camera to the Japanese market, it becomes an instant success. The main reason is that 1.3-megapixel Compro IP540 PTZ camera offers significant cost and performance benefits unmatched by that of any competing PTZ cameras on the Japanese market. In truth, the hardware pan / tilt design of IP540 is engineered with the same level of precision as that of its Japanese competitors.

 

The camera’s PTZ capability lets store owners remotely track suspicious objects from anywhere, and when necessary, IP540 can be set to auto-patrol the monitored site. Plus, Compro IP540 with smartConnect technology features plug-n-play installation and is easily accessible on a wide range of Internet-connected devices without any prerequisite router setup. Additionally, the camera’s 10x digital zoom feature provides users with detailed camera image.

 

 

Owing to the efforts of a local system integrator, the first batch of Compro IP540 network cameras penetrating the Japanese surveillance market are now bundled with WiMAX wireless Internet subscription that includes a WiMAX network router. The bundle package is being offered to small retail stores and restaurants. At the installation site, Compro IP540 camera connects to a WiMAX router which provides Internet connection for the network camera. The WiMAX Internet service offers up to 40 Mbps of download speed, or approximately 7 times faster than the 3G Internet service. And since the installation uses wireless Internet service, there is no need to install new telephone line for the Internet service, saving installers time and effort.

 

Three Compro IP540 PTZ network cameras were recently deployed in a small Izakaya chain in Tokyo, Japan. The owner of this Izakaya chain, a chain of restaurants serving Japanese style food and drinks, installed one IP540 PTZ camera at each of his three restaurants in Tokyo. The cameras were mounted on the ceiling, directly above the cash register in the restaurant, and were connected to the Internet via a WiMAX network router.

 

These Compro cameras were used to monitor and keep track of everything going in out of the cash register. Compro IP540 supports 1.3-megapixel resolution, meaning it can capture clear images of the bills being presented to the cashier, and therefore help reduce the chance of cash register shortages. The cameras were set up to record videos to the SD card whenever a transaction takes place. Besides, the cameras enabled the restaurant owner to watch live videos of how the guests are being served in all three restaurants on his smartphone, thus helping the chain deliver a better customer service experience.

 

 

A ramen restaurant chain in Tokyo installed a total of three Compro IP540 PTZ Day/Night network cameras to safeguard its three restaurants in the city. Each of the cameras was ceiling mounted and was connected to a WiMAX network router mounted next to the camera. The aim of installing Compro network cameras was to provide round-the-clock surveillance at all three restaurants. During business hours, the cameras monitored activities in the three restaurants. And at nighttime when the restaurants were closed, the cameras kept a watchful eye on the restaurants for the owner and recorded videos of detected movements to SD card, so should thieves ever break in at night, clear suspect images can be captured.

 

Compro IP540 PTZ network camera supports true Day/Night functionality with an array of built-in IR illuminators and auto-controlled IR-cut filter, which is why the chain owner selected IP540 for surveillance. Now thanks to the security enhancement, the owner of the ramen chain can check in on all three restaurants in Tokyo using web browser on PC from wherever he is. The owner also used a camera viewer app on his smartphone to monitor the chain restaurant on the move. Moreover, since IP540 offers flexible viewing angle and 1.3-megapixel resolution, the owner can see everything in the restaurants in vivid detail anytime, anywhere.

 

 

A fish store chain in Tokyo recently installed three Compro IP540 PTZ Day/Night network cameras in an effort to beef up the anti-theft measures in its three stores. Besides being used to help reduce store theft loss, these Compro PTZ cameras were also helping store managers respond to unexpected incident in the stores. Each of the three PTZ cameras was wall mounted to keep an eye on the open chillers in the three stores, and each of them connected to the Internet via a WiMAX network router mounted alongside the camera.

 

The chain owner was using the new cameras to see the live video of the three stores from his tablet computer, and by using a quad-view mode provided by his surveillance software, he was able to monitor the comings and goings of customers at all of his stores. The hardware pan/tilt capability of Compro IP540 allows store managers to follow suspicious people to wherever they are in the stores. The owner can also set up IP540 to auto-patrol the stores when needed. In addition, the camera’s intuitive browser interface cut down the owner’s learning time and ensured smooth operation of the cameras.

 

 

Today, technology plays a big role in all lines of business. Those willing to invest in surveillance technology today will be better positioned to compete tomorrow. Meanwhile, Compro IP540 network camera has much to offer and still has many potential applications beyond surveillance and security.