Choosing the Right Camera for the Right LP Application

When loss prevention is your ultimate goal for deploying network cameras, you can’t treat all parts of your store the same.

Like a chess master on the attack or an NFL general manager drafting a team, you must identify your vulnerabilities, select the best available option and leverage your individual skills to maximize success.

The camera features best-suited for mitigating slip-and-fall claims differ widely from those needed to detect sweethearting deals in the checkout line, so I suggest a modular, customized approach when selecting network cameras.

Merchandise floor
This is the workhorse camera in your environment. You use it to prevent customers from potential injury and as video evidence for prosecuting shoplifters or countering false claims. Here, choose a basic camera with a good-quality image.

Necessary features:
• A variable focal length lens to capture the exact field of view desired, including close-up coverage of high-end merchandise areas.

• Power over Ethernet to simplify installation and reduce cabling costs.

Surplus features:
• Auto-iris feature is rarely needed since the cameras sit in a fixed lighting environment.

• Megapixel resolution isn’t necessary since standard resolution for network cameras is 800 x 600 pixels.

Checkout/returns
Network cameras on the front lanes are used to combat theft and fraud. Whether it’s employees sweethearting or customers check-kiting or using fraudulent credit cards, you need to capture transaction details and catch subtle slight-of-hand.

Necessary features:
• HDTV resolution for a crisp overview of the entire area and after-the-fact image enlargement for forensic searches. One HDTV camera can replace multiple lower resolution cameras – helping to mitigate the cost of this technology – or small form factor HDTV cameras can be used above each lane to capture transactions.

• Multi-streaming technology allows the field of view from one camera to be divided into multiple discrete, user-defined streams (i.e. one for each cashier/returns lane).

• Remote focus ensures sharp images.

Surplus features:
• Audio support isn’t necessary since your primary interest is to capture physical movement. Audio recording might also be prohibited or restricted by local laws.

• Auto-iris or DC-iris is rarely needed in fixed-lighting con¬ditions when the cash lanes are open.

Warehouse/stockroom
Network cameras in the stockroom face a much larger set of responsibilities. They not only play an active role in risk management – assuring the safety of employees and vendors – but also in theft prevention and compliancy with store policies. Ever-changing lighting conditions in the warehouse – from dark corners to bright sunlight streaming in from opened bay doors – require cameras with illumination sensitivity and fast-acting, accurate iris control. Here is a good place to use a ‘fully loaded’ network camera.

Necessary features:
• A wide dynamic range image sensor is essential for handling variable lighting conditions because it balances the contrasts of shadows and overly bright backlighting to reveal foreground and background detail.

• Intelligent onboard audio and camera tampering alarms trigger alerts and auto-tag recordings when a sound exceeds a certain threshold or the camera lens is blocked – perfect for after-hours.

• HDTV cameras help you capture a wider field of view with fewer cameras, especially if the warehouse is a large space.

• I/O ports that enable connection to the contact closure alarms on bay doors work with onboard intelligence to create event tags that identify specific incidents in lieu of searching through hours of video.

To maximize your surveillance dollars, consider advanced H.264 compression for every LP application. After being prudent with camera selection, why drain your budget on bandwidth and storage costs?

Rather than pay for more than you need, work closely with your surveillance integrator to select the features that best fit your store’s needs. Remember: Not every feature is necessary for every location.