NetVision1 Blog

NetVision1 recently and successfully deployed a wireless surveillance system for a mobile home park.   A notable surveillance company had attempted to put in a wireless mesh solution prior and failed miserably.   As is common, NetVision1 is called in to succeed when other companies and customer friends-of-friends fail.

I will explain our process for success with references to the mobile home park (MHP).

First of all, NetVision1 is a video networking company.   We are able to link an unlimited number of cameras and locations together and give our customers a simple user interface from which they can easily point and click to see any and all their cameras.   As soon as our customers see our iViewAnywhere application, they instantly realize that a video network is much more than a collection of surveillance cameras; it is a powerful management tool.

MHP:   Besides local management access to the surveillance system, the owner and property managers located outside the state wanted to have real-time access to the live cameras as well as to the video/audio archives.    For a video network company, this was an easy requirement to satisfy.

2.  NetVision1 spends the necessary time up front to  make sure we understand the customer’s needs/requirements.  Before we make a proposal, we go out to site, walk the property, listen to the customer, take pictures, take notes and make drawings.  We do this at no cost to the customer.   At this point, the customer realizes we are serious, professional and competent which is essential to building trust.

MHP:   The farthest point of entry into the community was 1000 feet from the office.   A wireless solution was indeed required, but there were challenges.   The mobile home park had many mature tall trees and trees are like impenetrable walls to most wireless signals.   NetVision1 discarded the wireless mesh solution as too expensive and impractical for the environment.

3.  NetVision1 performs an in depth analysis and then engineers a practical cost-effective solution.   When necessary, we collaborate with experts out side our company to find the optimum solution.   Detailed camera layouts and statement of works provided in our proposals give our customers confidence in our solutions.

MHP:   NetVision1 adopted a proven point-to-multipoint wireless technology that was cheaper and worked better than the wireless mesh configuration; in other words,  it could penetrate the trees.   That simplified the architecture and lowered the cost.   Our proposal was professional and our quote was apparently several thousand dollars less than the other company (who was not able to do what they said they could do).    The customer called seven of our previous customers to ensure we were legitimate and competent.    The accolades they received from our current customers reassured them that NetVision1 was the way to go.   The owner of the mobile home park then “fired” the other company at great expense to himself (mesh networking equipment is not cheap).

4.  NetVision1 project manages the installation.   Sometimes the solution requires the scheduling of electricians and masons, etc.  The customer expects a video network and we ensure that he or she gets it.   We create and publish a project plan; then as the project proceeds, we give the customer status updates which are very reassuring to the customer.

MHP:   Poles and electricity were specified in the proposal.   NetVision1 coordinated with the electrician to meet on property more than once to ensure the poles and electricity were installed at the right places and done to our specifications.   Face to face and direct involvement is the ONLY way to ensure a successful outcome.

5.   For the first couple of weeks after installation, there is an adjustment period  where we replace lenses and realign, refocus and remount cameras as necessary at no cost to the customer.   NetVision1 makes sure the equipment performs to expectations and the customer knows how to access and use the video network applications.     NetVision1 promises results not equipment specs.   When we are satisfied, our customers are ecstatic.

MHP:   NetVision1 worked with the ISP provider in securing reliable Internet connectivity.   We installed and configured a router to allow for external access.   Over the following days and weeks, NetVision1 remotely monitored the video network.   We went back as necessary to adjust, align and focus until the results were optimal to us and our customer.

Needless to say, our mobile home park wireless surveillance project was an unqualified success, not by our own pronouncement, but by our customer’s testimonial.   Another happy customer.

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What’s New at NetVision1.
Click-To-Talk,  Click-To-Control,  iViewCellular,  Event Notification,  Hardware & Network Monitoring – If any of those features or services could benefit you or your company, read on.

NetVision1 is a video networking company, but we are also a software development company, which allows us to bring you new features that will enable you to manage your business more effectively.   Important people no longer have the luxury of time or money to drive or fly out to sites to find out what is really going on.  These important people, i.e., you, should consider a video network to manage your business in a more efficient and cost effective way.   I’m just saying… Perhaps IBM said, “who would ever want to use an ‘X-Y position indicator for a display system’ anyway; after all, we are IBM; who should know better than we?”   The upstart Apple said, “we know better and everyone will want to use a mouse once they get their hands on it.”   The bottom line is, a video network, much like the mouse, will rapidly become an indispensible tool in managing businesses.   But I digress.

NetVision1 customers are now able to see all of their cameras at any location from any PC on the Internet using our easy-to-use iViewAnywhere application.  To understand the power and potential of having a video network, go to our website at www.netvision1.com and click on Live Demo.   If you would like a short training demo on how to use the application, click on Video Demo.

If you are a NetVision1 network customer, many new feature enhancements are made available to you free of charge.   If you are not a NetVision1 network user, please consider becoming one.  Network users are happier people.   Given their password and permission, we at NetVision1 are able to support them better, faster and easier.  We are able to view the inner-workings of their video network and correct, adjust, change, improve or “fix” any settings at their request. NetVision1   can do this remotely without having to hop into the batmobile, waste gas, waste time and waste money, just so we can push buttons on the front of a Digital Video Server (DVS).

New Features coming November 2009.

Unlimited Cameras and Locations
Instead of just “many”, NetVision1 will be able to link an unlimited number of cameras and locations together. Those of our customers with “many” locations and cameras will experience a quicker launch when logging into their video network.

Click-To-Talk
The prerequisite for this new feature is having microphones and speakers connected to NetVision1 DVS and/or IP Cameras.   Click-To-Talk is just as simple and powerful as it sounds: click mouse to talk, release to listen.  There are countless applications for this feature in operations management and security situations.  Now, you can See, Hear and Speak; no evil intended.

Click-To-Control
Not quite like using a TV remote to control the spouse, but this feature is pretty cool, none-the-less.  Click-To-Control allows a NetVision1 customer to open-close a gate or turn on-off a light.  Combine the Click-To-Talk and Click-To-Control and be able to see and talk to a person at a gate (for example) and then open or close the gate. Yeah, that is pretty cool.

New Features coming December 2009.

iViewCellular
This is what you have been waiting for! Starting December 1st, NetVision1 network users will be able to subscribe to this amazing new feature and see crystal clear, live, streaming video on their cell phones.

Event Notification
Define an event (alarm, signal or motion) and be notified with a text message to a cell phone or with an e-mail when that event takes place.   Sent with the text message and e-mail will be a link to the live video feed from the camera covering the incident.  This is a very important proactive security feature that you just can’t be without!

Hardware & Network Monitoring
If something happens to your business network, security cameras or DVRs, you will want to be notified.  In this service offering, the NetVision1 Data Center will check your video hardware and video network 24 hours a day.  In addition the data center will synchronize your DVS clock everyday; and adjust the time for daylight savings when necessary.

If you have any questions about any of NetVision1’s upcoming features and services, just give us a call at 214-245-4665. We appreciate your business.  Our next blog will be about a Wireless video applications; so check back with us soon.    www.blog.netvision1.com

akidd Uncategorized

First I want to thank all of our customers for choosing NetVision1. We will be sending you this news letter periodically, updating you on solutions to issues, upcoming enhancements and new features.

We are foremost a networking company which allows us to link an unlimited number of cameras and locations together into one secure video network. Being a networking company allows us to provide password protected user access to specific cameras and locations.

The Value of having all your locations (stores, restaurants, properties..) on a video network is that it enables you to more efficiently and effectively manage the operations of your business. Our iViewAnywhere software allows you to point-click and observe operations at any location. It’s so convenient and so powerful, it quickly becomes an indispensable business tool.

Oh sure, you can jump in your car (time, gas, money) and drive or fly to your business sites. When there, under your watchful eye, your employees will snap to attention and salute. However, the bottom line of your business is built or undermined by the business practices and the actions of your employees when you are not there. Who cares more about your business than you do? But you just can’t be everywhere at once. So, multiply yourself and be there when you can’t actually be there with a video network from NetVision1.

To survive in these adverse economic times, we have to change the way we manage our business. And we have to manage our own time more efficiently so that we can be more effective managers. Your cell phone, your computer and your car are useful tools and you “need” them, but those “can’t-live-without” devices are not capable of dramatically and fundamentally improving your business like a video network. Here are just a few of the benefits that our customers have realized with a NetVision1 video network and our exclusive iViewAnywhere software:

• Improved on-site management practices
• Reduced incidence of employee theft
(less merchandise going out the back door, 2-3%)
• Retained respectable, better behaved employees
• Taken fewer trips to remote sites
• Cleaner stores
• More efficient processes
• Better training with “examples” burned to CD’s from archived video
• Improved customer experience
• Bottom Line: more profitable stores and restaurants

NetVision1’s iViewAnywhere video network is one of those “can’t-live-without” business tools. Go to www.netvision1.com , click on “Live Demo” and think of the possibilities. Give us a call @ 214-245-4665 for more information on how to get started.

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Wireless video transmission is an elegant unobtrusive alternative to running cable whether it is out to an entrance gate, a parking lot or another building. There are many potential benefits for going wireless:
• Is quick to install with minimal disruption
• Eliminates the need for trenching and drilling
• Can be temporary or permanent
• Can be moved and reapplied with no loss of investment
• Can easily handle distances from 50 feet to several miles

Considering these benefits why wouldn’t we always use a wireless solution.
• Doesn’t eliminate all cables, a power cable is always necessary
• For short distances cabling is more cost effective
• Cable can handle greater capacity with little possibility of interference
• Cable is relatively cheap compared to wireless transmitters and receivers
• Cable is low tech and requires less knowledge and expertise to install

So Wireless is not a panacea and is not cost effective in all circumstances. However, when cabling is not practical, wireless is the way to go.

NetVision1 is a video networking company. We are able to link all of your cameras (wired or wireless) and give you access to any or all with our easy-to-use iViewAnywhere software. Whether your camera locations are across the nation or across the ocean, a camera view is just a click away.

NetVision1 can help you achieve your objectives whether they be more effective control of operations, better security or both. Give us a call at 214-245-4665 or visit our website www.netvision1.com.

akidd Uncategorized

NetVision1 IP Cameras and DVRs both have audio-in and audio-out connections, which means microphones and speakers can be added and accessed remotely from any PC on the Internet. Click-to-Talk allows the user to interrupt listening (audio-in) by clicking on the speaker (audio-out) icon below the camera live view and then talking. When the user is done speaking, he releases t he mouse click and the system goes back to listening. Simple but powerful. Accessed from any PC on the Internet!

Combine Click-to-Talk with other iViewAnywhere features like “See Gate, Open Gate”, Event Notification, Pan-Tilt-Zoom cameras and you have very powerful capabilities.

Consider the following applications:
• See, Speak and Control re: operating and monitoring a remote gate
• Monitoring zoos, malls, gardens, arenas and stores
• Security for special events, carnivals, motor pools, car lots, city streets.
• Perimeter and border patrol
• Remote ordering center for a fast food restaurants

Give NetVision1 a call at 214-245-4665 or go to our website www.netvision1.com for a video demo.

akidd Uncategorized netvision1 video gate security

Protecting Your Business 101.
First of all, if you are in business, you will be burglarized, robbed or vandalized. Let me be clear, there is a 100% chance that your business will be a target. If you have already been hit, you will be hit again. Maybe you think you have done everything possible by signing up with an alarm company and installing security cameras. But I am very sure that all you have to show for your investment is a video of criminals breaking in and taking whatever they want. Will you get your stuff back, will they be caught? Not likely. You probably feel more vulnerable, less safe and more frustrated than ever before. Just wait, with the economy in the dump, there will be a lot more competition for what you have. To protect your business, you have to be prepared and you have to act.

Create an Early Warning System
Professional hoodlums ARE prepared, even if you are not. They wear hoods, masks and gloves. They rarely work alone, they have look-outs with cell phones and getaway cars. They even cover their license plates. But time is their enemy; they want to get in, get what they want and get out as quickly as possible. To catch these “slime balls”, you need as much warning as possible, even if it is only a few seconds.

Visually Verified Response
So, if you are serious about your security and business operations, then become a NetVision1 customer. If a NetVision1 customer gets a call from an alarm company, he or she can easily look online using a PC (or cell phone!!) to see what is actually happening at his business and then determine the safest, most appropriate response.

Predators will circle their prey or lie in wait before they charge. An element of surprise is an important tactic; it reduces the time their victim has to react and to defend. So, we have to do everything in our power to be ready and to become aware, as early as possible, that something bad is about to take place.

A burglar needs transportation. So there will always be at least one car or van close by, either parked or driven around. Smart thieves will usually drive by and scope out the place before making a hit. How do they know where your business is located and whether you have anything they want, if they have never been to your place. The criminals even come inside during work hours to check things out; note the date and time of suspicious people. Your cameras WILL have recorded their face at some point in time and possibly a picture of their car. It might be the association with the car that will help you put a face on a masked criminal.

So here is what we suggest you do:
– Place weatherproof infra-red motion detectors pointing outward from your vulnerable entrances.
– Put a high resolution area camera at each entrance to catch the make and model of cars and people that patronize your business.
– Install a weatherproof license plate camera focused at a pinch-point, e.g., a driveway entrance. If you are lucky, you will get the license plate of the getaway car; either during a scouting run or during the burglary or robbery.

Outside cameras should record when activated by an infra-red motion detector. And your DVR should be able to provide you with a time-stamped motion activated recording list (it will save you hours and hours of time trying to find relevant video).

For outside motion detection, do not use the motion detection built into the cameras and DVRs; they determine motion and sensitivity by the percent of total pixels changed in the camera’s image sensor. That is fine when your environment is stable (normally indoors). But outside, there are many events that will trigger motion activated recordings, regardless of the sensitivity settings. Even when you specify certain areas of the camera’s view for motion detection, there will be many undesirable recordings. To name just a few: rain, lightening, wind (moving branches, flags and the camera itself), shadows, birds, rabbits, spiders (building a web across your lens), traffic, headlights and reflections, etc. You want to initiate a process which will catch a thief, not a moth flying around a light. False alarms and response to these alarms quickly fall prey to the boy-who-cried-wolf syndrome; first responders quit responding.

Buy High Resolution Video Surveillance Cameras
Buy quality, high resolution (not necessarily megapixel) cameras; you will never regret it. But armed with two adjectives “quality and high resolution” will not necessarily ensure that you will get a good camera. There are thousands of Chinese and South Korean companies selling cameras. The point is to know what you don’t know. So, if you don’t know cameras, go to a reputable security store that will stand behind the performance of their products. However, NetVision1’s video network, DVR and iViewAnywhere software are essential; they allow you access to your cameras from any PC and cell phone connected to the Internet.

If you are thinking cheap, buy a junk-yard dog, let it roam the premises during off-hours and hope it doesn’t eat anyone. However, there may be some liability issues with that idea; ya think?

Alarm Company
I am sure you have seen the ludicrous alarm monitoring commercials on T.V. The bad guy kicks in the door, the sound of an alarm scares him away and then a concerned security agent in a starched white shirt calls immediately to see if the potential victim is ok. The woman will also conveniently have phone close by. If you think having someone call your phone after or during an emergency situation makes you safe, sign up today.

Business owners and store managers do not live at their place of business. How does the owner or manager know if everything is ok when called. Both they and the alarm company are blind; they can’t see and they don’t know how to respond except to call the police.

95%-99% of alarms are false. If the police respond to a false alarm, chances are the business will be charged. After being woken up several times with false alarms, a store manage will most likely tell an Alarm Monitoring Agent to forget it. Criminals know this. But just to make sure, the burglars will set off alarms at a place of business they are targeting and then wait to see what the response will be. After a couple of false alarms, the police will quit showing up, and the burglars are then safe to literally steal you blind.

There is another scenario that is more dangerous than a burglary: the armed robbery. You don’t want the alarm company calling the store manager at his place of business, because if there is a call during the robbery, the criminals will then know that someone inside the store set off an alarm. A call from an Alarm Monitoring Company will endanger everyone. So, being blind is not good.

But Alarm companies can be useful tools and can help protect your business. Have alarm companies call your cell phone. Then if you get a call, you can easily look online using a PC or your cell phone to see what is happening and then determine the best response.

Call NetVision1 214-245-4665 or check out our website www.netvision1.com.

akidd Uncategorized

Remote Access Control via NetVision1’s video network. The name of this feature needs to be concise and catchy, but I can’t think of any. Let me know if you think of something

Anyway, “See Gate Open Gate” is a feature available with NetVision1’s video network. Through the eyes of a camera, this feature allows you to open-close a circuit; i.e. open-close a door, turn on-off a light. For instance, you may have a camera looking at your driveway. This feature would enable you to open and close your garage door; handy, should you leave the door open; equally handy should your daughter, son or wife forget their house key. You would be able to visually verify that the persons are indeed them and open the door; or keep it closed depending on the situation .

If you have property (a ranch, a refuge, a lodge) with a gate, this is a very useful feature. You will be able to see who is at the gate and open it remotely for any authorized person. How convenient, how great is that?

Call NetVision1, 214-245-4665, or go to their website www.netvision1.com for details.

akidd Uncategorized Open Gate Remotely

The purpose of this blog is to dispel the notion that surveillance cameras are only good for security.   The overriding purpose businesses install cameras is for “security”, whatever that means.    A common complaint is, “how does it help me to have a video of masked thieves carting off my assets”.    And how good of an investment is security cameras, if they are only needed less than 1% of the time.  You think you’re going to catch them, do ya.    Not likely.   You can,  but that is a discussion for a later time.

If   you can justify the return on your investment when a surveillance system is only used 1% of the time, then the benefits from the other 99% helping you manage operations is all gravy.

I am not saying that you can or should manage people with video surveillance cameras, I am saying that if you care about efficient operations; if you care about effective use of your time;  And, most importantly, if you care about your business’s bottom line, a video surveillance network is essential.   OK, I’ll cut to the chase.  Here are some tangible and intangible benefits that NetVision1 business customers realize when actively using a video network:

Original reason for wanting a Video Surveillance system

• The old surveillance system was partly working
• Couldn’t access cameras via the Internet
• Wanted better security
• Wanted protection against Slip n’ Fall lawsuits

Reasons for selecting NetVision1

• Easy-to-use, iViewAnywhere software
• Ability to view multiple locations at the same time
• Ability to remotely view motion-activated video from an event list
• Ability to remotely create CD of archived video from any camera
• NetVision1 owners’ personal commitment to customer satisfaction
• Significantly lower monthly fees than the other companies, like Digital Witness.

Realized benefits from having and using a video surveillance network from NetVision1

• Much less merchandise walking out the back door
• Fewer personal trips to remote sites are needed
• Reduced incidence of employee theft
• Retain better, more honest employees
• Cleaner stores
• More efficient processes
• Improved business practices
• Better behaved employees
• Improved customer experience
• Better oversight of operations
• Ability to create training video from archive
• Ability to restrict video access to individuals by location, camera and feature

No matter how good a tool is, its got to be easy and convenient to use OR it won’t be used at all.   Just like your Blackberry or iPhone, a video surveillance network from NetVision1 will quickly become an indispensable business tool.  Our iViewAnywhere software is convenient, powerful and easy to use;  log into your NetVision1 video network from  any PC on the Internet.   Check out our website, www.netvision1.com.

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