What Are Video Analytics?

When safeguarding your home or commercial property, ensuring the highest levels of protection are critical. While traditional video surveillance helps secure indoor and outdoor areas, new technologies, most notably data insights, heightens your security posture, potentially saving you time and money along the way. 

Known as “video analytics,” this software-based application can be added to home or commercial security systems. In addition to recording and reviewing security camera footage, this takes smart technologies to another level by separating and distinguishing between animals, humans, and vehicles.

More advanced features, such as virtual tripwires and activity zones, can also be added for smart alerts and geofencing, as well as Alarm.com Perimeter Guard incorporating loud sounds and blaring red LED lights via compatible security cameras. 

Below we’ll review this technology’s features, benefits, equipment, uses, applications, and more.

How Do Video Analytics Work?

The advent of video surveillance during the latter 20th century originated as a way for commercial businesses and law enforcement to monitor theft, burglaries, and other public safety concerns. As this technology improved, it was eventually developed for residential use.

While widespread adoption has helped property owners of all types, one small drawback has been the time-consuming process of having to scan several hours of footage to collect and save a few seconds of relevant activities, not to mention draining system memory and battery life.

Enter video analytics. This software-based application can decrease review times, as well as save memory, battery life, and most importantly, money.

Installed via any compatible smart security system, video analytics can differentiate if detected movement or motion is a human, animal, or vehicle. This saves on false notifications received via the Alarm.com app, and provides additional insight on movement patterns.

What Are The Main Benefits of Video Analytics?

As aforementioned, video analytics can help with time and budget management, but there are other convenient benefits worth noting. Upon detection, video analytics is intelligent enough to decipher the specific object movement, such as possible intruders, family pets and wildlife, or a delivery truck in front of your property.

Video analytics can also detect false notifications via noise-triggering movements—car alarms, loud vehicles, or leaves blowing around front porches, for example. It can even determine movement direction and duration.

When running security cameras on NVR technology, consider adding and controlling virtual tripwires and activity zones. These trigger specific alerts, such as indoor/outdoor lights or playing music if these predefined areas experience a breach. Should this occur, you’ll receive real-time notifications directly to your mobile device via the Alarm.com app.

These breaches can be detected to an even higher degree through the manufacturer’s Perimeter Guard add-on. This comprises flashing red lights, and loud sirens and beeps through integrated LEDs and speakers to deter trespassers.

Additionally, users can set up and control specific rules for real-time notifications via the Alarm.com app.

Video Analytics Equipment

Compatible security cameras are necessary for video analytics to work seamlessly with home security systems. These include high-resolution, Internet Protocol (IP)-based indoor, outdoor and doorbell cameras with accompanying NVRs connected via Power over Ethernet (PoE) and Wi-Fi. A reliable video management software (VMS) program is also needed to control the system’s NVR.

Types of Video Analytics

Motion Detection 

As aforementioned, motion detection works to activate and record footage only when actual movement occurs, whether you’re home or away. This technology also recognizes specific frames through analysis differentiation. Also known as pixel matching or frame referencing, it picks up any previously recorded unmatched footage.

Occupancy & People Counting

Suitable for high-traffic areas, such as retail stores and concert venues, this capability— offered via Alarm.com Business Activity Analytics—boasts a virtual tripwire at entrances/exits to calculate each time someone crosses this pre-set virtual line. You’ll also receive alerts should the amount exceed the designated occupancy number.

Heat Mapping

Transparent zones measure customer location and time spent at each display, attraction, or other area. This provides invaluable insights regarding data and other important sales and marketing information.

Crowd Gathering
Similar to occupancy and people counting, this also tracks people congregating in a specific area. While this is useful for data and insights, it can also alert if individuals are loitering in an unauthorized location.

Queue Monitoring

Ideal for applications where lines are common, this can manage queue lengths to avoid frustrations often leading to lengthy wait times.

Known as “video analytics,” this software-based application can decrease review times, as well as save memory, battery life, and most importantly, money. 

Video Analytics Use Cases

Residential Properties

As aforementioned, video analytics can be used for home security measures as an added layer to accompany video surveillance. You’re less likely to experience false notifications; low device memory, battery life, and storage; and save time on combing through hours of unusable or irrelevant footage. 

Retail Stores

Video analytics can provide added security and productivity measures, such as the aforementioned heat mapping technology. When utilized with security cameras, this can measure not only where customers are gravitating toward, but also detect and monitor unsavory in-store activities by customers and employees.

Healthcare Facilities
Through crowd gathering, hospitals and medical offices can effectively set rules during more active times to satisfy social distancing, compliance, and wait time management. 

Supermarkets

With queue monitoring, grocery stores can understand and control wait times and lines at check-out lanes and in-store counter areas. 

Event Spaces

Utilizing occupancy and people counting, concert halls and arenas can ensure important safety protocols are enforced, such as crowd control, social distancing, and fire and safety codes.

Choosing the Best Video Analytics Technologies

To learn how video analytics can benefit your home, business, or both, it’s best to reach out to a reputable provider, such as General Security. They can provide additional insight on the highest safety and protection levels.

General Security provides video analytics technologies and other smart components for both residential and commercial properties. Request a free quote from us today!