IP-based CCTV cameras taking over surveillance market, but stay safe

A new report from TechNavio highlights the growing use of closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras with IP technology. Concerns over safety and security are contributing to a CAGR of 15.46% from 2014 to 2018 in the Global CCTV Cameras Market, says the research firm. 

IP-based CCTV cameras are network cameras that record video, but which also come with advanced functions like remote access to eliminate the need for expensive dedicated cabling. Such cameras are capable of motion detection and tampering detection.

“IP-based surveillance technology is relatively new to the market and its adoption in video surveillance is expected to increase quickly because of its ease of use and high flexibility. These kinds of surveillance devices have enhanced features that enable multiple users in different locations to monitor various places through Internet connectivity,” says Faisal Ghaus, Vice President of TechNavio.

Currently, the surveillance industry tends to rely on digital video recorder (DVR) and network video recorder (NVR) technology to record footage captured by CCTV cameras. However, IP storage area networks (SANs) are gaining momentum over DVRs and NVRs for storage, as they can store information in the cloud, thereby offering better storage capacity, TechNavio said.

Source: Insecam website.

While the remote monitoring and management feature is an advantage for the technology, the trend also focuses attention on the fact that IP-based equipment has to be managed securely. Insecam is a website that shows video from surveillance cameras without a password, but also notes that if the default password on the security surveillance system, online camera or DVR has not yet been changed, anyone can theoretically view the images from it. 

"This site has been designed in order to show the importance of the security settings. To remove your public camera from this site and make it private the only thing you need to do is to change your camera default password," the site noted.

Japan tops the list in Asia Pacific with 871 cameras without a password, followed by Hong Kong (588), Korea (352) and then Australia with 296 video streams. The Middle East region was represented by Iran, Lebanon and Jordan with two cameras each, and Bahrain with one.