Storage Solutions

Quality video surveillance can be vital to the security of your business; advancements in video technology have spurred a dramatic increase in the adoption of IP technology cameras which offer high resolution digital images that are far superior to those of their analogue counterparts. The resolution provided by IP cameras enables clear view of objects of interest, such as facial details and license plate numbers, to be digitally zoomed and viewed clearly.

There is always a trade-off between the quality of the image, video recorder performance, and the cost of storing and maintaining hours of footage. Megapixel cameras are the clear choice when you need uncompromising video quality and easy installation. Taking full advantage of megapixel cameras requires pairing with a storage solution that delivers performance, flexibility and scalability to meet camera demands and retention objectives.

Network Attached Storage

MOBOTIX Cameras are known for their high quality megapixel Imaging IP Cameras. Their versatile line of high resolution cameras brings video surveillance to a higher level, providing megapixel resolution (1024 x 768, 1280 x 960, 2048 x 1536) video streams with audio and scalable frame rates.

Their cameras store these high resolution images more efficiently than other cameras, thereby requiring less network bandwidth and placing a lower demand on the network storage device. Recent testing of Snap Servers in the MOBOTIX Camera Lab has shown Overland Storage Snap Servers to be an ideal network storage solution for handling the demands from multiple high resolution camera streams, while offering reliability, scalability, and ease of use. The Snap Server is easier to maintain and requires much less expertise to manage than a standard PC.

Built on the Guardian Linux-based Operating System, Overland Storage Snap Servers provide NAS storage for file  storage and sharing, or as part of a backup to disk solution – whether at a single site, or across multiple remote sites.

Snap Servers are available in a variety of sizes, from 160GB desktop units to 19-inch rack mount systems that scale from 1TB to 66TB of raw storage capacity to fit a variety of video surveillance storage needs. Most Snap Servers also support multiple RAID data protection schemes, so critical video files remain safe and are available when they are
needed.

Each Snap Server can support multiple cameras to simplify the installation and ongoing management of the video system. And the modular expandability of the Snap Server 520 and 650 systems enable the flexibility for future growth, as well easily facilitating an archiving solution, should that be desired.

Snap Servers provide cross-platform support, including NFS and CIFS, and easily integrate into existing networks and security infrastructures on a single device, providing a safe and secure video archiving solution.

SD Card

SD memory cards are an innovative, always evolving bridge media powering the future of the digital world. SD memory cards deliver high-performance products that allow consumers to quickly capture video, photos, and sound in a reliable, easy-to-use format SD technology is the de-facto industry standard for mobile phones, digital cameras, MP3 music players, personal computers, printers, car navigation systems, electronic books, and other consumer electronic devices. SD technology is used in some 400 products across dozens of product categories and in more than 8,000 models.

SD memory cards are available in standard and high-capacity formats along with a variety of speed classes. A next-generation SD memory card specification, SDXC (extended Capacity), will soon be released to SD Association members who will create cards and devices that support its greater memory capacity and faster performance speeds. The cards have the broad interoperability and compatibility needed to ensure that its applications will continue to expand far into the future.

Universal Serial Bus

A USB flash drive consists of a NAND-type flash memory data storage device integrated with a USB (universal serial bus) interface. USB flash drives are typically removable and rewritable, much smaller than a floppy disk (1 to 4 inches or 2.5 to 10 cm), and most USB flash drives weigh less than an ounce [1]. Storage capacities typically range from 64 MB to 64 GB with steady improvements in size and price per gigabyte. Some allow 1 million write or erase cycles and have 10-year data retention, connected by USB 1.1 or USB 2.0.

USB flash drives offer potential advantages over other portable storage devices, particularly the floppy disk. They have a more compact shape, operate faster, hold much more data, have a more durable design, and operate more reliably due to their lack of moving parts. Additionally, it has become increasingly common for computers to be sold  without floppy disk drives. USB ports, on the other hand, appear on almost every current mainstream PC and laptop.  These types of drives use the USB mass storage standard, supported natively by modern operating systems such as Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, and other Unix-like systems. USB drives with USB 2.0 support can also operate faster than an optical disc drive, while storing a larger amount of data in a much smaller space.

Nothing actually moves in a flash drive: the term drive persists because computers read and write flash-drive data using the same system commands as for a mechanical disk drive, with the storage appearing to the computer operating system and user interface as just another drive.

A flash drive consists of a small printed circuit board protected inside a plastic, metal, or rubberised case, robust enough for carrying with no additional protection—in a pocket or on a key chain, for example. The USB connector is protected by a removable cap or by retracting into the body of the drive, although it is not liable to be damaged if exposed. Most flash drives use a standard type-A USB connection allowing plugging into a port on a personal computer.

Local PC Storage

It is possible to utilise the client pc for storage of clips, this is done by requesting the recording device (i.e. Camera) to record in to a shared folder on the PC. This system does have some security drawbacks and also could restrict alternative clients' access to historic clips. In addition to this the client pc would also have to be continually switched on and connected to the network.

This option for storage could be an viable in some systems but if a network is available NAS storage may be a more fault tolerant option and would also provide a more future proof solution.