While traditional security cameras can deter and capture suspicious activity or threats to a commercial or residential business, they can still miss threats in darkness, poor weather conditions, and large, open areas. Luckily, there are additional devices that can be added to a business’s security arsenal to fill that gap.
Radar is a powerful and reliable detection technology that catches motion that could be missed by traditional surveillance cameras and the human eye.
Axis Communications, an industry leader in network video, offers products and services that improve security, including radar. Axis radar technology can be integrated with VirtuGuard™ Command Centers to enhance remote video monitoring services and to add an additional proactive detection layer that cameras alone can’t replicate.
This article will explore what radar is, why it should be included in remote video monitoring security solutions, and how it integrates with VirtuGuard™ to deliver effective and affordable security results.
What is Radar and How Does Radar Work?
Radar was initially developed in the 1940s for military use but has evolved and adapted to be utilized in weather forecasting, fishing, aviation, automotive, and now physical security.
Axis radar works by emitting electromagnetic waves. When the waves reach an object, they are reflected back to the device to signal that motion is detected.
What Sets Radar Apart from Security Cameras?
Radar doesn’t need clear visibility or ideal environmental conditions to work as intended. Radar works in darkness and is not impacted by weather like fog, rain, wind, etc. The technology continues to detect objects in motion at any time of day or night and in any weather condition.
Radar can collect the speed, direction, and exact location or position of a detected object. This data can be used for accurate object classification or determining whether an object is a person or a vehicle.
Radar is effective for wide-open outdoor areas. Security cameras are limited in the distance they can capture activity, and large areas often require multiple cameras for similar coverage that radar can provide with one device.
Radar has significantly less false alarms. Axis radar automatically filters out activity that causes false alarms, like moving shadows, beams of light, small animals, insects, and more.
Why is Radar Important for Security Solutions?
Radar has capabilities that can’t be replicated by surveillance cameras or other security devices. Radar can detect objects or activity that are likely to be missed by surveillance cameras without triggering false alarms.
Axis Radar Technology
Axis Communications offers many different radar devices to address security concerns, including Radar-Video Fusion Cameras. The Fusion Cameras combine video and radar technology for both detection and visualization.
Benefits of Radar
Adding radar to a property’s security arsenal has many benefits. Axis radar devices have unique capabilities and can easily integrate with other devices and video management systems.
False Alarm Reduction
False alarms are a common pain point of traditional surveillance cameras. False alarms drain resources for the business being monitored and emergency responders in the following ways:
- False alarms demand the attention of onsite security staff or Virtual Guards, potentially distracting them from verified incidents that require immediate intervention.
- Law enforcement and emergency response dispatch can be flooded with false alarms, taking time and resources from genuine calls. Some law enforcement agencies no longer respond to alarms without visual verification and repeat false alarms can warrant hefty fines or other consequences.
Cameras, infrared sensors, and similar devices are vulnerable to false alarms triggered by environmental factors like animals, insects, rain, and more. Radars aren’t sensitive to these activities, resulting in significantly less false alarms.
Axis radar devices can be set up to filter out activity that does not meet certain criteria. For example, if an object is detected within a specific distance or is moving within a specified range of speed, an alarm can be triggered. Activity outside of those parameters will not trigger alarms.
Additionally, Axis radar can classify objects. The technology can detect whether an object is a person or a vehicle, and that data can be used to determine how a situation moves forward.
Radar Can Be More Cost-Effective
Radar can be a cost-effective tool for commercial and residential security. It lowers the cost associated with false alarms while also being more effective in object detection than cameras or other devices.
Axis radar can cover large open areas. An area that may require multiple cameras to maintain full coverage can be covered by a single radar device.
Radar Can Maintain Privacy When Needed
For sensitive industries or areas where cameras may not be appropriate, radar can be used instead. For example, schools, restricted areas, bathrooms, and more can be protected while maintaining the necessary privacy.
Radar Integrates with Remote Video Monitoring and Other Security Devices
Axis radar devices integrate with other security devices and can be used in remote video monitoring solutions like VirtuGuard™.
How Axis Radar Integrates with VirtuGuard™ Remote Monitoring
Axis radar and VirtuGuard™ remote video monitoring can be used, in combination with other security devices, to proactively prevent crime and intervene in incidents instantly. Here’s one example of how radar can be used in remote guarding:
- Radar detects the object, collecting information on speed, direction, exact position, and object type (vehicle or person).
- VirtuGuard™ Command Center receives the alert triggered from the radar.
- If cameras are available, Command Center Agents will review cameras in the area to visually verify an event in real time and gather more information.
- Agents will determine the best course of action based on the activity and threat level. Responses might include:
- Activating pre-recorded Voice Downs.
- Delivering live Voice Downs.
- Activating lighting or strobe lighting.
- Alerting onsite staff or security personnel.
- Notifying and requesting responses from local law enforcement.
- The event is automatically recorded and stored.
- Agents generate a detailed incident report containing timelines, still images or video, summary of events, summary of the response, and any other relevant information.
- Client receives the detailed report.
Result of Radar and Remote Monitoring Combination
Combining Axis radar and VirtuGuard™ remote monitoring results in faster, more accurate threat detection. Beyond the initial detection, each incident is reviewed and confirmed by humans, not just automated processes.
Real Life Security Incident Detected by Radar and Resolved by VirtuGuard™
In a recent incident resolved by VirtuGuard™, two objects were detected by Axis radar entering a parking lot of a luxury car dealership after hours. After receiving the radar alarm, Virtual Guards reviewed live video streams from surveillance cameras in the area, observing two men enter the parking lot, walking around vehicles and knocking over wooden pallets near the shipping and receiving area.
After verifying the trespass event, Virtual Guards conducted a Voice Down, informing the men that they were trespassing and instructing them to vacate the premises. The men acknowledged the warning, gathered their belongings, and exited the property promptly.
With radar detection and VirtuGuard™ intervention, a trespassing incident was resolved quickly, preventing any further suspicious or illegal activity.
VirtuGuard™ Remote Monitoring Solutions
VirtuGuard™ is a remote video monitoring solution that proactively protects and prevents criminal and unwanted activity from occurring on commercial and residential properties. Command Centers are connected to security cameras, radar, and other devices on a client site for human Agents to monitor and respond in real-time.
Remote Video Monitoring Use Cases
VirtuGuard™ is effective when applied to most industries and property-types, including:
Commercial Use Cases:
- Construction sites
- Automotive dealerships
- Parking lots and decks
- Warehouses
- Industrial Facilities
- Office Buildings
- Educational Facilities and much more
Residential Use Cases:
- Multifamily housing
- Apartment communities
- Gated communities
- High profile estates
- HOAs and more
VirtuGuard™: A Cost-Effective Security Solution
VirtuGuard™ is both more effective and more affordable than hiring onsite security guards to cover a property. The cost of a remote video monitoring solution is determined by a number of factors, including the number of cameras monitored, number and type of additional devices, monitoring hours, activity levels, and any additional add-ons. The remote video monitoring pricing will vary for each client and property, ranging from a few hundred dollars per month to thousands of dollars per month.
Key Benefits Summary of Axis Radar and VirtuGuard™ Remote Monitoring
- Significantly less false alarms and a lower operational burden
- 24/7/365 coverage without the cost of hiring onsite staff
- Effective detection in any weather or lighting condition
- Objects are precisely tracked
- Solution can be scaled across multiple properties
Conclusion
Radar is an additional level of detection that can empower VirtuGuard™ remote video monitoring solutions to be even more effective and reliable. Security devices and technologies continue to evolve and improve and VirtuGuard™ is no exception. We are always researching new technologies and expanding our offerings and capabilities to ensure that we can provide reliable, state-of-the-art solutions to each client.
Ready to see how VirtuGuard™ can utilize Axis radar to protect your property? Complete the contact form below or contact us for more information.