Questions we actually get · Business and large sites
Our warehouse stays operational. Can you replace the existing cameras without us losing sight of anything?
Yes, zone by zone. We start with an overview of every existing camera: what it sees, where it records and how important that spot is. Then we swap them over, with old and new running side by side where needed. No zone switches over until we've checked that the new recording is actually running.
We get this question a lot
How a customer put it
We run a distribution centre that receives and ships goods six days a week. There are around 120 cameras of various ages and makes. Some of them don't give a usable picture, and tracking down incidents takes far too long. We want to modernise, but we can't simply switch the security off for a few days.
Could you put together a phased migration plan, with the old and new systems running side by side for a while where needed? We're looking for a company that agrees in advance which work can be done while we're operating and when a short interruption is unavoidable. We also need to be sure that no loading area or entrance quietly ends up unrecorded.
A composite example drawn from several enquiries, not a message from one customer.
A distribution centre that runs six days a week, with a mix of cameras of different ages and brands. Some don’t show enough detail, and searching back through footage takes ages. A few days without surveillance isn’t an option.
This is a composite example, put together from several enquiries. It isn't a message from one customer.
I start by looking at what’s there now. Which recorders, which cameras, at which address on the network, and what time the recorders think it is. That last one sounds minor. If an old recorder’s clock runs a few minutes behind, an incident ends up under the wrong time, so you search in the wrong place.
A list per zone
Then we make a list per zone. Loading area, entrances, the warehouse floor, the yard. For each zone it says which cameras are old, which ones are being added and when we swap. The new recording system goes in first, next to the old one. Then you can move over camera by camera, while the rest keeps recording as it always did.
When something has to be switched off
Sometimes a short interruption is needed, for example when a new camera needs its own cable. We agree that with you beforehand, zone by zone, at a quiet moment.
Check before the old one comes down
After every swap I check for myself that the camera is recording, and we search back through a bit of footage together. Only when that’s right does the old camera come down. So there’s no loading bay quietly sitting without recording because everyone assumed someone else had checked.
Brand
For the new cameras we work with Dahua or UniFi, always wired. If you’ve already got a lot of cameras up, we first look at what’s still usable. Is your facilities or IT team abroad? We plan, coordinate and report in English, and our engineers speak it on site.
Agree who signs off each swap to say the recording is running: one person from us, one from you. Two names per zone, and nobody has to guess.
Three more questions we get about this
Does the whole system have to go off at once?
No. We work zone by zone, and the new recording system goes in first, next to the old one. Any short interruption is agreed with you in advance.
How do I know a zone is really recording?
After every swap we check that the camera records, and we search back through a piece of footage together. Only then does the old camera come down.
How do we start?
With a no-obligation advice call. Bring a floor plan and, if you have one, a list of what's installed now.
More questions about business and large sites
All questions about business and large sitesBack to this question in the overview
A system that has to keep running?
Book a no-obligation advice call and bring a floor plan. We'll make a list per zone and agree beforehand what happens when.
No obligation. Afterwards you'll get a proposal that sets out how we'd go about it.