What is the Best Way to Enhance Areas of Security Footage?

Jon Jones ● Nov 14 ● 21 min read

When it comes to security, every little detail helps. For example, enhancing the quality of your security footage can be the difference between catching a thief and letting them get away. But, what is the best way to enhance areas of security footage? In this article, we’ll go over a few tips to help you get the most out of your security footage.

The Best Way to Enhance Areas of Security Footage: Influencing Factors on Video Clarity

There are many factors that influence the clarity of the video. The time of day, the weather, and the type of camera being used all play a role in the quality of the footage. However, there are ways to enhance the clarity of security footage, no matter what the conditions are.

If you’re looking to enhance the quality of your security footage, there are a few steps you can take. The best ways to enhance areas of security footage is to: choose a camera with high resolution; choose a weather-resistant camera; choose a camera with night vision capabilities; ensure the camera has an appropriate focal length and field of view; and ensure the camera has your preferred zoom option.

The Best Way to Enhance Areas of Security Footage: High Resolution Cameras

The number of pixels that comprise an image is referred to as its resolution. Resolution varies depending on the make and model of a security camera. The standard for Ultra-High Definition is 3840 x 2160 pixels, which is the resolution of 4K images (UHD or Ultra HD). Ultimately, this is what makes images crystal clear. Hence, it is important to choose security cameras with high resolution in order to enhance areas of security footage.

The Best Way to Enhance Areas of Security Footage: Weatherproof Cameras

Many outdoor security cameras are weatherproof and water-resistant, allowing for continuous monitoring regardless of weather conditions. These outdoor security cameras are frequently rated IP65, IP66, and IP67. Additionally, various security vendors offer outdoor security cameras with built-in temperature gauges and heaters, allowing the cameras to operate in extreme temperatures. Overall, if you’re looking for the best way to enhance areas of security footage of outdoor cameras, then ensure the security cameras you choose for your organization’s security system are waterproof and have night vision.

The Best Way to Enhance Areas of Security Footage: Night Vision Cameras

Accurate day/night cameras are equipped with infrared (IR) illuminators so they can cast light to see in both light and dark environments. Thus, if you seek to enhance areas of security footage, try out night vision cameras. After all, such cameras with IR illuminators enable unparalleled low-light camera performance for indoor and outdoor use at ranges of up to 30 meters or more.

The Best Way to Enhance Areas of Security Footage: Lens – Focal Length and Field of View

In order to enhance areas of security footage, ensure your cameras’ lenses have a focal length and field of view that fits your security needs.

Focal Length: How far a security camera can see is determined by its focal length, which is measured in millimeters (mm). The camera’s ability to focus at a distance increases with the focal length. The field of view of a lens expands with decreasing focal length.

Field of View (FOV): FOV is the width-measured area that the lens of a security camera can see. In other words, FOV is how much a camera can capture the observable world. A lens with a focal length of 2.8mm captures a wider field of view than one with a longer focal length.

The Best Way to Enhance Areas of Security Footage: Zoom

Lastly, if you’re seeking the best way to enhance areas of security footage, ensure that you are choosing security cameras with appropriate zoom options. There are different types of zoom options in security cameras: optical or digital zoom. Although both optical and digital zoom produce close-ups, cameras with optical zoom produce images of higher quality than those with digital zoom alone. Also, optical zoom is performed by the camera lens, whereas digital zoom is performed post-capture by the software of the system.

Optical Zoom: Close-ups captured with an optical zoom on a security camera are of higher quality than those captured with a digital zoom. Optical zoom allows users to get a closer look at their subject by adjusting the lens of the camera.

Digital zoom: Security cameras with digital zoom modify the image via in-camera or software image processing. Digital zoom allows users to get a closer look by enlarging the image in a specific area and cropping the footage edges.

The Best Way to Enhance Areas of Security Footage: Verkada High Quality Footage

With Verkada cameras, you won’t have to about the best way to enhance areas of security footage. This is because Verkada guarantees high-definition footage with their cameras, offering either 5MP or 4K. But, how is this done?

Verkada’s cameras are capable of concurrently recording video in both a regular quality stream and a high quality stream. The majority of Verkada devices are capable of recording video in standard quality for about 30 days. However, customers have the option of selecting a camera with standard, inbuilt storage capacity of 15, 30, 60, 90, 120, or 365 days. When Verkada cameras detect motion within the area, the footage is also saved in high resolution to the onboard solid state media. During the entirety of the retention period, Verkada ensures that the video’s standard quality is preserved.

The remaining space on the onboard storage is devoted to storing high-quality video and audio recordings (if they are enabled), together with analytic data (if enabled). This enables our customers to achieve their needed retention standards without having to perform any calculations. This approach of video retention is known as recording in adaptive quality.

The Best Way to Enhance Areas of Security Footage: How Does Verkada’s Adaptive Quality Video Retention Work?

High-quality video requires up to five times the amount of space as standard-quality video. Hence, if the camera is situated in a location with a lot of action, such as a busy entryway, the storage space reserved for high-quality footage may become full. If this occurs, the oldest available high-quality video is cycled out to make room for the most recent motion-based content. In such circumstances, the previous film will only be kept in normal quality, even if it is in high motion. The standard quality video retention is recorded continuously up to the designated retention of 15, 30, 60, 90, 120, or 365 days and is unaffected by motion.

Verkada for Organization’s Security Systems

At Monarch, we will collaborate with you to develop the most suitable security system for your business or organization. We’ll work together to create, implement, and manage security solutions that prioritize both protection and comfort.

Verkada devices stand out from the rest because they provide an advanced, AI-driven security environment. Consider the following features that make all cloud-based devices of Verkada unique:

Simple to Use

• Solid-state Storage (SSD): No NVR, DVR, or server is required. This means you pay for what you use – and that’s all. This reduces any extra overhead operations and the associated expenses.
• Regular, Automatic Software Updates: No need to worry about if your devices are working properly or are up-to-date with our Verkada devices.
• Simple Plug-and-Play Install: Just a standard Ethernet cable is required for the cameras to be brought online and fully operational within minutes.
• Accessible Anywhere, Anytime: Access archived or live feed videos on any device or browser

Scalable

• Unlimited Storage on Camera and Cloud: Reduce your organizations’ liability risk with unlimited cloud archiving offered by Verkada cameras.
• Unlimited Users Allowed: You can easily authorize admins access to an unlimited number of users.
• Infinitely Scalable: No matter how large the facility is, we can help you keep everyone on the same page. 

Limitlessly Smart

• AI-Based Video Analytics: Face detection, person of interest detection, and license plate detection are all available.
• Live Alerts: Receive instant alerts in any meaningful event
• Shareable Live Feeds: Share your live feed via SMS. This is useful as you can send it to first responders in case of an emergency for dramatically reduced response time.
• 10-Year Warranty: Rest assured that your money is well protected

The Best Way to Enhance Areas of Security Footage: Overview of Verkada Cameras

Verkada offers technology that is secure and easy to use for users. The set-up is simple: once a device is installed, it is online and fully operational within just a few minutes.

Other features of our security cameras include the following:

• AI-Based Video Analytics: Face detection and person of interest detection. You can easily receive alerts when a person of interest re-enters your business.
• Smart Filters: Search for specific people, vehicles, and objects without having to spend too much time scrubbing through footage.
• License Plate Recognition: Identify license plates of interest in your parking lot.
• Shareable Live Feeds: Share your live feed via SMS. This is useful as you can send it to first responders in case of an emergency for dramatically reduced response time.
• Time lapse: Watch a day of footage in under 30 seconds with timelapses.
• Floor Plan: Quickly respond to incidents with real-time motion plotting. 

Additionally, Verkada offers security cameras that are thoughtfully designed. The cameras have a durable design, firmware signing, and can detect tampering. Choose the security cameras that fit your needs and ensure safety.

The Best Way to Enhance Areas of Security Footage: Verkada’s Camera Options

We offer a variety of options to meet your security needs including: the Verkada Indoor Dome Series, the Verkada Outdoor Dome Series, the Verkada Bullet Series, the Verkada Mini Series, and Verkada Fisheye Series.

Verkada Indoor Dome Series

The Verkada Indoor Dome Camera is designed for indoor, high-traffic areas. It is the perfect general-purpose security camera. There are three versions of this camera: CD42, CD52, and C62.

	CD42	CD52	CD62
Type	Indoors	Indoors	Indoors
Image Resolution	5MP	5MP	4K
Type of Lens	Fixed, with 3x Zoom Digitally	Zoom, with 3x Optical and Digital Zoom	Zoom, with 3x Optical and Digital Zoom
Standard Retention	Up to 365 Days	Up to 365 Days	Up to 90 Days
Standard Storage	Up to 2TB	Up to 2TB	Up to 2TB
Audio	Yes	Yes	Yes
IR Range	15m	30m	30m
Rating	IK08	IK08	IK08

The Verkada Outdoor Dome Series

The Verkada Outdoor Dome Series is both weather- and tamper-resistant.  Its capabilities function well even in areas with limited bandwidth and connectivity. They are perfect for monitoring the parking lot and the exterior of buildings (e.g., to capture key license plates). There are three versions of this camera: CD42-E, CD52-E, and C62-E.

	CD42-E	CD52-E	CD62-E
Type	Outdoors	Outdoors	Outdoors
Image Resolution	5MP	5MP	4K
Type of Lens	Fixed, with 3x Zoom Digitally	Zoom, with 3x Optical and Digital Zoom	Zoom, with 3x Optical and Digital Zoom
Standard Retention	Up to 365 Days	Up to 365 Days	Up to 90 Days
Standard Storage	Up to 2TB	Up to 2TB	Up to 2TB
Audio	Yes	Yes	Yes
IR Range	15m	30m	30m
Rating	IK10 & IP67	IK10 & IP67	IK10 & IP67

The Verkada Bullet Series

The Verkada Bullet Series is ideal for long range, outdoor surveillance. It is built to withstand harsh environments. The Verkada Bullet camera is available in two lens types: wide angle and telephoto. There are four versions of this camera: CB51-E, CB61-E, CB51-TE, CB61-TE

	CB51-E	CB51-TE	CB61-E	CB61-TE
Type	Indoor and/or Outdoor	Indoor and/or Outdoor	Indoor and/or Outdoor	Indoor and/or Outdoor
Image Resolution	5MP	5MP	4K	4K
Type of Lens	Zoom, with up to 3x Optical and Digital zoom	Telephoto Zoom, with 8-20mm focal length	Zoom, with up to 3x Optical and Digital zoom	Telephoto Zoom, with 8-20mm focal length
Standard Retention	Up to 2TB	Up to 2TB	Up to 2TB	Up to 2TB
Standard Storage	Up to 365 Days	Up to 365 Days	Up to 90 Days	Up to 90 Days
Audio	–	–	–	–
IR Range	30m	50m	30m	50m
Rating	IK10 & IP167	IK10 & IP167	IK10 & IP167	IK10 & IP167

The Verkada Mini Series

The Verkada Mini Series offers both flexibility and enhanced resolution for clear footage. The Mini Camera is a compact size that can fit any space, anywhere indoors. There are three versions of this camera: CM41-S, CM41, and CM41-E.

	CM41-S	CM41	CM41-E
Type	Indoor	Indoor	Outdoor
Image Resolution	5MP	5MP	5MP
Type of Lens	Fixed, with up to 3x Digital Zoom	Fixed, with up to 3x Digital Zoom	Fixed, with up to 3x Digital Zoom
Standard Retention	Up to 90 days	Up to 365 Days	Up to 365 Days
Standard Storage	Up to 385GB	Up to 2TB	Up to 2TB
Audio	–	Yes	–
IR Range	N/A	15m	15m
Rating	N/A	IK08	IK10 & IP67

The Verkada Fisheye Camera

The Verkada Fisheye Camera provides a panoramic view of the entire property – both indoor and outdoor. This camera allows for total surveillance coverage.

	Fisheye CF81-E
Type	Indoor and/or Outdoor
Image Resolution	12MP
Type of Lens	Fixed, with 3x Digital Zoom
Standard Retention	Maximum of 90 Days of Standard Quality Retention
Standard Storage	Up to 2TB of Onboard Storage
IR Range	20M
Angle of View	180°
Rating	IK10 and IP67
Audio	Yes
NDAA Compliant	Yes
Analytics	Ambarella Chipset for People and Vehicle Analytics
Viewing Modes	Panoramic; Four–Way Split; Pan-Tilt–Zoom

The Verkada Fisheye Camera (CF81-E) is an ideal security camera due to its versatility. With the option to switch between circle, ePTZ, 2-view, 3-view, or 4-view modes on the CF81-E, you can do away with the need for multiple camera installations. You can also take advantage of features like digital pan-tilt-zoom to increase coverage and lessen blind spots.

Three different view modes are supported by the CF81-E. You can customize the view mode to meet the requirements of the install location.

• 180° Panoramic: A wide-angle view that is ideal for an open area or a corridor.
• Four-way split: Use a single camera to watch four distinct fields of view.
• Pan-tilt-zoom (ePTZ): Provides a panoramic, all-encompassing view of your environment.

Panoramic

Panoramic is the first view mode of the fisheye camera. The camera will have a 180° horizontal field of view in this mode. The camera can be tilted to adjust the fields of view to your preferences.

Four-Way Split

Four-Way Split is the second mode of the fisheye camera. You can monitor four distinct areas all at the same time using the Four-Way Split mode. It’s especially useful for monitoring an outdoor corner, a hallway intersection, or when replacing multiple cameras with one. Site administrators can adjust the Four-Way Split’s angles to better suit their needs and maximize the fields of view.

Pan-Tilt-Zoom (PTZ)

Pan-Tilt-Zoom (PTZ) is the third, adaptable mode of the fisheye camera. You can choose to display the video feed in Pan-Tilt-Zoom as a 360° view, a tiles view with various angles, or by using your digital PTZ functionality to pan, tilt, and zoom around the image.

	180° Panoramic	Four-way Split	Pan-Tilt-Zoom
Privacy Zones	Y	Y	Y
People Counting	Y	Y	–
People Analytics	Y	Y	–
Vehicle Counting	Y	Y	–
Vehicle Analytics	Y	Y	–
Crowd Alerts	Y	Y	–
Motion Alerts	Y	Y	Y
Motion Search	Y	Y	Y
Audio	Y	Y	Y

Explore Security Cameras

Continuous Security Monitoring

Remote security monitoring is a process that allows security professionals to keep an eye on your property and assets from afar 24 hours a day, seven days a week. There are many benefits of using remote security monitoring for your organization including deterring crime, catching criminals in the act, providing evidence for criminal prosecution, and peace of mind.

• Deter Theft, Vandalism, and Crime: Security systems with remote security monitoring can be an effective deterrent to criminals. If potential criminals are aware that their activities are being actively monitored, their likelihood of committing a crime decreases.
• Identify Criminals in Real-time: Security systems with remote security monitoring can also help catch criminals in the act. This type of system provides a proactive approach to security by alerting security personnel to potential risks as they are happening, rather than after the fact.
• Provide Evidence: Remote security monitoring can also provide evidence for prosecution in the event of a crime. This ensures that criminals are apprehended and prosecuted, and it may protect your company or organization from a repeat offense.
• Peace of Mind: Remote security monitoring can provide peace of mind for business owners. Knowing that your property has round-the-clock protection in the event of an emergency can help reduce anxiety and stress levels.

Access Control Solutions

An access control system is a security measure that regulates who has access to certain premises. There are many different types of access control systems, but they all have one common goal: to keep unauthorized people out while allowing authorized people in. Additionally, access control allows staff to move around quickly with keycards to maximize efficiency.

There are numerous approaches to controlling access to a building, and Monarch can assist you in determining which approaches to use for your organization’s security solutions.

Verkada’s AC41 Door Controller

With Verkada’s AC41 Door Controller, clients may bring plug-and-play ease to managing doors and access throughout their buildings. In other words, as soon as you install the AC41 Door Controller, it is ready to use within minutes! Our Access Controller can easily integrate with any existing door hardware and readers in your facility.

With our Command platform, you can easily manage your doors once they are connected to the network (e.g., create lock schedules for doors). On the Command platform, you can effortlessly manage building access, scheduling, and users. You also save time adding users on the platform since employees are seamlessly configured, onboarded, and offboarded. This is because of the integration with active directory platforms.

Additionally, you can easily connect your Access Controller with your cameras using Verkada Command to provide real-time video analytics on access-related events. Thus, you are able to not only view what is happening at the buildings’ points of entry, but also take proactive action for any significant occurrences.

Verkada’s AD32 Door Reader

The AD32 Door Reader allows individuals to enter doors if they have the appropriate credentials on their cards or mobile phone. This door reader supports low and high frequency card formats as well as mobile devices that have the Verkada Pass app. Furthermore, the AD32 Door Reader comes in two different options: the Mullion Mount Plate and the Single Gang Mount Plate. Both options allow for customized installs.

The Single Gang Mount Plate is a common card reader format that can replace existing reader mounts or be used on traditional installations. The thinner Mullion form factor has a sleek design and can be used in smaller spaces such as door frames.

Access Control Key Features

With Verkada devices, security is made easy. Consider the following key features of Verkada’s access control:

• Seamless Video Integration and Analytics
• Infinite Scalability
• Cloud-Based Software and Management
• Integrate the Access Controller with Any Existing Cards and Readers
• 10-year Warranty on Hardware
• Verkada’s Pass App: Touchless Access Capability with Bluetooth

The Uses of Access Control

You can feel secure knowing that your interests are safeguarded with any Verkada device. Consider the following benefits of implementing access control:

Insight on Building Access Activity

• Our access control system handles visitor credentials and ensures that visitors like maintenance workers only have access to specific areas.
• Track where and when individuals enter and exit certain areas. 

Intrusion Detection

• Deter deter potential crime with safety door locks after business hours. 
• Identify intrusions when they do occur. With Verkada’s devices, you can filter for door events like tailgating, holding the door open, forcing the door open, and people of interest.

Asset Protection

• Prevent some employees and visitors from entering restricted areas with door lock systems that require authorized credentials.
• Protect your company’s critical equipment, information, and assets with controlled access door locks. With these door locks, only authorized individuals will have access to these areas.

Managing Access Credentials

So, how does Verkada’s access control work? You can manage access control on the Verkada Command platform which is where you can monitor all of your devices. There are many different features that you may use to secure access control.

First, you can specify the user groups or access levels on Verkada Command. Then, you can design badge templates for each user group or access level. Next, you can print the badges and issue credentials either in bulk or individually. Finally, you can maintain users and permissions up to date in real time.

What else can be done on Verkada Command to manage building access control? Consider the following features:

• Synchronize Profiles: Synchronize users from SSO systems such as Okta and Azure Active Directory, and natively capture access levels and groups.
• Provisioning with a Single Click: With a single click, employees can be issued bluetooth credentials or a physical ID card.
• Log of Badge Events: On Verkada Command, access a log of badge events to ensure that only authorized individuals have access to secure areas.
• Secure De-provisioning: Instantly and automatically deprovision users from all systems and access points.
• Unlock Doors from Anywhere, Anytime: Users can remotely unlock authorized doors using either the Verkada Pass and Command Mobile apps
• One-Tap Instant Lockdown: Create custom Lockdown scenarios that can be activated with a single tap to immediately secure buildings in the event of an emergency.

Enterprise Security Solutions: The SV11 Environmental Sensor

The Verkada SV11 all-in-one environmental sensor can monitor the health and safety of buildings. The SV11 environmental sensor monitors 8 different aspects of the environment: the total volatile organic compounds (TVOCS), the air quality index (AQI), particulate matter 2.5 (PM 2.5), the temperature and relative humidity, noise levels, vaping, and motion. Overall, the automated situational awareness provided by the SV11 is key in improving safety and security.

The cloud-based sensor instantly connects to the cloud via Ethernet. This makes it easy to scale since there are no servers, databases, or on prem clients to manage. Moreover, since they are cloud-based, sensors are ready to use within minutes. You can then manage the sensors from Verkada’s web-based Command platform. This makes it easy and secure to remotely access on any device, anywhere. Furthermore, sensor security is maintained through continual, automatic firmware updates.

You can purchase the SV11 Environmental Sensor here.

Design and Features of the SV11

The SV11 is unique in not only its ability to monitor the overall environment, but also in its design and features. Its outer layer is a photochemically stainless steel etch and it is followed by several different sensors that measure and report data. Verkada’s SV11 works by using the onboard sensors to detect changes in the breakdown of chemicals in the air.

Furthermore, the SV11 has many different features that make it one of the most appealing environmental sensors to several different industries. Consider the following unique attributes:

• Command Platform: Access all sensor data from the Command platform and view it against a timeline to get a full picture of when these events occurred. Compare environmental between any number of sensors or locations.
• Customize Your Dashboard: Determine which exact sensor data you’d like monitored and displayed on your dashboard
• Easy Visualization of Data: Data is easily visualized with color-coded sensor readings and data representations.
• Integration with other Verkada Devices: The SV11 Environmental Sensor is natively integrated with all other Verkada devices.
• Link Sensor-Based Data to Video: Link any sensor with a Verkada camera, correlating video with sensor-based data. 
• Custom Threshold: Configure custom alert thresholds to receive real-time notifications via SMS and email.
• Sensor-Based Alerts: When an anomaly is detected, an alert via SMS or email can be sent to pre-selected individuals as well as security, allowing teams to respond quickly.
• Alert Settings: Customize alerts for your team to cut down on unnecessary notifications during the weekend and after work. Our platform allows each user to set what hours and days of the week that they’d like to receive alerts for sensor-based anomalies.

Explore The SV11

The Benefits of The SV11 Environmental Sensor

A major part of enterprise security solutions is environmental sensors. Consider the following advantages of the SV11 sensor:

Detect Dangerous Environmental Conditions

• Deter harmful behaviors like vaping
• Monitor changes in temperature or humidity to reduce the loss of records or products
• Measure the air quality to ensure healthy air quality for employees and for product control
• Measure VOC emissions to prevent adverse health effects

Remain Safe and Secure 

• Monitor the environment to ensure measurements are in line with state laws and compliances.
• Monitor noise levels that may indicate yelling is happening. This can help different institutions monitor for violence, conflicts, or other issues.
• Monitor the temperature to protect expensive equipment and products.

Maintain Privacy 

• Monitor noise levels without recording audio. This ensures privacy is not compromised

Best Way to Enhance Areas of Security Footage

Overall, there are many steps one can take to enhance areas of security footage. Monarch is here to help with the process of ensuring every corner of your building is safe.

Explore Safety Solutions Updated: Nov 23