8 Camera system with audio for a Quiznos Restaurant

[2006C6 0]

Hi Guys - I currently have 4 stores - Each with an ECO4 DM system in each - In my flagship store I want to get rid of the DM system altogether. I am looking for an 8 camera with 8 channel audio system. I am VERY versed in computers and have 5 Mac systems and two i7 pc systems - I am wondering if it would be better to go with a DVR card or a seperate DVR unit? Obviously they would be monitored online. As well I am wondering if there is a camera available that I could install in a seperate walk in cooler and a walk in freezer without the lenses getting fogged when the doors are open and shut. 2 cameras would be dedicated to this leaving 6 for the remainder of the store. I don't need pan/zoom as the cameras will be fixed. Wiring is not an issue. The budget would be approx 3-4k.

 

Anyone want to take a stab at designing this system

 

thanks for your time

 

Mark

[Guest]

Hi Guys - I currently have 4 stores - Each with an ECO4 DM system in each - In my flagship store I want to get rid of the DM system altogether. I am looking for an 8 camera with 8 channel audio system. I am VERY versed in computers and have 5 Mac systems and two i7 pc systems - I am wondering if it would be better to go with a DVR card or a seperate DVR unit? Obviously they would be monitored online. As well I am wondering if there is a camera available that I could install in a seperate walk in cooler and a walk in freezer without the lenses getting fogged when the doors are open and shut. 2 cameras would be dedicated to this leaving 6 for the remainder of the store. I don't need pan/zoom as the cameras will be fixed. Wiring is not an issue. The budget would be approx 3-4k.

 

Anyone want to take a stab at designing this system

 

thanks for your time

 

Mark

 

If you wanted to stick with DM (then you would only have one integrated software platform ie Observer) you could consider the new DM DVIP RT recorder.

 

Ilkie

[scorpion 0]

I7 PCs!!!! I want this install! You are rich!

 

I am glad to see that ROI is of the essence! What this tells me is that you are putting in an infrastructure that you can build on.

 

This is great! You are way ahead of the power curve!

 

I would suggest working on a multi store system.

 

I prefer standalone units. In other words plug, and play. Nothing wrong going with PC based systems. I usually see other companies doing these mini enclosures. I hate this with a passion. They are shoved on a top shelf in a managers office without regards to ventilation. Mini enclosures are not known for cool ventilation. Note this is a CCTV computer, and not a business computer with a card attached.

 

I would tell you to separate the business computer from the CCTV PC based DVR.

 

Question! Does the main PC do any merchant service? If the CCTV board brings down the computer can you still operate? The prices are on your main computer, and all of the coupon data. Bring this system down, and you are on a cash basis with a calculator, and a pen.

 

What is the volume of your stores?

 

Back to standalone DVRs. If a DVR were to crash, and this is an important store, then you can have your supervisor bring a DVR from a lower precendence store to get your higher precedence store up and running with CCTV.

 

Do you really want to carry a PC, and have to plug in a keyboard, and a mouse, and a monitor, and an internet connection, and all of your camera video inputs?

 

What you want is a DVR product that comes with a CMS product.

 

With the CMS software loaded at your home, home office, or your business office then you can watch mutliple stores at the same time. When gas goes up to $5.00 a gallon you can do a video tour instead of driving around to see how all of your stores are doing!

 

You are wasting your time with cameras in the cooler. The lighting is usually a low wattage appliance bulb, or you might be using small walkins, and once fully stocked the camera view may get blocked.

 

The only interest here is who is smooching who in there! I am more interested in FIFO, and cleaning the floor. You cannot tell theft from this view unless it is so blatant, but then you would see it with an external camera that is cheap and cheesy anyway!

 

_____________________________________________________

 

Do not base your camera setup on employee theft, and watching the cash register!

 

WRONG ANSWER!

 

You will also want to guard against slip and fall issues.

Note if a customer is walking from the parking lot, and she falls near your store front the destination business is responcible for her injury, and not you! Ask where they were going! Turn if over to their insurance company. Video will protect you!

 

I might suggest putting a camera with a zoom lens to get up close on your walk in refridgerator, and freezer. During power outages how would you like to do a tour of the effected stores to see the temps??

 

Nice huh?

 

Here is what you can do for you business owners on a budget. Put the most expensive camera above your budget at the front door, and the back door.

 

Now use those one inch by one inch cameras for those overview areas such as seating areas and such. You do not need super high qualtiy video to show the irate customer pulling displays off of your counter. The police will "get it" when they see the video even though it might be poor in quality. I want a good camera out back to see the dumpster area. This covers employee theft, going ons out back, and such. Are your night time employees drinking beers out back? Look for bottle caps on the ground out back! You will be surprised what you will find!

 

You will also want to use this system to gauge your schedule planning. Do you have one employee with a long line out the door?

Do you have 6 employees doing nothing with one customer? This will allow you to get a quick pulse of what is going on in your store!

You may not realize that there is a movie theater nearby, and your store is getting hit with a rush at 10 pm! Do you get a pre bar rush? Do you get an after bar rush?

 

Draw a circle around your store. cut that big circle in to 4 quadrants. Now use four different color coupoons for each sector.

When you watch lunch rush video, and everyone in line is holding yellow coupons then you know what area they are coming from. Is it a business area? Is it a residential area? Is it a commercial district? WHERE ARE YOUR CUSTOMERS COMING FROM?

 

NOW YOU KNOW!

 

What do you think of my ideas?

[Guest]

Hi Guys - I currently have 4 stores - Each with an ECO4 DM system in each - In my flagship store I want to get rid of the DM system altogether. I am looking for an 8 camera with 8 channel audio system. I am VERY versed in computers and have 5 Mac systems and two i7 pc systems - I am wondering if it would be better to go with a DVR card or a seperate DVR unit? Obviously they would be monitored online. As well I am wondering if there is a camera available that I could install in a seperate walk in cooler and a walk in freezer without the lenses getting fogged when the doors are open and shut. 2 cameras would be dedicated to this leaving 6 for the remainder of the store. I don't need pan/zoom as the cameras will be fixed. Wiring is not an issue. The budget would be approx 3-4k.

 

Anyone want to take a stab at designing this system

 

thanks for your time

 

Mark

 

For the freezer try the Bosch WZ16 IDN rated to -30C or the Bosch EX14MX rated to -60C

 

Ilkie

[rory 0]

For the freezer try the Bosch WZ16 IDN rated to -30C or the Bosch EX14MX rated to -60C

 

Ilkie

I still cant over that Bosch owns them now .. anyway yes the EX14 for sure.

For the walk in fridge, a simple weather resistant bullet camera should suffice for the lower budget (not 100% sure a vandal dome will hold up as its not sealed).

[Soundy 1]

Outdoor-rated vandal domes are just fine in restaurant coolers, particularly if they have heaters (in the domes, that is, not in the coolers).

 

Mark, I'm in the GVRD as well, we handle a major local restaurant chain and they've been very happy with the CNB domes we've been using (some of them replacing Extreme domes that overheated and died, many replacing cheap junky IR bullets... yes, that fogged up in the coolers.

 

There's a bit of an art with some domes in coolers, if they aren't internally sealed, because warm moist air from outside the cooler can get into the dome and condense on the cold surface... but this hasn't been a problem with the CNB designs we're using.