All round vision for net shop

Ebuyer.com is one of the largest global Internet resellers of brand name computer technology and consumer electronics products. Founded in 1999, Ebuyer.com is headquartered globally in Sheffield. Its US operation began in 2003 and is based out of Chandler, Arizona. Combined, it has over 300 employees servicing 1.5 million registered customers.

Ebuyer has recently had a warehouse built in Howden, Yorkshire to ensure it keeps pace with the rapidly increasing demands of the business. Dealing with a large quantity of high value, small items, it was essential to David Fenner, head of security at Ebuyer, to set up a comprehensive security system to prevent shrinkage of stock, especially in the packing areas.

Having previously worked with Fisher Security and been very impressed with their high professional standards, Fenner brought them in to advise on the project and carry out the installation.

"You know exactly where you stand with Fisher," Fenner says. "They keep you abreast of all developments, never make promises they can't deliver on and are extremely knowledgeable – I really can't fault them and wouldn't hesitate to use them for future projects."

Following a full analysis of the situation Fisher Security recommended that Ebuyer set up a trial using the Vista eclipse camera and DVR.

"We needed to provide 360 degree continuous surveillance of key areas in both live and recorded video situations," says Steve Davies, project manager of Fisher Security. "The combination of the eclipse camera and DVR is the most comprehensive solution on the market." Fenner agrees. "It is perfect for our requirements and as soon as we saw it we knew it would be the best system for the application," he says.

Because the eclipse DVR records the entire 360 degree image captured by the eclipse camera, the recording contains all the information from the original scene. By using retrospective ePTZ (electronic pan/tilt zoom) the whole recording can be examined in detail, ensuring that critical information is not overlooked.

A particular event can be reviewed time and time again using different views and screen formats to make certain that the event has been witnessed in its entirety. If required, the event can then be recorded on any conventional CCTV recording device to the analogue output.

"No area is left unmonitored, and with just six cameras we can cover all the relevant areas," Fenner says. "We simply wouldn't have the same assurance that no area or action had been overlooked without the eclipse and DVR."

Operation of the eclipse DVR has been designed to be intuitive to minimise any training requirements. "If we want to search the recording for a particular event, we use the zooming, scaling timeline which is very intuitive to use and makes the process surprisingly quick and simple," Fenner says. Additionally, the activity detection feature can be used to automatically search recordings for specific events such as object removal, or video motion detection. Further features include immediate watermarking to prevent any future tampering of the image and configurable recording modes that can be adjusted to meet your exact requirements.

It's not just loss prevention being targeted by the new system. The important issue of health and safety is also being addressed. In the unfortunate circumstance that there is an accident on-site, the eclipse DVR will record the incident so that the cause can be determined and procedures put into place to prevent such an event occurring again.

The height of the ceilings in the Ebuyer warehouse meant that the cameras couldn't be false ceiling mounted as is typical of many installations. Instead, Fisher had to use pendant mount type brackets to bring the cameras down to a more suitable height, where the activity of employees in the packing bay could be clearly observed.

"We consulted with Vista about the best method of mounting the cameras and came up with the pendant solution," Davies says. As the eclipse DVRs need to be no more than 3m from the cameras, a cable was run up the bracket to the perlings where the DVRs are located.

In addition to the six eclipse cameras and DVRs, there are over 80 further cameras installed on the site. Vista PowerDomes provide general coverage over areas such as dispatch, goods in and the packing bays, and 25 Vista VFD3V9CE static colour varifocal domes are used in the office areas for general surveillance.

"These were chosen because of their discreet and stylish packaging, which provide peace of mind without undue intrusion," explains Davies. Twenty seven Vista VPC132 Protos IV colour cameras have also been installed throughout the warehouse, such as in the packing aisles, where fully functional domes weren't required, but a more simple system to monitor activity was still needed.

Minimising any disruption from an installation is always an important part of the process but Ebuyer was particularly keen to prevent any impediments to the smooth flow of the packing process.

"Our customers expect an accurate and prompt delivery and we take these requirements very seriously," Fenner says. In order to facilitate this request, Fisher worked in the packing and dispatch areas out of peak hours, such as lunchtime and before and after the main shifts. "Fisher completely understood our requirements and went the extra mile to ensure the installation went smoothly for everyone concerned," Fenner says.

As Ebuyer was already utilising a CAT5 computer network cabling system, it wanted all the cameras to be linked in to the same system. Rather than connecting the cameras via conventional coax cables, an NVT twisted pair transmission system was used. This set up carries a number of advantages with it. Not only did it negate the requirement and, therefore, cost of any further cabling, it also significantly reduced installation time. Additionally, the facility for future expansion of the system is in place should it be required.

"We are delighted with the system," Fenner says. "The installation was carried out to budget and on time and the equipment ensures that we have full coverage of the packing bays at all times. It's a relief to know that if an incident does occur, we can thoroughly analyse the scene to determine exactly what happened."

* Fisher Security designs and installs intruder alarms, CCTV and access control systems. Its systems are installed and maintained by own in-house engineers to very high standards. The company was founded in 1986 by Terry J Fisher and in 1994 gained the NACOSS and ISO 9002 quality assurance certification. This certificate is recognised by both the Police and Insurance Companies. See www.fishersecurity.co.uk.