Security Products

By Security Products Staff · October 2007

Supercircuits is celebrating 19 years of providing a valuable service to dealers and integrators in the security industry. The company is extremely proud of its ability to offer high-performance products at lower prices, huge in-stock inventory and industry-leading warranties for all their products. We were eager to know how the company has been able to maintain this success and keep growing the bottom line. We spent a few minutes with CEO Mark del Thompson to gain valuable business insight.

Q. Supercircuits has been in the security business for years. Are there two or three things that stand out that have dominated the company's success?

A. It's definitely a combination of people, product and service that have contributed to Supercircuits' success.

We have some of the brightest people in the industry working for Supercircuits. The management team possesses a wealth of traditional video security technology experience, PC industry experience and in-depth vertical industry experience.

We've also been able to create a catalog of exceptional video surveillance technology offerings to meet a number of different security needs. From the latest in IP video surveillance and covert video systems, to the world's smallest DVR, to customized solutions to meet specific needs--Supercircuits brings to market the latest technologies at competitive prices.

Finally, Supercircuits is able to offer customers outstanding product warranties, lifetime technical support and a huge in-stock inventory.

Q. IP video is coming to the forefront of the security industry. What exactly is IP technology and are multi-brand IP cameras compatible?

A. You're right<\m>the surveillance industry is at the beginning of a migration to IP technology. In IP surveillance systems, cameras, recorders and other related devices connect to one another over a data network using the same transmission methods that a computer in your home or office use to communicate over the Internet. Unlike analog systems, which require every camera to be directly connected to a recorder via cables, IP cameras can be monitored and recorded centrally from virtually anywhere via the Internet. Each piece of IP equipment connects by finding the IP address of the others.

With this in mind, you raise an excellent question. Are multi-brand IP cameras compatible? Or, can companies migrate to IP at their own pace while preserving legacy systems? There is certainly pressure for security equipment manufacturers to embrace open connectivity standards so various brands of surveillance equipment can integrate more readily. At Supercircuits, we offer IP surveillance systems that can mix and match with equipment from other vendors, offering customers the easiest and most affordable option to transition from analog to digital.

There are several ways to integrate analog equipment into a hybrid system. One is to attach encoders to analog cameras in order to convert analog camera signals into IP streams--like those of native IP cameras<\m>that can be transmitted over data networks and ultimately into the network port of the computer.

Another approach is to directly connect analog cameras to hybrid digital recording devices<\m>recorders that are also connected over the network to IP cameras. This second approach limits the location of the analog cameras to the same location as the recorders but still offers other IP advantages like video analytics and the benefit of having all your cameras recorded by a single device.

For installations still using mostly analog technology, but needing the benefit of a few IP cameras, IP decoders can covert the feeds from IP cameras into standard NTSC video signals. This provides an enormous cost benefit for those who may have a few remote cameras they would like to monitor but do not wish to upgrade all their current recording hardware. Although the actual camera may be miles away, the DVR system simply receives a video feed from the decoder as though the remote camera were in the same room.

The future of video surveillance is digital. But the big question is not whether video surveillance is moving to IP, but how fast that migration is going to happen.

Q. What applications are best suited for IP video?

A. While analog security systems have been an effective surveillance option for years, IP network surveillance simply offers capabilities that analog does not.

Chief among those capabilities is the ability to remotely and centrally monitor multiple geographic surveillance locations. This can be an attractive alternative for organizations with multiple buildings or locations like schools, universities, retailers and global companies.

IP video security also offers lower cost and simplified installation. Many times a customer can leverage existing IT infrastructure, eliminating the need to run a cable to each camera. This saves a considerable amount of time and expense in terms of wiring and installation. This is especially true for operations where analog systems would require trenching through concrete and asphalt to connect adjacent structures such as parking garages, gas station pumps and remote parking lot surveillance.

Other key benefits of IP video include better video resolution and the ability to perform sophisticated video analytics. These capabilities are beneficial for the retail industry in helping to eliminate theft and apprehend criminals.

Q. Security systems can help retail shrinkage. How can an application help reduce theft and actually pay for itself?

A. Retailers face an incredible dilemma when it comes to protecting their merchandise. According to a national study conducted by the University of Florida, almost half of inventory shrinkage is attributed to employee theft. The study also discovered that a combination of four sources of inventory shrinkage is costing the retail sector billions of dollars<\m>including employee theft, shoplifting, administrative error and vendor fraud.

Based on these numbers, it's easy to see how a video security system installation will more than pay for itself. For example, we had a customer who owned several convenience stores and decided to deploy covert cameras to monitor his workplaces. He routinely stations several visible cameras at gas pumps, front and back entrances, and the cooler. Not long ago, he became suspicious that a trusted store manager was stealing from the safe every night. He installed a traditional four-camera system at the store and covert cameras in the coolers, food prep areas, watching the cash registers and above the safe area. His covert cameras caught the store manager taking money from the safe and turning off the traditional video system prior to doing so.

By installing the covert camera system, he was able to catch his thief and eliminate the loss of any additional money.

Q. Setting up a security system can be expensive. Is there a way for retail customers to approach security on a more affordable means while maintaining high quality?

A. There are some basic steps that retailers can take to protect their businesses from inventory loss, such as conducting background checks and fostering a positive working environment. But to ensure the greatest level of security, retailers should consider integrating video surveillance equipment into their security strategies.

If a retail business owner wants to invest in a security surveillance system, there are several things to ask their vendor of choice. First, does the vendor have a long history of providing surveillance equipment? Second, do they have any industry expertise? Third, what are the warranty and return policies? Finally, they should take into account quality versus cost. Both should go hand-in-hand to create a truly robust video security system that is affordable.

Q. In review of your catalog, it appears you have a camera for every situation. Are there really that many different applications that call for so many different cameras?

A. It's amazing to think about, but there are close to 2 million video surveillance systems in the United States alone.

Surveillance cameras can be stationed in a variety of places, serving a number of different surveillance needs. Our customers include a variety of businesses, including schools, universities, stores, banks, law enforcement organizations, parks and wildlife state agencies, and hospitals, each of which use a variety of video surveillance technology to reach different end goals.

So, yes. There is a huge need for a variety of surveillance options. To meet this need, Supercircuits' catalog offers 1,100 different surveillance devices<\m>each designed to address a specific challenge or video surveillance objective.

Q. Supercircuits offers a generous warranty for its products. How has this helped business and does it help your integrators secure additional business?

A. Because Supercircuits markets its products via a catalog and offers products at a lower price, a common misconception is that our products are not as high quality as some of our competitors. This is entirely untrue. We regularly run comparison testing against premium brands and find that our products meet or exceed the performance at a fraction of the price.

Offering industry leading warranties ensures our customers that we stand by our products and eliminates any question of product reliability. This peace of mind is much more powerful than a brand name, and we have found this to differentiate Supercircuits from the competition. Our rapidly growing dealer/integrator network has found this a key point of differentiation in winning business, as well, and have been extremely satisfied with our dedicated, highly-trained and experienced support teams available at their convenience.