Benefits of Watcher’s intelligent software, when compared to the software provided by the camera OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer).
This comparison explains why Watcher’s software is deployed in a centralized manner which is cloud based, as customers often state that the software provided by the OEM is free or provided at a lower cost to Watcher.
The reality is that the intelligent software used in CCTV surveillance technology is much more complex to deploy, operate and maintain than is generally believed. Watcher is the specialist in surveillance technology and have the correct systems and people to effectively manage this environment and ensure both hardware and software always operate efficiently.
The support and maintenance cost to keep the service active is included in Watcher’s SaaS (Software as a service) offering which is why it is not correct to compare the camera OEM’s offering with Watcher’s offering based on price alone.
Comparison of Watcher software to that of camera OEM:
| Software by the Camera OEM: | Watcher’s Intelligent Software: |
| Decentralised or on-board analytics means that the software is installed on each devise. Thus, software upgrades and patches must be done on each devise, which is labour intensive and time consuming. | Software is located on secure server which is centrally managed. Therefore, upgrades of all cameras can be applied at once, and is a painless exercise to perform (upgrades must be applied every 3-4 months). |
| Software provided by a specific OEM is not compatible with devises made by a different OEM. Thus, the user is locked into a specific brand of devise or has to use a different software for each brand of camera in use. | Vendor agnostic in that software can be applied to the feeds of most camera suppliers. |
| The OEM markets the software as “free” or at a “marginal cost” but the devise on which the software is loaded is more expensive as it is manufactured with processing capabilities. | Software is located in the cloud and the cameras deployed in the field does not require processing capabilities and are thus more cost effective. |
| Devises are made with the processing ability needed for the current version of the software. There is an imitation on the compute capabilities of the devise. Advancement in software abilities will lead to the need to replace devices currently deployed with devises that have more processing capabilities. | Processing power is scalable to requirement as it is server based. |
| Rules are set per camera individually. Alerts cannot be combined across views, leading to reduced operation functionality. | Rules can be set with inputs across multiple cameras, simultaneously. Thus, higher operational capabilities. |
