CCTV is the dominant security and surveillance technology today. It is tried and tested and used by the police to bring prosecutions when the video quality is considered permissible as evidence. CCTV runs over a private network and is considered tamper proof. The quality of the video can run from poor to excellent dependent on the financial investment.

Digital surveillance using IP cameras and video servers is an emerging market that currently satisfies the needs of surveillance*. It may run over both private and public networks. Public networks include the PSTN, ISDN and all the DSL variants. The quality of the video and audio is excellent in comparison to the average CCTV.

However the key difference is cost. The backhaul, the fibre or co-axial cabling, is 80-90% of the cost of a public installation in a shopping centre or high street and can amount to as much as $50,000/camera. Compare this with an ADSL line cost of $30 a month and it soon becomes apparent that the cost of an installation can be drastically reduced and many more projects could be carried out by the public sector to safeguard town centres.

The chart below shows the market segments addressed by Prikinu. Note that all products use the Internet protocol (IP) to ensure that they work over private intranets and the public Internet.

*Surveillance is defined as a security system that views business premises, homes and other locations of interest. The recorded evidence may not be admissible in the courts of law when transmitted over a public network. In this case the intention is to alert the user to events that may require a course of action.