Security · Durham Region
Camera monitoring — someone actually watching
An unmonitored camera produces evidence after the fact. A monitored one puts a person on the alert while it's still happening — which is the difference between a police report and a prevented loss.
At a glance
- 24/7/365 live operators
- Verified alarms, fewer false dispatches
- Works with your existing cameras
- Monthly subscription, no long lock-in
What monitoring actually changes
The value isn't the recording — you already have that. It's the response time. An operator watching a verified motion alert at 2am can trigger audio warn-off, contact your key holder and dispatch response while someone is still on site.
Verified alarms also matter to police response priority. A confirmed human intrusion carries different weight from an unverified sensor trip.
Video verification of surveillance events
A sensor trip is a claim that something happened. Video verification is a person looking at the clip attached to it and confirming whether it did — before anyone is dispatched. That single step is what removes the vast majority of false call-outs, and it changes how police treat the call: a verified human intrusion is prioritised differently from an unverified sensor.
Practically, an operator receives the surveillance event, reviews the few seconds either side of it, and either dismisses it or escalates. You get the clip and the outcome in the log either way, so nothing quietly disappears.
Virtual guard tours and scheduled site checks
A guard walking a site costs what a guard costs. A virtual guard tour has an operator step through your cameras on a schedule — hourly overnight, say — checking gates, yards, doors and plant. It won't replace a physical guard where presence itself is the point, but for confirming a site is secure through the night it does most of the same job at a fraction of the cost.
Tours are logged with time stamps, so there's a record you can show an insurer that the site was actually checked.
Using cameras you already have
Monitoring doesn't usually require new hardware. Most modern IP camera systems can be brought into a monitoring platform as they are. We'll assess what you have and tell you whether anything needs upgrading before we quote.
What's included
What you get
- 24/7 operator coverage — Every day of the year, including holidays.
- Live video monitoring — Operators watching your feeds in real time during the hours you choose.
- Video verification — Every surveillance event reviewed on camera before anyone is dispatched.
- Virtual guard tours — Scheduled operator sweeps of your cameras, logged with time stamps.
- Audio warn-off — Live voice through on-site speakers where fitted.
- Key-holder escalation — Your contact list, in your order, followed properly.
- Response dispatch — Guard or police dispatch on verified events.
- Monthly activity reporting — What was seen, what was actioned, what it cost.
How it runs
The process, start to finish
Every job follows the same shape, so you always know where you are in it.
System review
We check whether your existing cameras can feed a monitoring platform.
Coverage plan
Which cameras are monitored, during what hours, with what triggers.
Escalation list
Your key holders and the order they're contacted.
Connect & test
Cameras onboarded, alerts tuned, test events run end to end.
Activate
Monitoring goes live with a recurring monthly subscription.
Review
Monthly reporting and periodic tuning to cut nuisance alerts.
Want this scoped for your site?
Tell us the building and what you're trying to achieve. We'll tell you what it takes — and whether you actually need it.
Common questions
Before you call
Do I need to buy new cameras?
Usually not. Most modern IP systems can be onboarded as they are. We'll assess yours first and tell you plainly if something needs upgrading.
What happens when an alert triggers?
An operator reviews the footage, confirms whether it's genuine, and follows your escalation plan — audio warn-off, key-holder contact, and dispatch if warranted.
Is it monitored overnight and on holidays?
Yes — 24 hours, every day of the year. Overnight and long weekends are precisely when it earns its cost.
What is video verification, in practice?
An operator looks at the clip attached to an alert and confirms whether something real happened before anyone is dispatched. It removes almost all false call-outs, and police prioritise a verified intrusion above an unverified sensor trip.
Is a virtual guard tour as good as a real guard?
No, and we won't claim it is — where physical presence is the deterrent, you need a person. For confirming overnight that gates, doors and yards are secure, an operator sweeping your cameras on a schedule does most of the job at a fraction of the cost, and every tour is time-stamped and logged.
Can we monitor only certain hours?
Yes. Many sites monitor outside business hours only, which lowers the cost while covering the window that actually matters.
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