3 Trends in Video Surveillance you Can Expect to see in 2016

2015 was a mixed year for the video security industry.

There’s been aggressive competition and difficult market conditions in some parts of Europe, but the huge demand for innovative solutions remains unchanged. The sector excelled against expectations last year, with improved image resolution, enhanced performance, lower bandwidth and greater return on investment topping the list of trends.

Overall, the industry has matured in the past year. The full HD market is well established and more security professionals are now looking beyond that.

In 2016, 4K and high resolution technology will continue to develop and industry players will start to imagine and realise what they can achieve with these solutions and what these solutions can do for them. With the capability of surveillance products growing year on year, 2016 is not going to disappoint.

Here are some of the developments we can expect to see over the next 12 months.

1. The 4K way 

Believe it or not, analogue is still dominant in parts of the market, with certain verticals reluctant to make the move to HD and IP. This will change over the next 12 months.

In 2016, we’ll see a new generation of high performance IP cameras (4K) become established in the market, which will encourage security buyers thinking about transitioning to make the investment.

The benefits of 4K technology will become more widely recognised across the industry, with reduced camera counts and better workflow offering savings on installation and running costs, as well as providing new solutions to the high-end market. HD is for everyone now, and 2016 will be the year many security buyers make the move and embrace video security the 4K way.

2. The bandwidth battle 

Sensitivity will also remain a key priority in 2016. This year the industry will understand that high resolution needn’t come at the expense of sensitivity.

In fact, IP cameras from a few years ago used more bandwidth than today’s 4K cameras. More security buyers will realise what can be achieved with full HD solutions, triggering growth in the uptake of 4K.

This will be helped by the fact migration is easier than ever before. Surveillance technology has come a long way in recent years, and with more products entering the market, it’s a great time to invest in an all-round solution.

3. Keeping it streamlined

Today’s video security solutions are much more streamlined than in previous years and can easily adapt to existing and new systems.

In 2016 we will see multiple security resources such as CCTV, alarm systems and access control become integrated into wider infrastructures. Reflecting this, we will also see manufacturers and installers evolve to offer more unified solutions, comprising not only security, but also lighting, heating and ventilation.

This will create a far more integrated environment, allowing users to control conditions and monitor occupied or high priority areas, while saving resources in unoccupied spaces.