Posted By Samuel Keith Bowman Jr. on April 23, 2011
I think one of the best kept secrets in the security world is a little inexpensive program called SecuritySpy by BenSoftware!
I have used and I sell many different camera recording solutions and I have seen the industry grow over time from analog to digital. Everyone in the business wants to convince the public that IP is as cheap as analog and you get so much more. Well, it is true you get a lot more with digital (IP) but it is not necessarily cheaper. When it comes to small systems the price can be as much as 30% more in cost. I find that larger systems, say 50 cameras and larger, are about the same price as the older analog systems but depending on features it might still be five to seven percent more. It is a fact that IP will give you so much better video that most people do not see a problem with the price difference. I have a lot of customers that want the better video quality of IP but they only need 4 to 6 cameras. If you look online now you will find all kinds of analog systems on the market for $500 to $700 that do an “OK” job.
I set out a few years ago looking for a way to provide inexpensive IP video and I found a system that I can not say enough good things about! BenSoftware makes a little program that packs a huge punch for the right price. SecuritySpy has all the features of the “Big Boy” NVRs (Network Video Recorder) and more, much more.
You can check out some of the features at this site..
http://www.bensoftware.com/securityspy/overviewindex.html
The setup of SecuritySpy is very easy. The most common features that I use with every setup would include:
| • Displays and captures video from multiple cameras simultaneously |
| Multiple cameras can be connected and SecuritySpy can use them all at the same time |
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| • Supports Macintosh compatible video and audio input devices |
| Devices that connect to the computer by USB, FireWire, or as a PCI card |
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| • Supports network cameras and network video servers |
| Devices that connect to the computer over an ethernet network |
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| • Motion Detection and Timelapse capture features, with audio |
| The motion detection capture feature records only when motion is detected; the timelapse capture features records continuously |
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| • Built-in web server for viewing of images and video over a network |
| You can connect to SecuritySpy remotely using a web browser to view live images and captured footage |
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| • Pan/Tilt/Zoom (PTZ) support for many network cameras |
| Allows you to control the pan/tilt angle and zoom setting of certain cameras directly from within SecuritySpy |
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| • Powerful real-time compression |
| Video can be compressed during recording to conserve disk space – compression options include JPEG and MPEG-4 ( |
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| • FTP upload feature |
| Automatically sends captured footage to a remote computer over a local network or the internet for backup |
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| • Email notification feature |
| Automatically sends an email notification with attached images when motion is detected |
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| • Pre-capture buffer to capture video before the time of motion |
| When a recording is triggered by motion detection, you can have it start from a number of seconds earlier to capture anything important that may have happened before the actual trigger |
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| • Other features include: audible alarms when motion is detected; timestamp feature; schedule to activate cameras at set times of the day/week; mask feature for ignoring motion in certain parts of the video image; Browser feature for easy playback of captured footage; network video streaming from one copy of SecuritySpy to another running on a different computer; auto-deletion of old footage to free disk space; AppleScript support.
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I have set up several of these systems and I really like the fact that SecuritySpy runs on a Mac computer. The Apple Mac is so reliable and has the ability to run without a monitor , keyboard and mouse that it is perfect for a NVR. The Mac has built in remote desktop features so getting to the Mac to configure from an other Mac or PC is a breeze!
Camera Support
Lots of supported cameras. I use AXIS as much as I can.. They just work!!
http://www.bensoftware.com/securityspy/helpcameralist.html
PROBLEMS!!
I have had very few problems with Security Spy and when I have had problems BenSoftware’s email tech support has been pretty good.
I have however had problems having the Mac in one location, say my office , and recording cameras from my house. Over all the process works very well but the bandwidth and speed problems I have at my house is horrible. Streaming one camera from my house to the office over the internet takes my home 5 meg speed test down to 1 meg every time I try it. I might be doing something wrong but at this point I have not found a work around. So using this as a hosted solution where I record from many locations back to the mac at a different location does not work well right now… But remember this is NOT how the product is sold nor does BenSoftware ever say it was designed for this type of application.
The next may not really be a problem as it is more of a wish. SecuritySpy captures all files into a QuickTime movie file. This is nice because it works on everything for playback including my cell phone! With most NVR’s on the market the captured video is searchable via a “smart search” or “motion search”, an other words there really is not a search feature with SecuritySpy. Most systems have a database that the captured footage is stored in. If a database is used you would have the ability to go to a point in time and play video from that point forward. What we do with SecuritySpy is turn on date and time stamp for each camera and then start a new recording every 24 hours. With this method you can search two Quicktime movies if you are looking for something that happened over the last 48 hours. It works but can be a little slow at times for finding footage you need. I totally understand that adding a database to SecuritySpy would be a major undertaking and would add a lot of bulk to the program. Bottom line is, we have a lot of customers running SecuritySpy and they love the program so much they put up with the slow finds on the few times they need it..
Average System
The parts and pieces we like to use with SecuritySpy would be Axis cameras and the Apple Mac Mini computer. To do it right you will also need a POE ethernet switch. I guess you can use the power injector that comes with the cameras but the cord rats nest is really bad sometimes.
In Closing
Like I said above, I can not say enough good stuff about this system! Every time I set up a new system I find something new that is not only “cool” but useful. I have to ask myself sometimes why other programmers of NVR’s don’t add some of the simple things to their products that BenSoftware has added the SecuritySpy. One that I really like is the ability to use my screen saver to view my cameras on my Macbook Pro… Very Cool!!
Thanks Ben and keep it up!!
Category: Physical Security, Surveillance |
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Tags: Surveillance
I have been interested in technology and electronics since my beginning of time. Playing with computers and robots in high school, Ham Radio and flying airplanes have all been a great way to stay connected to the world of technology. Today, I own two companies that focus on everything low voltage, from computer networks to home security and automation. I would like to thank my parents, wife, and kids for allowing me to play!