Mac Mini as a Security Camera Server

Security Cameras

Maybe the second most important task the Mac Mini performs is to administer a portion of our security cameras at our office. We have many cameras and rely on Security Spy by BenSoftware for the muscle behind our hardware. We have two computers that crunch the data. A Mac Pro that acts as the central computer for our entire security camera operation and storage. A mini setup as a processing machine for three camera's that run continuously and only record motion events. Analyzing video is a CPU intense task and utilizing a mini for cameras helps reduce the peak load on the Mac Pro. 

I have been a paid and satisfied user of Security Spy since 2007 and with that experience I am going to give a quick run down of a simple system below. I won't be posting any cool screen shots since it would reveal secure information but you can visit Ben's site to see what Security Spy looks like from the inside out. It is nothing short of amazing.

DIY Video Surveillance

Security and surveillance does not have to be professionally installed, complicated, or expensive.  A  video security system that alerts your phone and sends your email with photographs the instant something changes in your work place can be an easy do-it-yourself project.  You just need the following: camera, computer, network, and software to run the system.

Purchase good network camera’s that are built for surveillance.  Will your camera be inside your plant or office out of the way of mother nature?  If you are going to monitor your office or indoor manufacturing facility, save money and purchase an indoor camera.  If your camera will have a view of the sun at any time or it will be outside, purchase an outdoor camera to keep your imaging chip from being damaged by the sun and to maximize the life of the camera. An outdoor camera enclosure may be necessary for outdoor cameras if rain or snow will reach the camera.

You get what you pay for and a $100 network camera will give you $100 photographs that look like blurry cell phone images/video you see on the evening news.  Spend $200 - $1000 and get great cameras that will deliver high resolution photographs and video quality that you see on your HD television. Axis is the brand that I can recommend for any company looking to buy the best product on a modest budget. Axis camera’s have performed at my company for well over six years with no problems and have two arrests to show for it. Power over ethernet (POE) cameras will need a POE switch. POE cameras do not need to be plugged in to a 115v wall outlet. They get their power from the ethernet cable via the POE switch. These days, this is the standard.

This camera tracks all license plates and concrete products as they leave our facility.

The next item that will be important is a computer.  If you are going to have four or less camera’s running and are only going to record motion, than you should be able to run the system off any computer purchased within the last 12 - 18 months.  If you are going to run six or more camera’s, I recommend you purchase a computer with major CPU power (latest generation Mac Pro would does this job with no problems) and several big hard drives or just pick up another mini to help get the job done. At this point, another mini would probably fit the budget a lot better. The more camera’s you use, the more processing power your computer needs to keep your system running at it’s best. The more you record and the longer the history you keep, the more hard drive space you will need.

A network.  You will need a basic local area network which your company probably already has.  This is how your camera will communicate with your computer and ultimately the internet to alert you of possible activity.  Network’s are easy to setup and if you don’t know how, just grab the first available teenager you find and in 30 minutes or less, you will be ready to go.

A security software program should be chosen for it’s features and ability to perform.  I use Security Spy, previously mentioned, and have been very pleased with the ease of use and feature sets it provides.  A recording schedule can be customized that allows you to only record motion events between certain times (i.e. between 8 pm and 6 am M - F and all day Saturday and Sunday).  You can choose to record a set number of seconds before motion was detected and after the motion stops. Or record continuously taking shots every one second, two or five etc. Continuos recording will reduce your hard drive space rapidly.  

A good security program will send your cell phone a text message alerting you that a motion event is taking place in view of one of your cameras. An email will be sent out with one to many photographs of the camera view recording the motion. You should also be able to log into the system from any computer around the world via your web browser to adjust settings and watch live.

You may want to watch for safety reasons, or training purposes, or maybe you are trying to catch the vandal who is stealing your tools and equipment at night. $1000 can easily get your system setup and running with everything you need including several high quality cameras.

Don’t forget to inform your employee’s of what you are doing. Some states require notifications to be placed in plain site on your employee news board. Check with your state officials to make sure you follow the rules. Good luck!

User Experience with a mini as a security camera server: A+
Price: Varies

User Experience with Security Spy: A+
Transmit Price: Varies but reasonably priced

Recommendation: If you want a camera over your front door to keep an eye on your UPS packages, I can't say enough about this software. If you want instant alerts to your phone of thieves trying to walk off with $100,000 of inventory, I can say it works wonderfully.