I paid a local service to install the camera system. I can get on-line anywhere and look around my shop for problems. It's pretty slow, though. DSL, big video feed, it takes a bit of patience to watch.
I use the cameras for more than just security. It's great for figuring out what vehicle was driven by whom, what time a crew left or returned. A lot of our work is billed by the hour, or guys will screw up on their timecards. I can figure out what really happened. I even found my mechanics keys once when he couldn't: we tracked him around the lot, spotting him until his keys weren't on his belt anymore. "go out and look in the gravel by the scrap iron pile...yep. He found them.
When my building alarm began having trouble, I got a new control box installed. I fired the monitoring service, and got anther one. It cost's about $25 a month.
The new building alarm is pretty cool. I can get on-line at my house, and change operator codes, business operation hours, all sorts of stuff. It alerts me with a text message to my phone (or any other e-mail, if I chose to set it up) every time the system is armed, or dis-armed. It tells me what operator opened up the system, so I can give more people access to the property now. I used to be very concerned that someone would return late at night with keys and a good passcode, and rip me off. Can't happen without my notice!
It will notify me if the system is not turned off when the business should be open, and it notifies me if someone forgets to arm the system after a certain hour.
If not armed, I can arm it over the internet, or I can shut it off to allow someone in who might be given a key, but no passcode for the alarm. Sometimes I leave a door unlocked, knowing that an employee can get in, and that I can turn it off before the cops show up.
If there is an alarm, it calls me with an automated system that allows me to disable the alarm from my cellular. OR...it sends an alarm signal to the monitoring company, who calls the police, who show up eventually.
Most thievery I have suffered in the past was from employees that knew what they could get away with. Now they know they can't.
