Complete guide to CCTV control rooms

Why are CCTV control rooms important?

CCTV control rooms play an important role in protecting property, people and assets in commercial buildings, multi-tenant residential premises, industrial complexes, public spaces and other areas where security is critical. This is because CCTV rooms provide security professionals with the facilities to observe and manage building security throughout, rather than relying on observations by security guards on patrol.

The feed from well-positioned CCTV cameras provides security teams with up-to-date information on activity throughout the building. CCTV surveillance rooms enable security professionals to continually observe video feeds and other data to respond quickly to threats before they escalate. Where necessary, CCTV rooms remain operational 24 hours a day to minimize risk outside business hours.

Essentially, a CCTV room shares vital information between security guards and camera operators who work to interpret real-time data and patterns, helping prevent threats such as break-ins, vandalism, violence and social engineering attacks.

Considerations for CCTV room design and setup

When you design a CCTV control room, the goal is to create an environment where CCTV control room operators can work efficiently and comfortably to ensure the highest level of security for your property and people. 

An efficient CCTV control room set-up is essential because operators work in a stressful environment, making critical decisions, particularly if an incident occurs. Your plan should therefore take into account these important CCTV control room requirements:

• Space requirements: The CCTV room should provide sufficient space for the planned number of staff, together with the required consoles, monitors, video walls and other essential CCTV monitoring equipment. It’s also important to account for the wiring and connectivity needed to power your systems and connect devices to your workstations.
• Line of sight: Check that the CCTV control room layout does not have pillars or internal walls that could interfere with operators’ views of shared resources, such as video walls.
• Lighting: The lighting in the security monitoring room should be bright enough for operators to work comfortably over long periods without creating screen glares and causing eye strain or fatigue.
• Heating and ventilation: The HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) system should ensure that temperature and ventilation levels provide a comfortable working environment.
• External noise management: Noise in a security monitoring room can impact operators’ concentration, so it’s essential to identify and manage sources of internal or external noise. Double glazing can keep out external noise such as traffic or weather. Acoustic panels can help to control ambient noise, while adequate insulation limits noise from equipment such as fans or air conditioning systems.
• Comfort and ergonomics: Operator comfort is a priority, so choose comfortable and ergonomically efficient furniture.
• Room security: A surveillance control room possesses valuable equipment and technology that needs to be protected from intruders and thieves. Implementing effective access control and security technology helps to safeguard the monitoring room, provide access to only those who need it and analyze audit logs in case of an incident.

7 key CCTV control room requirements

A CCTV control room should include all the equipment and technologies operators require to observe, analyze and respond to information from CCTV camera footage. The seven things you need for a CCTV room are:

1. Displays and monitors

Each operator views CCTV footage on a professional-grade display unit or monitor. The display or video wall should offer high-resolution images of the area cameras observe.

2. Video storage system

Video footage can be stored in the cloud or on-site through an on-premise solution. This enables staff to access video footage for real-time responses, investigatory purposes or as part of a training program.

3. Network equipment

Network equipment connects different types of CCTV cameras and storage systems to operators’ displays in the security monitoring room. Networks can consist of fixed CCTV cabling, internet connections or wireless systems. Networks should provide fast, reliable connectivity with the capacity and the ability to prioritize high-volume video traffic. 

4. Control room alerts

Control rooms can use multi-colored LED lighting or audio alarms to alert operators to incidents. For example, when a sensor is triggered, the audio system can sound an alert or the room lights can change color until operators acknowledge the alert.

5. Power supply

A CCTV surveillance control room requires a robust reliable power supply with backup to ensure that CCTV room systems are always available. A power failure would leave a gap in security coverage, which could prove critical if an incident occurred.

6. Communication system

Operators communicate and collaborate with CCTV control room colleagues, mobile security patrols and emergency services in different locations. Therefore, the communication system must enable individuals to freely contact one another to relay valuable information, such as the live location of an intruder.

7. AI tools

AI tools help operators detect threats quickly to initiate faster responses that help maintain safety and security. AI security cameras and tools ​‘learn’ patterns so that when an anomaly occurs it can highlight this potential threat to operators. Such tools can be integrated with your CCTV technology for ²⁴⁄₇, automated threat detection.

What tasks does a CCTV control room operator perform?

Control room operators’ primary responsibilities are to observe and manage your security systems and respond to any threats or incidents. Within those broad responsibilities are a large number of individual regular and scheduled tasks which are described below.

Adjusting security equipment

Control room operators ensure that all security-related systems and equipment are operating effectively. While an independent service firm may be responsible for scheduled maintenance, there are several important checks operators should make regularly.

Check CCTV cameras

• Check and adjust camera lenses for optimum viewing
• Clean camera lenses, particularly outdoor cameras, for dirt and dust
• Check the functionality of pan-tilt-zoom cameras
• Check the cameras’ area of coverage for possible obstructions

Check display systems

• Check that displays, monitors and video walls are functioning correctly
• Check that the video footage is visible
• Adjust the display brightness and contrast settings in line with current light levels
• Check that the footage has the correct time and date stamp

Check video storage capacity

• Store surveillance footage securely in line with data protection requirements
• Categorize footage for long or short-term retention, archiving or deletion
• Check the capacity of cloud storage systems and increase them if necessary

Check equipment connectivity

• Check the speed and quality of Internet connections between the control room, cloud storage systems, if using, and any remote monitoring facilities
• Check that power and data cables for displays, cameras and other commercial security systems are in good condition

Analyzing CCTV footage

Control room operators analyze incoming video feeds and notifications from cameras. If the CCTV room operates 24 hours a day, operators work across different shift patterns to ensure your building is continuously observed for safety and security.

• Observe CCTV feeds: Operators view CCTV video content on their monitors or a large video wall. Generally, a CCTV control room supervisor assigns individual operators to specific building areas covered by cameras. This ensures there isn’t confusion about responsibilities if an incident or threat occurs.
• Analyze CCTV feeds: Operators review incoming feeds to identify unusual or suspicious activity as it happens. They can also use AI analytics tools to help perform this task.
• Gather evidence: If an incident has occurred, operators review footage and other data sources, such as access control data or notifications from alarms and sensors. This can help them assess the cause of the incident, identify possible suspects and gather evidence for prosecution.

Incident response

CCTV control room operators must immediately notify supervisors and security patrols if an incident or threat occurs

• Contact supervisors: In a large control room, operators notify supervisors, who decide on the level and type of response to an incident. For example, if there is a break-in, they may dispatch security guards to deal with the incident. If certain groups of people are at risk, supervisors alert them. If there is an emergency, such as a fire, supervisors may contact police or fire and ambulance services.
• Contact security patrols: Operators or their supervisors must alert security patrols and provide them with up-to-date information on the situation. They might share relevant video feeds or update patrols on the progress of the response. 

Reporting 

CCTV control room operators provide daily, weekly or monthly reports to CCTV room supervisors, security managers and other stakeholders. The reports cover several important factors. 

• Incident reports: Provide valuable evidence for future legal action and physical security planning. They may also highlight any vulnerabilities in surveillance coverage or access control systems that require remediation.
• Equipment reports: Equipment reports help supervisors plan maintenance and repairs to ensure reliable operation and availability.

Benefits and challenges of operating CCTV surveillance rooms

Benefits

• Single source of information: A security monitor room brings together information from all security systems, including commercial CCTV cameras, access control systems, alarms and sensors, providing operators with a single, seamless view of all security-related activity. This can support incident responses and investigations after the fact.
• Faster response to security incidents: Continuous CCTV coverage and analysis can help staff respond quickly and effectively to any threats in and outside a building.
• Stronger protection for your business: Greater situational awareness and faster response times mean your business can enjoy enhanced protection.
• Reduced reliance on manual patrols: By concentrating resources in a CCTV surveillance room, security professionals can observe vulnerable areas without relying on patrol observations. 

Challenges

• Privacy concerns: Your staff and visitors around the facility may feel uncomfortable being watched continuously by operators in the control room. However, reassuring them that the CCTV control room helps protect their safety and privacy can go a long way to making them feel at ease.
• Complex technologies:CCTV systems can be complex equipment that requires experts to use, maintain and fix. Hiring staff with sufficient experience can be costly, but this is small compared to the cost to people’s safety and financial damage from an incident.

Operating a CCTV room: best practices

A CCTV surveillance room is a strategic space where operators deal with tasks critical to the security and safety of your business and your people. It’s therefore essential to follow a series of best practices:

• Limit control room access: Ensure only authorized staff can access the CCTV room. Unrestricted access can lead to the theft of equipment, loss of valuable data or disturbance in the room resulting in missed incidents.
• Restrict non-essential monitoring: CCTV cameras should only cover vulnerable or highly secure areas. Excessive CCTV coverage may contravene privacy legislation.
• Comply with legislation: CCTV footage may include personal or confidential information. To comply with data protection legislation, such as NDAA compliance requirements, data must be securely stored and protected.
• Allocate adequate resources: Supervisors must ensure that the correct number of staff is available to cover all stations. Inadequate cover can leave security gaps, increase workloads and escalate risk. Additionally, each team in the CCTV control room or central monitoring station must have a supervisor to help manage operations and ensure the team’s responsibilities are carried out
• Manage shift patterns: Plan shift patterns and rest periods so that CCTV control room operators do not work excessive hours, particularly overnight staff.
• Encourage collaboration: An incident may require input from different operators and teams. Ensure that each member has the tools to collaborate effectively.

Conclusion

A CCTV monitoring room is an essential resource for your business. Planning and designing an efficient, productive CCTV room can help operators work efficiently, possess the technologies required to perform and maintain the concentration essential to maximize security.

Planning a control room can be challenging, so working with security consultants to obtain professional advice and guidance on the optimum CCTV control room setup for your business may be useful.