CCTV is a common term when it comes to business and site security, but are you familiar with the term VSS? The two terms are closely linked and are often used interchangeably surrounding the topic of security cameras, but are often misused. In this blog, we’ve cleared up the difference between CCTV and VSS so that you can use them correctly and understand clearly the key terminology.
What is CCTV?
CCTV stands for ‘closed-circuit television’. A CCTV system is a type of video surveillance system that consists of video cameras that transmit their footage back to a display monitor, which allows for real-time viewing of the footage as well as the ability to play it back. CCTV systems are mainly used for security purposes and are extremely effective in preventing, deterring, stopping and reducing crime from taking place, especially on business sites.
What is VSS?
VSS on the other hand stands for ‘video surveillance systems’. An umbrella term, VSS covers many types of video surveillance systems, one of those being CCTV. Due to the rise and ever-increasing development of technology, the scope of VSS is growing, and therefore is becoming the term most commonly used to describe such camera surveillance with respect to security.
Whereby CCTV would have once been used to describe a business’s video surveillance efforts, mainly due to only having a CCTV system in place, now the term VSS is becoming increasingly used, due to it covering more than just CCTV systems. For example, VSS covers drones, body-worn cameras, automatic number plate recognition (ANPR), artificial intelligence technology and will go on to cover any new technology too.
VSS is therefore the overarching term that covers CCTV systems. As technology develops, businesses are more likely to have other means of video surveillance than CCTV and therefore VSS could be a more appropriate term to use.
VSS is proving effective in prosecuting those accused of crime. Dorset police reported a yearly average of 47,000 crimes between 2015-2018, of which there were approximately 10,000 positive outcomes.
Video surveillance with RMS
At RMS, we can monitor and manage various types of video surveillance systems. From CCTV systems to ANPR, we are able to support your sites as they develop. You can get in touch with the team for a FREE quote or for more information by calling 0330 002 1149.
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