IoT based Warehouse eSurveillance: Solutions & Requirements

A warehouse helps manage a large amount of inventory for a business. It assists in matching the supply with the demand of a rapidly changing environment and is a fundamental asset to the business.

However, as the global economy is growing, warehouses are becoming increasingly tempting targets for criminals. In response to that, companies are trying to invest heavily into better and efficient warehouse e-surveillance solutions.

Warehouse e-surveillance solutions depend upon leveraging the Internet of Things (IoT) to upscale and implement new state-of-the-art security solutions to protect valuable cargo and safeguard employees.

Top IoT Solutions For Warehouse E-surveillance

1. Cargo and Inventory tracking with RFID & barcode scanners

Tracking inventory is vital for all companies. Inventory tracking provides a company with data on how much stock it owns, where it is stored, and the goods’ status (damaged, returned). This form of inventory management that tracks the movement of goods across the warehouse also helps deter theft and loss.

By tradition, asset tracking and inventory management in retail supply chain depended on old-school methods like manual supervision, guarding & tracking. These methods are the reason behind many prevailing problems, which augment as the size of the inventory increases. As a result, these solutions have become obsolete and have been taken over by IoT based warehouse esurveillance solutions.

Modern asset tracking requires the employment of the latest technology RFID Inventory management. This refers to the process of managing products in warehouses by using RFID tags, readers, and software.

It requires a scanner to communicate with an RFID tag, and tracking with this technology erases distance limitations to a great extent. The inventory tags and the reader do not have to be in direct contact, thus removing the need for manual intervention altogether.

Some basic benefits of using RFID in inventory management are as follows.

• Seamless optimization of Inventory management process
• Reduction in overall operational cost
• Transparency in reporting
• Prevent over-stocking or under-stocking a product
• Improves inventory accuracy
• Maintains consistency in supply chain

2. AI-Enabled Security solution

Smart warehouse monitoring with the Internet Protocol(IP) Cameras is essential. These cameras can send the image data via the internet, which facilitates the need for real-time monitoring. It is the delivery of continuously updated information streaming at zero latency.

The IP cameras also provide the ability to store the videos on cloud or local storage. It can help you stop security threats altogether by giving security professionals the capability to watch over and manage the warehouse at all times.

The use of various IoT based sensors to monitor the warehouse & its surroundings complements the IP cameras by establishing an integrated surveillance solution.

Many warehouse accidents occur because of environmental factors. Intelligent sensors have been used to monitor and control mechanisms in a wide variety of environments.

One of the main benefits of using IoT based warehouse esurveillance is real-time alerts. These alerts are sent instantly as app notifications, text messages, or emails to detect a hazard or accident. The warnings can avert a theft or incident of pilferage and help minimize the after-effects of an accident.

3. Access control & perimeter intrusion solutions

Controlled access in the warehouses can prevent a majority of thefts and various security incidents. Artificial intelligence-based cameras are the best solution to control access to warehouses.

The cameras can detect people entering & leaving, leveraging their HD image quality for clear footage that acts as evidence in case of intrusions. Untimely access to the facility, unauthorized access to data servers, or forced entry can all be detected by the on-site smart devices.

Along with these cameras, various sensors can also be used, like motion sensors, glass break sensors, and vibration sensors. These help surveillance staff detect any unusual motion or occurrences in the warehouse.

Cameras are also equipped with self-health & tamper detection, sending alerts to escalations if someone tampers with the hardware or the camera is unable to record or process the data.

What are the requirements of Warehouse e-surveillance?

1. Equipments

• IP cameras

The Internet Protocol Cameras are used for upscaling e-surveillance. Security cameras with visible surveillance will deter theft and allow you to broadcast the footage from your surveillance system over the internet, which facilitates real-time monitoring. They also provide the ability to store the videos on cloud or on local storage.

• RFID scanners

RFID Inventory management is done by using RFID tags, scanners, and software. The tag communicates with the scanner.

Particularly in the warehouses, where maintaining inventory accuracy is an ongoing challenge, there are some benefits to implementing a more automated system. Using an RFID inventory system has been shown to improve inventory accuracy by up to 13% compared to traditional inventory tracking methods.

• Sensors

IoT based warehouse esurveillance solutions are equipped with intelligent sensors used to monitor and control mechanisms in a wide variety of environments. Smart Sensors can detect and monitor surroundings in real-time, giving more insight into warehouse operations & security.

Different types of sensors are:

• Smoke sensors
• LHT (Light, Humidity, Temperature) Sensors
• Glass break sensors
• Door sensors
• Thermal sensors
• Motion sensors
• Pressure sensor

2. IoT platform

An IoT platform is used to bridge the gap between the different edge devices and the data network. A platform collects data captured by a sensor or the IP camera to make sense of it and analyze it while allowing authorized users to access all the data at a single point.

There are multiple components attached to an IoT platform.

• Connected IoT devices collect types of data via different kinds of sensors or cameras from the environment.
• Connectivity solutions enable the devices to communicate with each other, like sending data to the cloud or receiving commands.
• Data processing software performs the analysis on the data and makes sense of it.
• Monitoring software acts as a user interface to visualize the processed data. The IoT platform provides connectivity across various warehouses and an integrated platform to monitor its data.

3. Analytical Capabilities

IoT platforms are capable of providing various analytical solutions. It allows us to create insights into the data received from the devices across the warehouses. It provides the aggregating functionality and also calculates basic statistics from the data present on the platform.

Another functionality being predictive analytics enables users to predict possible problem areas in the future and help improve operations. Stored historical data and applied analytics can provide users with patterns of consumption and demand, which can help predict future consumption patterns.

4. Reliable Network

For any type of e-surveillance solution to function to its maximum capability, the presence of a strong network connectivity is necessary. IP cameras and intelligent sensors require direct connectivity to the on-site video recorders and routers, whether via a LAN cable or WiFi.

For data to be transmitted to the cloud in real-time, it relies greatly on the network bandwidth. The absence of a strong network can lead to data latency, incomplete transmission, or if the activities of the warehouse are boarded on the same network, it might lead to delays in overall performance.

Conclusion

Warehouses are an essential part of a company and need enhanced security and surveillance measures. Thefts, equipment-related accidents, fire outbreaks, are often heard of in company warehouses.

IoT based warehouse management solutions are available for security and surveillance. It falls back on IoT applications and devices to establish a smart and automation-based warehouse esurveillance structure.

IGZY’s E surveillance company focuses on establishing a secure & efficiently functioning facility by leveraging state-of-the-art IoT technologies.

Want to learn more about our solution and what we can do for you? Fill this form to book a virtual demo today!