Special Products
What Is Edge AI?
Edge AI refers to running video analytics directly on the camera's built-in processor. Modern surveillance cameras with specialised AI chips can perform object detection, classification, and tracking without sending video to a central server. This eliminates the latency associated with cloud processing.
The main advantage of edge AI is that it works even if your internet connection goes down. All processing happens locally, and only alerts (not full video) need to be transmitted. This dramatically reduces bandwidth requirements and cloud storage costs.
What Does Cloud-Based Analytics Offer?
Cloud-based video analytics processes footage on remote servers with virtually unlimited computational power. This enables more sophisticated algorithms, including facial recognition across multiple camera streams, heat mapping, and long-term behaviour analysis that would be impossible on a single camera's processor.
The cloud model also simplifies updates and maintenance. New AI models and detection capabilities can be deployed centrally without needing to update each individual camera's firmware. This is particularly valuable for large-scale deployments with hundreds or thousands of cameras.
Making the Right Choice
For most applications, a hybrid approach offers the best of both worlds. Edge AI cameras handle real-time detection and immediate alerts with zero latency, while cloud processing is used for forensic analysis, cross-camera tracking, and generating business intelligence reports.
If you have limited internet bandwidth or require real-time response, prioritise edge AI. If you need advanced analytics across many cameras and have reliable high-bandwidth connectivity, cloud-based solutions can provide deeper insights.
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