Introduction
A robust internet connection is not just a ‘nice to have’ – it is critical to ensure all your sites (no matter how remote) are secure, protected, accessible, and always connected. With an automatic failover activating immediately upon loss of the primary connection, you have peace of mind that your CCTV system is always secure, whilst ensuring you never lose access to your real time HD footage.
The i-ctrl, with its unique automatic failover functionality, enables you to combine internet connections (including 4G/5G & Starlink) to eliminate outages, improve network security and many other business critical benefits, in all locations.
What is Automatic Failover?
Automatic failover is the term that describes the process of automatically switching to a backup internet provider if there is an outage on your primary internet connection. By having the ability to combine multiple internet connections using the i-ctrl, an issue with your primary connection will not affect your ability to access your CCTV system.
The i-ctrl software continually checks that it has a connection from the CPE to the Netcelero core network via a “keep-alive”. If the keep-alive detects an outage of more than 15 seconds on your primary connection, it will automatically failover to the backup connection. The automatic failover process keeps the static IP address, so from a remote location you see a brief drop, rather than a change in IP address.
When the primary connection returns after about 30-60 seconds, the tunnel automatically fails back to the primary connection. This means that even in the event a fixed line is vandalised, constant live streaming continues, as the internet connection seamlessly fails over to the back up.
The i-ctrl solution
Simply insert any SIMs from any network you choose and/or connect any DSL or fibre router to the i-ctrl and instantly receive a static public IPV4 address which sits across the multiple connections. The i-ctrl transforms any internet connection, even just two standard 4G SIMs, into a secure, resilient, diverse communications path.
The i-ctrl pathway enables you to access every connected device on site, remotely – i-ctrl users say it is like having an engineer in the palm of their hand. The i-ctrl device is instantly deployable and secure, delivering an automatic failover, with selectable levels of firewall protection, to ensure always-on connectivity.
Benefits of Automatic Failover technology for monitoring companies/ARC’s
Netcelero is a trusted provider of secure, reliable connectivity solutions for remote CCTV monitoring companies.
Our easy-to-deploy i-ctrl solution creates a secure communications path, providing resilient and reliable access to any onsite hardware. We facilitate full control and visibility of connectivity at any site, regardless of location or environment, and we help monitoring companies to overcome many major challenges that they are faced with, including:
- Fast reliable connectivity in those areas that struggle for a decent connection.
- Install cameras in any location, including remote locations or temporary sites where DSL or fibre access is not readily available.
- 24/7 proactive monitoring so that field engineers aren’t called out unnecessarily to solve connectivity issues or false alarms.
- Remote secure VPN to access tools such as SADP to manage the network parameters of DVR’s and IP cameras.
- A robust automatic failover solution across an entire network of cameras.
- Eliminate DVR hacks and even the most sophisticated cyber-attacks with the i-ctrl’s powerful inbuilt pfFirewall. Get effective security without the need to add additional costly hardware such as SonicWALL’s.
- Static IP addresses from any type of connection.
Automatic Failover is perfect for all Industries
- Internet connectivity for the Construction industry is now as critical as building supplies and construction workers. Relying on a single connection is a risk that no project can afford, therefore automatic failover between diverse connections is necessary for any construction site.
- From pop-up to large retailer, resilient connectivity is critical as being offline means you may as well not be open – from point of sale systems to card terminals, CCTV and stock replenishment systems, relying on a single connection is a false economy for any Retail business as over 95% of transactions are now completed through credit card terminals.
- Renewable energy sites need cost-efficient, high-speed connectivity that is reliable and available 24/7, even on 4G, as each wind turbine or solar farm is remotely monitored and controlled for real-time efficiency to harness the strength of nature. Ensuring uninterrupted remote connectivity to onsite hardware for maintenance and management purposes is essential for many reasons, with rising fuel costs being one hot-topic example.
Automatic Failover and Cyber Security
Automatic failover is an important function for critical systems such as CCTV monitoring that require continuous access to the onsite video data in real time. Internet Service Provides (ISP’s) are not immune from cyber-attacks such as DDoS attacks. In fact, the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NSCS) recently updated its guidance advising firms to build resilience and stay ahead of potential threats to critical national infrastructure – such as telecommunications – citing specific vulnerabilities Russian hackers have been known to exploit.
CCTV managed service providers are being urged to bolster cybersecurity resilience in case of malicious incidents, but many are not heeding this warning. By using Netcelero and a secondary broadband connection, you have automatic failover between your diverse connections, thus reducing the risk of being locked out of your CCTV network due to an outage with an ISP who has been affected by a cyber security breach.
Learn More
Our expert engineers are always on-hand to offer support and guidance. Feel free to contact us with any questions and we will be happy to discuss the best options available to compliment your current CCTV offerings and ensure your sites are always cyber secure and always remotely accessible.
