Achieving real-time video over cellular

From monitoring transportation hubs to ensuring public safety and securing critical infrastructure, high-quality video surveillance cameras and systems play an important role in a wide range of industries.

However, the ability to deliver actionable insights in the moment hinges on the capability for real-time video streaming.

The terms ‘live’ and ‘real-time’ are often used interchangeably, but they have distinct meanings in the context of video surveillance systems. Live video surveillance refers to the ability to view footage as it’s being captured, with minimal latency. While this may sound similar to real-time video surveillance, the difference lies in the time it takes for the data to be processed and displayed.

In a real-time surveillance system, the latency is effectively negligible, meaning the video is delivered and displayed almost instantaneously. This can be achieved using cutting-edge real-time streaming technologies that optimise video compression to eliminate delays. This distinction is especially important in industries such as defence and emergency services, where milliseconds can make the difference between success and failure.

The benefits of real-time video streaming

Real-time video provides a host of benefits that improve security, efficiency and decision-making across industries.

Enhanced situational awareness

In environments like transportation hubs, large-scale events and emergency incidents, the ability to access real-time video streaming provides critical insights without delay. Operators can identify threats, monitor evolving situations and coordinate responses seamlessly.

Improved response times

A real-time surveillance system ensures the information being acted upon is current. In law enforcement, for instance, this means pursuing suspects based on live, accurate locations rather than outdated feeds. Real-time video streaming ensures operators and decision-makers see what’s happening as it unfolds, empowering faster and more accurate responses.

High-quality streaming across networks

With high-quality real-time video streaming, even challenging network conditions can support clear, actionable video. This is vital for applications like defence and border security, where connectivity may be inconsistent due to poor infrastructure or remote locations.

Scalability and accessibility

Industries like retail and logistics benefit from high-quality video surveillance cameras that can be scaled and re-deployed to deliver real-time video streaming across multiple sites. Decision-makers can monitor operations from anywhere, ensuring efficiency and security at scale.

The challenges of delivering real-time surveillance

There’s just one problem with delivering reliable real-time streaming technologies. Traditional video systems aren’t designed to upload real-time video over mobile networks, resulting in patchy footage and expensive tariff plans.

Video over cellular networks can experience significant delays that don’t support real-time feeds, and conventional surveillance systems only provide visibility of wired infrastructure sites or areas with strong network connections.

However, one of the most significant hurdles is bandwidth. Traditional surveillance systems often rely on uncompressed or minimally compressed video feeds, which can require substantial data throughput.

Cellular networks, particularly in areas with limited connectivity or high user density, often struggle to support the high data demands of real-time video streaming without introducing latency — resulting in delays or degraded quality.

So, high-quality video surveillance systems are not enough.

To truly achieve real-time video over cellular, modern systems must incorporate advanced real-time video compression techniques that optimise data transmission without sacrificing quality. This is especially crucial for cellular networks where bandwidth can be limited or variable.

The industry’s best-kept secret

Our proprietary platform, EdgeVis, provides usable video streams where no other solution can — even in environments with limited bandwidth. It’s the only video platform designed to stream and operate real-time surveillance systems over cellular networks, thanks to our patented AI-based video codec.

By combining low-bandwidth video streaming with new or existing camera technology, we can enable more businesses and authorities to access reliable, high-quality video surveillance systems at lower, more predictable costs.

EdgeVis is unique in its ability to adapt swiftly to changing networks and complex scene conditions, cutting bandwidth costs by up to 90% without visible quality loss in low-latency environments.

The unique software guarantees video quality with intelligent bandwidth allocation that avoids latency build-up and allows users to stay connected even with poor network coverage by streaming at only 9 Kb/s. Dynamic load adjustment also ensures quick recovery after network interruption for quality-of-service reliability.

With Digital Barriers, low maintenance meets high performance — for real-time surveillance you can count on.

Ready to unlock the full potential of real-time video over cellular? We’ve been trusted by the defence sector for over 10 years, and our AI-based video solutions have been productised and launched by many global partners, including AT&T, BT and Vodafone. Contact hello@digitalbarriers.com for more information about EdgeVis.