Guides

AI video search vs a traditional VMS

A VMS records, stores and plays back video. AI video search adds meaning on top, so you find moments by describing them instead of scrubbing footage by hand.

Alternatives to facial recognition on CCTV

The practical alternative to facial recognition is searching what's visible on CCTV: plain-English descriptions of people, found in seconds without identifying anyone.

CCTV and GDPR: what you can and can't do

Running CCTV at a UK business is legal if you can say why you're recording, tell people, keep footage no longer than needed, and answer requests for it.

How AI video search works

AI video search works by turning video into text: a vision model describes each frame, the descriptions get indexed, and your search is a query over words, not pixels.

How to catch self-checkout theft

Catch self-checkout theft by pointing a camera at the till bank: it flags an unscanned item, a barcode swap or a bag filled before payment as it happens.

How to check your CCTV cameras remotely from your phone

From a phone, sign in to app.svid.ai and you get the same Library, alerts and search as on a desktop, so checking on a site is opening the app, not an NVR.

How to connect RTSP cameras to AI

If your camera or recorder exposes an RTSP stream, you can point AI at it directly. Svid reads the feed as-is, captured server-side, with no new hardware to install.

How to detect falls in a care home

Camera-based fall detection alerts care home staff the moment a resident goes down, using the cameras already installed, with no wearables to charge or forget.

How to detect fire or smoke with CCTV

Cameras already watching a warehouse, kitchen or plant room can flag visible smoke or flame the moment it appears, often before a point alarm triggers.

How to find a person in CCTV footage

Don't scrub. Describe them: type what the person was wearing and search jumps to every matching moment in your footage. No tracking, no facial recognition.

How to find CCTV evidence for an insurance claim

Find CCTV evidence for a claim by searching footage in plain English, building the timeline around the incident, and exporting clips before retention overwrites them.

How to find the RTSP URL for a Dahua camera

Dahua cameras and recorders publish RTSP at a realmonitor URL on port 554, on by default, confirmed in the device's own network settings page.

How to find the RTSP URL for a Hikvision camera

Hikvision cameras and NVRs expose RTSP at a predictable Streaming/Channels URL on port 554, once you've confirmed it in the device's own network settings.

How to find the RTSP URL for a Reolink camera

Reolink documents its RTSP format directly: a Preview URL on port 554, switched off by default on most models until you enable it in settings.

How to find the RTSP URL for a TP-Link Tapo camera

Tapo cameras set up RTSP inside the app itself, with a separate local camera account, then use a stream1 URL on port 554 once that's created.

How to find the RTSP URL for a Ubiquiti UniFi Protect camera

UniFi Protect generates the RTSP link per camera inside the Protect app itself, served from your console on port 7447, not a URL you build yourself.

How to find the RTSP URL for an Amcrest camera

Amcrest cameras use Dahua's RTSP format, a realmonitor URL on port 554, on by default, confirmed in the device's own network settings page.

How to find the RTSP URL for an Annke camera

Annke's wired NVR cameras use a Hikvision-style RTSP URL on port 554; its Wi-Fi and battery models vary a lot, so check yours before assuming.

How to get alerts from CCTV footage

To get useful CCTV alerts, have AI read the footage and flag the events you care about: on screen, by email, or by JSON webhook into systems you already run.

How to get daily reports from your security cameras

Get a daily report from your security cameras by having AI watch the footage and email a plain-English recap of everything that mattered at the end of the day.

How to get evidence of pests before an inspection

Pests show up overnight, when the kitchen is empty. Point a camera at the risk areas and let an AI check flag activity with timestamps before the EHO does.

How to know when a care home resident leaves their bed

A camera on a bed-monitoring rota can flag the moment a falls-risk resident leaves their bed at night, so a carer checks instead of finding out on the round.

How to log vehicle activity and parking violations on site

Keep a searchable log of vehicles on site and flag violations like a blocked fire lane or an overstayed bay, from a camera you already have. No ANPR.

How to make CCTV footage searchable

Make CCTV footage searchable by having a vision model describe every frame. Once descriptions are indexed, finding any moment is a text search that takes seconds.

How to measure footfall in a shop

You can measure footfall with the CCTV you already own: AI counts who comes in, when, and how long they stay. No door sensors, no beam counters, no new hardware.

How to monitor multiple security cameras at once

One person can't really watch nine camera feeds at once. The workable fix is AI that reads every feed live and surfaces the few moments worth human attention.

How to monitor PPE compliance on site

You can monitor PPE compliance with the cameras already on site: AI flags a missing hard hat or hi-vis vest as it happens, as a live alert or a daily report.

How to prevent shoplifting in your shop

Prevent shoplifting by making your shop a harder target: clear sightlines, staff who greet people, sensible layout, and cameras that actually get watched.

How to prove kitchen and hand hygiene compliance

A camera over the prep line and wash station builds a running record of hygiene practice, so the evidence for an EHO visit or audit already exists.

How to reconstruct an incident from CCTV

To reconstruct an incident from CCTV, treat it as questions put to the footage: when did it happen, what led to it, who was involved. AI answers each in seconds.

How to reduce checkout queues with CCTV

The fastest way to reduce checkout queues is to know the moment one forms. A camera on the tills can alert staff the instant the line passes your threshold.

How to search through hours of CCTV footage

Stop scrubbing. The fastest way to search hours of CCTV footage is to have AI describe every frame, then type what you're looking for in plain English.

How to spot forklift near misses in a warehouse

Spot forklift near misses by pointing a camera at the aisle or loading area: it flags the moment a forklift and a pedestrian share space too closely.

How to stay under your occupancy limit

A camera on the entrance can flag when a room or venue is running over its stated capacity, before it becomes a compliance problem rather than after.

How to stop parcel theft in an apartment building

Parcel theft happens in the gap between delivery and collection. Shrink the gap where you can, and put an AI check on the lobby camera for the rest.

How to stop people entering restricted areas

Draw a zone once and Svid flags anyone visible inside it outside the times or people you've allowed, on a plant room, roof or rear yard.

How to stop tailgating in a 24/7 gym

Door hardware logs the badge, not the second person through the door. To stop tailgating in an unstaffed gym, flag each incident on camera with footage attached.

How to track activity at a loading dock

A camera on the loading dock can keep a timestamped, searchable record of what came and went, ready the day a delivery is disputed or timekeeping is in question.

How to transcribe and search CCTV audio

Svid can transcribe a camera's audio track into searchable text, so a search matches what was said on camera the same way it matches what was seen.

How to turn security footage into a highlight reel

Svid's Edits feature turns a prompt like the busiest two minutes at the till this week into a real cut-together video, assembled from footage you already have.

How to use a phone as an AI security camera

A phone propped on a shelf can work as a real AI security camera: point its live camera at the scene and Svid treats it like any CCTV feed, searchable and alertable.

How to verify a cleaning contractor actually cleaned

Pointing a camera at the areas a cleaning contract covers turns whether they actually came into a report you can check in a minute, not a dispute.