Security Equipment and Technology
CCTV and recording
A CCTV system has cameras, a recorder (DVR or NVR), storage, a monitor and power backup. Know the difference between live view and recording, check the time stamp, and confirm retention days. Test cameras daily, log faults, and restrict footage access. Evidence needs a chain-of-custody record: who exported it, when, from which channel, and where it was stored.
Access control and screening
Card readers, keypads, biometrics and turnstiles control entry; anti-passback prevents card sharing. Hand-held and walk-through metal detectors screen people; X-ray scanners screen bags. A boom barrier controls vehicles. Fire alarm panels, PA systems, UPS and emergency lighting must be checked and logged.
Fault handling
Follow a simple sequence: check power, check the cable or network link, check the recorder or controller, check the log. Do not open equipment you are not trained to service.
Worked example. A camera shows a black screen. The guard checks whether other channels are working; if only one is black, the fault is at that camera or its cable, not the recorder. He records the fault, informs the supervisor and the vendor, and notes it in the handover. Reasoning: isolating whether the fault is one camera, one channel or the whole system saves repair time and avoids unnecessary downtime.
Traps that cost marks
Assuming recorded footage carries the correct time, exporting clips without a log, ignoring a failed UPS, and forcing a turnstile or barrier that has jammed instead of reporting it.