Thanks for the broadband… Can you throw in some video surveillance?

What kinds of freebies do you get with your broadband? Unlimited data? A free Xbox maybe?

How about throwing in some cloud-stored video surveillance? That’s what Australian ISP TPG is doing with its latest business bundle.

For $49.99 per month small businesses can get unlimited ADSL2+ with cloud video surveillance thrown in (plus a $140 WiFi surveillance camera which is essentially a high-spec webcam) to give users a “YouTube-like viewing experience.”

Users will then get 24/7 surveillance capabilities with up to 48 hours of cloud storage for the video, which can also be downloaded in the event of an incident.

It’s all pretty basic, but certainly an interesting concept.

With IT companies increasingly moving into the mainstream security space, security manufacturers and distributors need to be aware of the developments in the consumer space.

This particular system is unlikely to rival the middle and high-end market of CCTV equipment, but it will certainly squeeze the entry-level providers.

TPG’s Craig Levy said that ADSL provided some interesting challenges, notably the relaively slow upload speed. He told PC Advisor: “We have managed to achieve impressive video quality in full screen using only 256 Kbps of upload bandwidth.”

Modest bandwidth levels like this suggest the camera would only be useful in a very small office, and certainly would not be a sufficient alternative to a properly specified surveillance system.

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