McDonald’s is currently refurbishing hundreds of its premises across the UK including the option to order food from touchscreens to minimise queuing time, the introduction of table service at many locations and upgrading of the CCTV.

See-AV specified Comelit’s full-HD (1080p) mini-dome IP colour cameras for use internally so that staff would benefit from the security and operational benefits that come with high-quality, real-time images. Use of the H.264 compression codec within the NVR means that this image quality is being achieved with low bandwidth requirements meaning that camera images can be viewed easily over a network or remotely using a Smartphone or tablet.

Comelit’s ONVIF-compatible IP mini-domes have a 3.6mm fixed-lens and are waterproof to IP66 making them ideal for installation within a kitchen environment. The cameras have been installed to monitor customers (both eat-in and drive-through) as well as staff at the tills and in the kitchens where food is prepared.

McDonald’s is recording video from more than 30 IP cameras at the site using a Comelit network video recorder (NVR). These are available as pure network devices or hybrid units with various combinations of IP, AHD 2.0, TVI and analogue inputs. Up to 36 simultaneous connections can be achieved with a single NVR and video monitoring is possible from network video transmitters, cameras and legacy DVRs. The NVR being used at this particular restaurant has a capacity of 16Tb allowing continuous recording for up to 31 days.

The restaurant will begin to exploit the remote viewing and diagnostic capabilities of the central management software (CMS) within the Comelit recorders as the project matures. There is a facility for ‘panic’ recording that can be controlled remotely if required. The equipment has only recently been installed but staff have already benefited from the ability to quickly isolate a relevant piece of footage and export the clip to a USB drive for viewing by third parties. This can be done directly from the NVR or via the connected PC.

The external cameras are Comelit’s vandal-resistant varifocal 2.8-12mm full-HD IP mini domes for day-night use. Each of these cameras features 30 infrared LEDs with a range of up to 30 metres that are used extensively at the McDonald’s drive-through lane and car park. Impact resistance is rated at IK10 and the IR cut filter is mechanical. The cameras offer three-axis adjustment and, as with the internal units, they are IP66 rated and ONVIF compatible.

Francesca Boeris, Managing Director, Comelit UK, said: “Comelit’s IP CCTV solution is proving versatile and producing a rapid return on investment (ROI) for users. In addition to their mainstream security function, the cameras can be used by McDonald’s managers to analyse flow of customers around the restaurant and fine-tune safety practice as well as distinguishing between genuine accidents and spurious trip & fall claims, something they would have struggled to do with the old D1 analogue system.”