Success story · Warehousing & cold storage
Keeping a growing seafood operation connected.
A growing Philadelphia seafood distributor needed visibility from delivery vehicles arriving at the property to goods moving through loading docks, storage aisles and freezer areas. NSI Security planned the camera network, on-site recording and connectivity around those operations, working with systems integration partners to put the design into practice.
NSI Security — equipment supplier: Security and networking equipment supply, network layout, equipment selection and system-design guidance.
PC TECH SERVICES and HAYES TECHNOLOGY LLC — installation partners: On-site installation.
- Project began
- June 2020Expanded with the client’s operations
- Main recorder
- 128 channelsUNV recording with SAS expansion
- Installed raw storage
- 1.152 PB48 × 24TB drives across the main system
- Connected locations
- UNV EZStationOverseas HQ monitors multiple locations
The challenge
A warehouse that needed more than camera coverage.
The client wanted a 128-channel recording system designed around a 360-day retention requirement. With a large camera deployment and concerns about recurring storage and licensing costs, the client chose an on-site approach. The cloud options it had considered did not fit its requirements.
The physical layout added another challenge: the main office and warehouse network room were approximately 1,000 feet apart. Coverage also needed to reach a shipping and loading building, outdoor light poles and freezer areas where cellular service was unavailable.
NSI developed the network layout and equipment plan around those needs, while the systems integration partners handled the installation.
Camera coverage
Follow goods from receiving to dispatch.
The deployment included 96 fixed cameras across two UNV models, arranged around the movement of goods. Cameras at every loading dock let staff observe items being received and dispatched. Side-by-side camera placements along the warehouse aisles extended visibility into stock storage and personnel handling products.
For warehouse managers, these views provide visual context when checking loading activity or reviewing a handling concern. Recorded footage supports later review of what happened in the covered areas.
Around the buildings, perimeter cameras provided broad coverage designed to minimize blind spots. Six outdoor light poles were equipped with UNV PTZ cameras, with wireless links carrying their video back to the warehouse network.
See which vehicles enter and leave.
UNV automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras were installed at the warehouse parking entrances and exits. They help the property owner identify delivery trucks and passenger vehicles by their license plates. Staff can review vehicle information alongside relevant loading-dock and perimeter footage when looking into an arrival, departure or incident.
People & communication
Stay connected inside the freezer.
Employee safety was a central concern, particularly in the warehouse’s extremely cold freezer areas. Live camera views give authorized staff a way to check activity in these workspaces. When a concern or incident is noticed or reported, live views and recorded footage can help the team understand the situation and coordinate a response.
Communication mattered just as much. With no cellular signal inside the freezer areas, the site uses Ubiquiti UniFi U7 Outdoor access points throughout these spaces. This Wi-Fi coverage lets employees make Wi-Fi calls on supported phones and use handheld PDA devices to check inventory while working inside the freezer, supporting both communication and daily warehouse operations.
Network design
Connect the buildings and outdoor camera locations.
NSI specified a 10Gbps fiber backbone spanning approximately 1,000 feet between the office and warehouse network room, providing capacity for camera traffic and future expansion. Twelve 24-port managed Gigabit PoE switches supported camera connections across the site, including two serving the shipping and loading area.
The existing cabling had become difficult to manage. NSI’s layout brought a clearer structure to the network, making the installation easier to manage and maintain. It also made future service work easier for technicians taking over support of the site.
All surveillance cameras were grouped on a designated camera VLAN, giving the installation a consistent network structure as coverage expanded.
Wireless connections reached the outdoor light poles, avoiding new network cable runs from the building to each pole. This addressed an installation need that had not been included in the original building plan.
On-site recording
Plan storage around the business requirement.
The main office houses a UNV NVR516-128E-R 128-channel recorder and two SAS storage expansion units. Across this main recording system, 48 × 24TB hard drives provide 1,152TB (1.152PB) of raw storage, before RAID and formatting.
Many cameras were configured with UMD activity detection. Recording configuration, activity levels, bitrate and usable storage all affect how long footage can be retained. The 360-day figure was the client’s design requirement.
A separate UNV NVR508-64B with 64TB of installed storage serves the warehouse office, where staff mainly monitor selected outdoor and loading-dock channels.
Remote oversight
Multiple warehouses. One view from overseas headquarters.
The company’s overseas headquarters uses UNV EZStation to monitor multiple warehouse locations through one central viewing interface. With UNV surveillance systems deployed across the sites, authorized staff can review camera views from different locations in one place.
From overseas, authorized managers can check loading activity, view warehouse workspaces and visually assess stock levels without traveling to each facility. Local staff also have selected outdoor and loading-dock views at the warehouse office, supporting oversight both on site and across locations.
Results & continuing support
A relationship that grew beyond Philadelphia.
What began in June 2020 developed into an ongoing relationship. Pleased with the equipment and NSI’s customer service, the client continued working with NSI and its systems integration partners on additional warehouse projects in New Jersey, Rhode Island, Texas and Tennessee.
As the Philadelphia operation expanded, additional cameras and wireless access points were added. By October 2026, the client was planning further camera coverage for another building.
The client’s systems integrator provides ongoing system upkeep under the maintenance agreement, including firmware updates, to help keep the installation operating properly as the client’s needs evolve.
NSI Security
Equipment supply, network layout, equipment selection and system-design guidance.
Installation partners
PC TECH SERVICES
HAYES TECHNOLOGY LLC
On-site installation.
View the Philadelphia system at a glance
| Area | Project configuration |
|---|---|
| Main recording | UNV NVR516-128E-R, 128 channels, with two SAS storage expansion units |
| Main storage | 48 × 24TB drives; 1.152PB raw capacity before RAID and formatting |
| Warehouse office | UNV NVR508-64B with 64TB; selected outdoor and loading-dock views |
| Office-to-warehouse link | Approximately 1,000 feet; 10Gbps fiber backbone |
| Camera access switches | 12 total: 24-port managed Gigabit PoE switches, NSW3000-25GT1GP1GC-POE-IN |
| Fixed cameras | 96 total across UNV IPC-3614SR3-ADF28KM-H and IPC-3618SR3-ADF28KM-H models |
| Outdoor light poles | Six UNV IPC94144SFW-X25-F40C PTZ cameras with wireless connections |
| Parking access | UNV PKC2641-Z100-IR-P ANPR cameras at entrances and exits |
| Freezer connectivity | Ubiquiti UniFi U7 Outdoor access points throughout the freezer areas; Wi-Fi calling and handheld PDA inventory checks where cellular coverage is unavailable |