Why an incident log beats camera-only security
A camera records everything and waits for a person to spot the wrong moment on the tape. A software-and-incident-log approach decides in real time that something is wrong — a cut seal, a forbidden zone, movement after hours — and writes it as a case you can act on. The two work together; this compares the approaches, not any installer.
Incident log vs camera-only at a glance
- Camera answers
- What did the footage show?
- Incident log answers
- What went wrong, where, and when?
- Detection
- Anomaly against your rules, not a human watching
- Shipped rules
- tamper · unauthorized_zone · after_hours_movement
- Output
- Timestamped incident log, not raw footage
- Relationship to CCTV
- Complements it — not a replacement
- Retention / storage figures
- —†
- Who it's for
- Mining, warehouse, retail loss prevention
Footage is a record. It is not an alarm.
Cameras are worth having. But on their own they are a passive record: everything is captured, and finding the moment that matters means someone scrubbing hours of video after the loss is already done. The wrong thing was on screen — nobody was watching that screen at 02:14.
Cargo security software changes the question from "was it recorded?" to "was it wrong?" It compares each event to the rules you set — a seal opened outside an authorised event, a person in a zone they may not enter, movement on a closed day — and raises only those. Each becomes an entry in an incident log with its time, place and trigger, so a supervisor works a case instead of a haystack.
This is the angle a camera-only setup structurally cannot offer, and it is why the two belong together: cameras give you the picture, the incident log tells you when to go look.
Two approaches to the same site
This compares the two approaches, not two vendors. No installer is named. Where a figure is not published, the cell is blank on both sides.
| Dimension | Camera-only security | Software + incident log (Trakora) |
|---|---|---|
| Core question answered | What did the footage show? | What went wrong, where and when? |
| When you find out | When someone reviews the recording | When the rule fires, in the moment |
| Who spots the problem | A person watching a screen | Anomaly detection against your rules |
| Zone entered without permission | Visible only if a camera covers it | unauthorized_zone alert |
| Movement after hours | On the recording, if later noticed | after_hours_movement alert |
| A seal is cut or interfered with | Not detected by a camera | tamper alert |
| Record for a claim | Hours of footage to search | A timestamped case file |
| Works without line of sight | Only where a camera points | Devices report position and state |
| Visual picture of the scene | Yes — its strength | not provided |
| Priced on this page | not published | not published† |
The rules that turn events into incidents
A seal or device is interfered with
rule: tamperA monitored seal or device is opened or cut outside an authorised event.
An incident entry naming the asset and the event — no camera needed to catch it.
Respond, and keep the entry as evidence for a claim or a disciplinary.
Something enters a forbidden zone
rule: unauthorized_zoneA tracked person, asset or vehicle enters a zone it has no permission for.
An incident naming who or what entered, which zone and when — even out of camera view.
Challenge the entry in the moment; the mine-site page treats this as the lead case.
Movement outside declared hours
rule: after_hours_movementMovement is detected outside the operating hours you declared.
An incident with the time and place, ready to check against the roster.
Verify and escalate if unexplained — the record is already written.
What this cannot do
What to expect
- This is not CCTV and does not give you a picture. It tells you when and where something went wrong; if you need to see a face or a plate, you still need a camera. The two are complementary.
- It is not a guard force. It raises the incident; responding to it needs your people.
- It is not an accredited customs seal. For customs transit evidence, use container e-lock tracking.
- Storage, retention and pricing figures are not stated on this page — they are scoped per deployment. —†
- Zone and after-hours rules need the zones and hours configured. Anything not defined is recorded, but not rule-evaluated.
Cells and facts marked — are not published on this page: retention, storage and Trakora pricing are scoped per deployment, and no camera-side figure is asserted on another vendor's behalf. No figure is stated where the manifest does not define one. Device unit prices are quoted per deployment.
Frequently asked questions
Should I replace my cameras with this?
No — keep them. Cameras give you the picture; the incident log tells you when something went wrong so you know when to look. They are complementary, not alternatives.
What is an incident log?
A timestamped record of every rule that fired — what happened, where and when. It turns a stream of events into a set of cases a supervisor or insurer can act on, instead of hours of footage to search.
Can it catch something a camera missed?
Yes — a seal cut out of view, a zone entered where no camera points, or movement on a closed day are all detected by the rules, whether or not a lens was pointing at them.
Do you install cameras?
Trakora provides the security software, devices and incident log, not camera installation. It sits alongside cameras you already have or fit separately.
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