IoT Explained
29 September 2025
Reading Time: 7 mins
Eseye
IoT Hardware and Connectivity Specialists
LinkedInCellular IoT has a critical role to play in surveillance and real-time physical security monitoring. Smart connected devices, such as cameras and sensors, can monitor spaces 24/7 and provide real-time data to intelligent applications that can trigger automated alerts and remotely manage access to buildings and rooms.
Smart surveillance enables continuous and real-time monitoring of both public and private environments and can be combined with advanced features like facial recognition and predictive data analytics to transform traditional surveillance into an effective system less reliant on human intervention.
What is Surveillance 4.0?
Like many sectors, IoT has enabled a fourth-generation model in surveillance through complete digital transformation defined by the interconnection of physical and online systems. In manufacturing this evolution is known as Industry 4.0. In real-time physical security monitoring, it’s called Surveillance 4.0.
When combined with AI (Artificial Intelligence) and ML (Machine Learning), smart monitoring devices also pave the way for future evolutions – fifth generation and beyond, where physical security and surveillance become predictive as well as reactive.
If we look at surveillance specifically, technology has delivered multiple evolutions and laid the groundwork for future iterations, defined by academics as a useful heuristic guide:
● Surveillance 1.0 – physical and analogue surveillance for real-time monitoring, early CCTV monitoring
● Surveillance 2.0 – databases and historical insights
● Surveillance 3.0 – digital and networked technologies
● Surveillance 4.0 – connected smart devices and IoT adoption
● Surveillance 5.0 – big data and algorithmic profiling enabled by AI.
The role of IoT in real-time surveillance
IoT builds on previous iterations of surveillance and physical security applications by enabling ubiquitous, real-time, and unobtrusive monitoring. Generally speaking, smart cameras and small, inexpensive sensors are embedded in workplaces, public environments, stand alone products, and even worn on people to collect and transmit data and high-definition video.
This data can be ingested by cloud-based applications, including those leveraging AI, and analyzed in real-time, to provide vital information for safety, resource management, and process optimization.
Cellular IoT connectivity in video surveillance
Historically, the connectivity of wireless surveillance systems has been hampered by wireless network penetration limitations, forcing a reliance on fixed line or hard wired networks. Indeed, CCTV (Closed Circuit Television), which has been commercially available since the 1950s, is generally understood to mean a closed network of fixed line cameras.
But while the usefulness of CCTV has been widely acknowledged, it has also proven expensive to install and maintain, mainly because of that reliance on cabling. Cellular IoT changes that.
With IoT reaching maturity, there are now a wide range of LPWA and cellular technologies delivering broad connectivity coverage globally to choose from, including 2G, 3G, LTE-M, NB-IoT, 4G LTE, LTE Advanced and 5G.
Cellular is ideal for a wide variety of applications, especially in more remote or complex environments where connectivity infrastructure is non-existent or would be difficult to install. But WiFi, especially in combination with cellular, is also a popular option for applications that require continuous streaming or substantial data throughput, such as security cameras or monitoring devices.
However, high-bandwidth cellular options, such as 5G, are today especially well-suited for real-time applications with low-latency requirements, especially when rapid transmission of large data volumes is involved.
Ultimately, choosing the best connectivity option for your IoT-based surveillance application depends a lot on the specific use case as well as engineering costs and resources.
How smart devices enhance physical surveillance
IoT devices like fixed cameras, motion sensors, and access controls can be embedded within the environment to collect actionable data on activities, visitors and intruders, and environmental conditions. While body cams can be worn by security personnel and transmit data back to storage in the cloud or live stream to provide additional context or evidence.
The data is sent over wireless or cellular networks to secure cloud platforms that might have a centralized dashboard in an operations room or security office. The surveillance platform might also leverage advanced analytics including AI to process the collected data and assist in decision making or insights that could identify anomalies, potential threats, or security breaches.
When threats are detected, the surveillance security system will send automated alerts to security personnel or trigger responses such as opening or locking doors, activating lights, even notifying emergency services.
Benefits of IoT-enabled Surveillance 4.0
Video surveillance 4.0 and real-time physical security monitoring technologies offer enhanced campus management, security controls, and remote access. Security managers can monitor systems from anywhere at any time, meaning controllers or overseers don’t even need to be on site, improving responsiveness to critical situations.
Smart cameras provide continuous, 24/7 monitoring and visibility with high-resolution video. This can be combined with advanced detection capabilities such as facial recognition. In some environments, such as retail, specialist applications could be used to detect shoplifters or thieves. Trials using this surveillance technology are ongoing but often face legal and consumer resistance, especially with GDPR regulations in Europe.
Smart sensors can generate proactive alerts and automated responses, significantly shortening the time between threat detection and action for things like break-ins and intrusion.
Remote access capabilities for gates and doors enables security teams to monitor and control access to premises from any location.
Big data insights pulled from analytics tools can reveal trends, patterns, and vulnerabilities that might be missed by human observation alone, such as suspicious visitors being on premises at unusual times, or unexpected vehicles on-site.
But while IoT-enabled surveillance can offer benefits like enhanced safety, when the technology is perceived as intimidating or positioned as a productivity-boosting solution, it can raise significant privacy concerns and even lead to lower employee morale or reduced customer satisfaction.
Challenges and obstacles in Surveillance 4.0
With fears around mass surveillance and ‘nanny states’ on the rise worldwide, the greatest challenges to Surveillance 4.0 are ethical ones. Depending on the environment, application, or location, the continuous nature of the monitoring can lead to significant privacy concerns, especially with applications that collect detailed information on individuals’ behaviors, such as facial recognition cameras deployed by police forces, or the use of cameras in workplaces to monitor productivity or stop insider theft.
When the public is involved, there is a fine line between responsible collection of data for safety and the potential for misuse or a dictatorial approach to surveillance. When it comes to employers and employees, extensive monitoring can lower morale and negatively impact relations. In cases where surveillance is deployed covertly, it can erode trust between employees and management.
With regards to deployment challenges, wireless IoT eliminates traditional pains by removing the need to deploy network cabling altogether. Devices still need power however, although battery technology has come a long way and now it’s possible to get commercial cameras and door locks with replaceable batteries that last for a year or more.
Cellular connectivity may also struggle deep within buildings. Sub-6 GHz 4G/5G can improve coverage but extremely dense walls and basements can be challenging. We’re also seeing private 5G networks become more common on larger campuses, where organizations are not reliant on the MNO’s infrastructure and can deploy their own.
Private cellular networks for smart surveillance
Private 5G networks can use much the same technology we see in commercial LTE deployments, but the network infrastructure is owned and controlled by the enterprise, campus, or local authority.
Private 5G networks can be tailored to fit your specific needs. You can choose the performance specifications that work best for you, and you can manage and analyze the data internally, making the deployment as secure as traditional CCTV.
IoT security
Given the potentially sensitive nature of a surveillance network, security is paramount. After all, you want to restrict access to cameras looking at every corner of your business to people authorized to do so. Yet tens of millions of common use, mass-manufactured IoT devices such as security cameras, use unencrypted and unsecured protocols to communicate, making them vulnerable by default.
Our recent research found that 75% of Enterprises have experienced an IoT-related security breach in the past 12 months. Brute-force attacks against IoT and M2M device user interfaces are common, as Telnet and SSH services running on IoT devices typically use widely known default passwords. End users tend to leave these passwords unchanged and many IoT and M2M devices have default passwords set by manufacturers that cannot be changed.
So, when you are deploying your Surveillance 4.0 endpoints, you need to ensure the IoT devices themselves are hardened against intrusion, casual or otherwise. Best practices involve firmware updates, strong authentication, and encryption to safeguard against cyber threats.
IoT use cases for Surveillance 4.0
Smart cities and emergency services
The integration of IoT with video surveillance systems has significantly improved security in both public and private spaces. High-resolution cameras and sophisticated analytics enable quicker identification and resolution of security issues in smart cities.
IoT-enabled cameras and acoustic sensors can be installed in public spaces and office buildings to monitor potential security threats, such as suspicious activity, unattended bags, gangs or crowds gathering.
Furthermore, smart cities benefit from data collected by cameras and sensors, optimizing public safety and enhancing overall quality of life.
Smart buildings and campuses
Really more of a subset of smart cities, smart buildings and campuses can make use of IoT surveillance and physical security applications on a more granular level.
Access control systems already make good use of technology, but IoT now means each component such as locks, access controllers, card or fob readers can communicate seamlessly with the network and campus management system.
Working alongside access control, smart building burglar alarms contribute to a comprehensive security framework, looking for unusual behavior or events.
Retail
A number of retailers are trialing Surveillance 4.0 deployments in their physical stores in a bid to cut down on shoplifting. Some are even testing the capabilities of facial recognition tech to identify known store thieves, although commercial deployments are being treated with caution.
It’s also possible that in the future, the same facial recognition technology could be used to personalize the in-store shopping experience. However, this is also being approached delicately for fear of backlash over consumer privacy.
The future of IoT video surveillance
With ever-growing surveillance networks in place and enabled by IoT, applications and use cases for the technology will continue to evolve. The use of advanced analytics in video surveillance will drive more radical shifts in security and operational management of public and private spaces, leveraging AI to perform advanced analytics, object recognition, facial recognition, anomaly detection, and automated decision-making.
Intelligent cellular solutions for IoT surveillance and security operations
Eseye’s AnyNet SMARTconnect gives IoT devices like cameras and sensors the intelligence to swap to another network if connectivity drops, and future-proofs the device by allowing new networks and operators to be easily introduced. It also provides the building blocks to enable connectivity applets with access to multiple RATs – for example cellular, Zigbee, Thread, Bluetooth, LoRaWAN and satellite, making it adaptable to the environment.
Meanwhile, Hera – our range of specialist IoT edge hardware – meets your evolving IoT needs for ruggedness and reliability.
The hardware and software is underpinned by Eseye’s Infinity IoT Platform, connectivity management software that gives operators oversight and control of the entire smart device estate from a single pane of glass. This makes it possible to optimize connectivity for each device, as well as provide full-lifecycle management.
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