Cisco Meraki vs. Verkada Hybrid Cloud Surveillance

At the date of this paper, the Verkada solution provides a substantially improved solution over the Cisco Meraki MV product line when comparing features and release progress in terms of analytics and bandwidth, including the guaranteed storage architecture from Verkada being the most advantageous alongside the in-depth use of machine learning.

Introduction

Cisco Meraki MV and Verkada both offer an innovative approach to deploying cloud-managed surveillance for enterprises looking to upgrade, replace or implement surveillance solutions – without having to deploy local NVRs and server storage clusters to support such architectures. For this white paper, a side by side comparison has been constructed based on the primary enterprise features that are mostly requested or required in standard functional specifications.

Side-by-Side Comparison

The below table provides a side-by-side comparison of primary features of both solutions arrange by category.

Camera Specs

All camera specs shown below have been sourced from public facing documentation from each vendor, categorised into type (eg dome, mini dome etc). What this table does emphasize is the difference in which Verkada and Cisco Meraki handle recording retention. Verkada allows the customer to purchase a desired retention timeframe in days (eg 30 days to 365 – which also determines the size of the storage capacity inside the camera) whilst Cisco Meraki rely on two separate models – the non-x and x models (which feature either a 256GB or 512GB storage drive). Cisco Meraki utilises motion retention or 24/7 recording, however we have found in our testing to achieve 30 days+ with 24/7 recoding (even on the X models) you cannot run the cameras with the highest quality recording settings, in fact the settings in most cases have to be dropped so low the entire frame becomes pixelated. This can make it difficult for the customer who has a policy of minimum 60 days 24/7 recording retention required whilst still achieving some level of quality that would be acceptable during investigations. It’s important to note here that Verkada have also recently introduced adaptive quality into their platform.

Conclusion

From an enterprise perspective, both systems have their unique use cases that are often determined based on the client’s functional specifications. In terms of primary solution specifics, the Verkada range offer a dedicated fixed storage recording time that cannot be achieved by Cisco Meraki due to Cisco Meraki relying on a retention-based recording architecture (where the camera only records when it detects movement). From a recent proof of concept trial, high traffic areas were resulting in less than 10 days of stored footage recording on each Cisco Meraki camera (as lot’s of movement required more recording) vs. the Verkada solution which guaranteed at a minimum 30 days on constant recording, this introduced new problems into the Cisco Meraki solution such as having to apply the Cisco Meraki MV cloud backup license which consumed additional bandwidth and became cost-prohibitive on large scale deployment. The Cisco Meraki MV cloud backup license allows the camera to also record video directly to the cloud. This problem aside, the Cisco Meraki MV solution still requires reduced image quality to achieve higher local recording time which is a problem Verkada does not have.

“Based on the results of recently completed proof-of-concept, it was determined that deploying 200 Cisco Meraki MV cameras with a policy of recording a minimum if 30 days storage would consume 243 Mbps of bandwidth. The same requirement but with Verkada would consume 13 Mbps – this was due to dedicated days of storage vs. having to apply cloud backup licenses with the Cisco Meraki solution.”

In summary, Verkada guarantees a minimum of 30 days continuous recording in high-definition. Cisco Meraki does have the option to enable continuous recording but generally cannot achieve anymore than 7-10 days unless the quality settings are dramatically reduced which defeats the purpose of implementing a new surveillance system. For an enterprise requiring to meet a 30 day recording policy without having breaks in the footage, and require high-definition quality – Cisco Meraki MV will struggle here.

Artificial Intelligence

From a AI perspective, Verkada provides substantially improved analytical features when compared to Cisco Meraki MV cameras, with the biggest improvement being the person recognition and POI alerting capabilities for fast event finding. The ability to upload a photo of an individual and be alerted when seen is an example of how Verkada are ahead with their machine learning capabilities that can be applied to many different sectors and use cases. The AI Verkada have incorporated is evident across the platform with a range of features incorporating such AI, these include;

• Person, face and vehicle recognition for video filtering and fast event search.
• Person analytics to filter footage based on appearance, shirt colours and gender.
• Vehicle analytics to filter footage based on make, model, colour and license plate recognition.
• Face filtering to identify individuals through face searching and picture upload.
• Person of interest (POI) alerting for known individuals.
• Crowding to alert based on a number of people within a frame to enforce safety protocols.
• Motion detection with filtering such as ensuring motion alerts are only send when a person or vehicle is seen.

The conclusion we made when comparing these AI feature side-by-side, is Cisco Meraki are preferring developers to try and create their own packages using the Cisco Meraki Sense API (which also is another paid license) – but from a non-developer perspective there really isn’t any smarts other than basic human and vehicle object detection and some basic email alerting capabilities. Both Cisco Meraki MV and Verkada offer APIs, but for enterprises who want all the AI functionality readily available whilst also being able to leverage APIs, Verkada are now offering this capability.

Mobile Applications

Lastly, Verkada have a dedicated mobile video security application that interfaces with the cameras (command is mostly driven via the web-browser for desktop users), sites and users allowing direct push notifications within the native application – available on both Android and iPhone. This application can be distributed across users in the enterprise and allow for controlled user access to sites and cameras. Cisco Meraki have an application which has been tailored for their wireless, switching and firewall products but is virtually unusable for the MV line other than to view camera feeds.

With Cisco Meraki being specialists in wireless, switching and security appliances, the Meraki dashboard provides all the tools to manage such services however until substantial improvements are made on the MV product line, there is still a clear divide between solutions for surveillance. Cisco Meraki do networking really well, not surveillance. For users who are willing to sacrifice all features Verkada provide in return for a single platform to manage wireless, switching, security and surveillance, then Cisco Meraki will have this advantage over Verkada, but don’t expect a smooth experience for frontline operators.

Bandwidth Comparison

Review this whitepaper to discuss bandwidth considerations when deploying hybrid-cloud physical security technology.

The biggest misconception with cloud-managed surveillance is the impact it will have on the organizations WAN connections, with a common belief that cameras are sending all recorded footage to the cloud. With emerging physical security solutions such as Verkada, each edge-device (or camera) stores recorded footage to its own internal storage thus eliminating the need for centralized servers or NVRs. Each camera has the capacity to store a defined set of recording days which can be mixed across the overall deployment.

Full article available here.

APIs

Both platforms have API capability. Cisco Meraki introduced MV Sense which enables third-party applications to utilize the basic analytics capabilities of the cameras to create their own apps. An example of this would be license plate recognition. Cisco Meraki do not support LPR out of the box, however other developers and written software that allows the video feeds from Cisco Meraki MV to process license plates. From what we can tell, Cisco Meraki have purposely held back on developing extended analytics directly in their platform like LPR, face recognition etc to allow third-party developers to create their own integrations. The Cisco Meraki MV license is an additional cost.

Verkada also provide APIs from their platform, which enables customers to utilise the analytics already being produced including the alerts. An example of this would be person of interest notifications. Using the Verkada APIs, you could also have these POI alerts feed into another system outside of the Verkada command platform, useful for customers building their own security operation centre’s on platforms such as Splunk. At the time of this article, Verkada do not charge an additional license to access APIs. The Verkada approach appears to be different to that of Cisco Meraki in terms of the product roadmap – with Verkada taking a more defined approach to physical security by building in features such as LPR, people and vehicle analytics that would be suited to loss prevention, compliance and security professionals, whilst also considering the requirements of ICT and data experts by allowing API access – essentially accommodating a wider audience.

Sensors

Both Verkada and Cisco Meraki provide environmental sensors, the key different between the two platforms is Cisco Meraki sensors operate with batteries (AA batteries with up to five years of life), whilst Verkada rely on PoE. Cisco Meraki sensors provide temperature, humidity, water leak and open/close capabilities – essentially tailored for ICT Managers deploying with data-centre environments.

Verkada on the other hand have gone down the path of an all-in-one sensor that provides eight (8) environmental monitoring capabilities which includes temperature, TVOC, Air Quality, Noise, PM2.5, Vape Detection, Humidity and Motion. The sensors can be deployed across a range of environments and feeds into the command platform for proactive alerting capabilities such as vape detection that can alert directly to a mobile phone as a push notification.

Depending on your requirements, the Cisco Meraki sensor would be faster to deploy as no cabling is required (they automatically connect via Bluetooth to the nearest MR or MV camera) in scenarios where basic monitoring is required (eg the temperature of a server room). However in scenarios where more in-depth monitoring is required (eg Vape detection in school bathrooms or motion detection in areas where cameras cannot be installed) then the Verkada sensor will provide more monitoring options whilst including a 10-year hardware warranty.

Another key benefit with the Verkada sensor is the ability to couple a sensor with a camera, meaning when an alert occurs you can also with command playback the related footage from the nearest camera. An example of this would be when vaping is detected in a bathroom, the alert will be sent but also provide a playback option of a camera that be located outside of the bathroom for fast playback and review.

Cisco Meraki Sensors

Verkada SV11 Sensor

Access Control

Verkada have recently released native access control integration within the command platform. Cisco Meraki does not support native access control integration at the time of this article, but does have options to work with third-party systems (such as Kisi). Verkada access control allows users to switch between surveillance and access control functions within a single dashboard, and doors can be coupled with cameras for fast playback and review of door activity. The Verkada access control also works with older card readers but also provides the ability for users to open doors directly from their phones using a dedicated access control app.

The main advantage of Verkada building in access control within the command platform is customers can always come back to review access control at a later date without having to rollout or provision additional systems. Doors, swipe terminals and users can be easily scaled in the same manner as the overall surveillance solution and follows the same licensing model as the cameras.

Verkada Access Control

Common Cisco Meraki Questions

Compiled below are commonly asked questions regarding the Cisco Meraki MV product line.

How do Cisco Meraki camera’s work?

Each camera securely connects to the Cisco Meraki cloud enabling users to access any camera across any location. The cameras have inbuilt storage (known as edge-based storage) and inbuilt machine learning (known as edge-compute).

How do you configure Cisco Meraki cameras?

After purchase of a license and the hardware (1:1), each camera is added to the Cisco Meraki dashboard via the order or license and then configured. Cameras are powered via PoE+ and needs WAN access to connect to the Cisco Meraki cloud. Once added to the dashboard and associated network, you can then select the camera and start performing configuration and associated video analytics.

How many days recording will I receive from Cisco Meraki MV cameras?

Cisco Meraki MV uses a storage method known as retention-based storage to achieve longer recording timeframe. This method of recording means the camera will only record when there is motion in the frame. When no motion is detected (or no activity within the frame), the camera does not record. This results in breaks in the footage history but increased overall recording. The more activity occurring during the days results in less recording days – and vice-versa. Recording is performed at the camera as the Cisco Meraki MV product line is a NVR-less solution.

How do you use Cisco Meraki MV?

Once added to the dashboard and associated network, you can then select the camera and start performing configuration and associated video analytics.

What is the Cisco Meraki dashboard?

The Cisco Meraki dashboard is a cloud-managed tool used to manage all Cisco Meraki hardware across the enterprise and sites. Each site is treated as a network and can contain multiple pieces of hardware including wireless, switching, security appliances and cameras.

Why doesn’t Cisco Meraki MV require an NVR or server?

Cisco Meraki MV cameras utilize a storage method known as edge-storage, meaning the recording is performed locally to the camera. This is a decentralized solution meaning you can deploy unlimited cameras across unlimited sites. No recorded footage is saved in the cloud, only footage that is either being backed up (separate license) or archived snippets of footage are stored in the cloud.

What is the bandwidth consumption of Cisco Meraki MV?

Each camera at rest uploads approx. 200 Kbps of meta-data to the cloud. This includes a feature known as motion recap which displays a stitched thumbnail of activity. During playback, 1.5 Mbps per camera (HD) is consumed across the WAN with cloud backup consumed approx. 1.0 Mbps.

Common Verkada Questions

Compiled below are commonly asked questions regarding the Verkada product line.

How do Verkada cameras work?

Each camera securely connects to the Verkada cloud enabling users to access any camera across any location. The cameras have inbuilt storage (known as edge-based storage) and inbuilt machine learning (known as edge-compute). Command is the platform used to manage each camera, site and organization and includes a dedicated Android or iPhone app for granular access and notification management.

How do you configure Verkada cameras?

After purchase of a camera and license (1:1), each camera is added by serial number to the Verkada command platform. Each camera is powered by PoE+ and required WAN uplink to securely connect. Once added to command, you can then start configuration of surveillance platforms.

How many days recording will I receive from each Verkada camera?

This depends on the model camera you purchase. Verkada offer a range of dedicated recording days from 30 to 365. Each camera has different capabilities and sizes for both indoor and outdoor environments. Verkada records in high definition without impacting quality or utilizing motion retention-based storage. Regardless if there is activity or not, there will be recording.

Where are Verkada cameras made?

Verkada cameras are manufactured in America and utilize an American based chipset Ambarella to support the edge-compute requirements. Each camera includes a high-endurance solid state drive to support recording times.

How does Verkada compare to other traditional systems?

Over a 10-year period, Verkada always works out to be the more cost effective and easier to manage solution. In terms of value, Verkada are constantly updating the command platform to introduce new features and ML capabilities. Combined with a 10-year warranty, hardware turnover and supporting infrastructure is significantly reduced which equates to reduced maintenance, upgrades, replacements and software spend.