Based in Arizona, Great Days LLC is a construction and full service design firm that works with clients on everything from consulting on initial design ideas through all aspects of construction to the final interior design, colorization and custom furniture. The company offers customers one-stop service, focusing on custom homes for the residential market, as well as commercial buildings.

The Challenge

With six full-time employees, the company had a hard time keeping an eye on multiple construction sites, monitoring vendors and contractors, maintaining security and watching for onsite damage. To deal with these issues, the company installed video cameras and digital video recorders (DVRs) at each construction site. While the DVRs recorded video for future playback, they had no ability to transmit live video to a mobile device. And while there were a number of Webcam viewers on the market, it seemed none had the ability to integrate with the company’s existing DVRs.

Although employees could access the video through a PC, this wasn’t always convenient or timely. And often, by the time they were able to view the video, it would be too late to react to the situation in a timely manner. “It never failed that when we needed to look at something, we weren’t sitting at a computer,” said Robb M. Corwin, a Principal of Great Days LLC. “I’d get an email with an image of an intrusion, but then I’d have to get to a computer, log in and see if I could find out what was going on.”

The Solution

Great Days LLC wanted a mobile monitoring solution for its construction sites, but it wasn’t sure whether a product of that kind was even available on the market. The company turned to its service provider, Southwest Access and Video, which recommended the MobileCamViewer solution from mobiDEOS that runs on the BlackBerry® smartphone.

Initially the solution only allowed users to view one or two cameras at a time, but Great Days LLC worked with mobiDEOS to create an enterprise application that would fit its requirements. The solution allows the company to access all of its DVRs and cameras at all of its construction sites, and lists each camera by name instead of number for easy identification. The cameras are triggered by motion detection, so if an unauthorized person enters a gate or door, a photo is taken and emailed to the appropriate staff member.

The company’s employees were already using BlackBerry smartphones; in fact, they also use BlackBerry® Messenger (BBM™) to communicate with each other while they’re on the road. But they gained the added ability of viewing any camera at any site remotely and accessing live video motion detection. When Corwin gets an email with a snapshot of a potential intrusion, he can access live video on his BlackBerry smartphone – from virtually anywhere he happens to be – and take whatever action is required. “In one case, I was alerted to an intrusion, and by watching the video I could tell the intruder was walking on all fours,” said Corwin. “It turned out to be a bear throwing stuff around looking for food.”

But the solution has extended beyond security considerations. For example, if a contractor is looking for a leak in the roof, Corwin can pull up the cameras on his BlackBerry smartphone while he’s offsite and direct the contractor to the leak. “The solution has pan-tilt-zoom capabilities, so I can move with the person while I’m on my BlackBerry smartphone,” he said. “And if a contractor arrives at a site and no one else is there, I can pull up the video to see if they’re at the right house or if they’re even there.”

Great Days LLC's Benefits

Great Days LLC chose to build upon the BlackBerry solution because of the advanced security functionality it offers, as well as what they see as the reliability of the hardware and software. “We wanted a device that was business-driven, yet was secure in how it’s configured,” said Corwin. “We did our due diligence and looked at our options, but the BlackBerry smartphone continues to exceed our expectations and needs. We’re die-hard BlackBerry solution fans.”

Having mobile access to live video has allowed Corwin and his colleagues to ensure contractors are doing their job – and to know when they’re onsite. Management can now keep an eye on construction sites 24 hours a day, whether they’re working offsite or playing soccer with their kids on the weekend. The solution has greatly improved quality of life for Corwin and his colleagues by reducing the number of times they have to drive out to sites to check up on a potential intrusion or consult with contractors.

“Our use of MobileCamViewer on the BlackBerry smartphone saves the company an estimated 10 to 15 hours a week in unnecessary travel time, since we can do more tasks remotely,” said Corwin. “The solution also serves as a deterrent to damage and theft, since workers are aware of the cameras. And it helps to reduce false alarms because we can react to an incident much more quickly.”

“We can also be at one site while dealing with a contractor at another location, so we can basically be in two places at once,” said Corwin. “The efficiency it’s given us is incredible. Costs remain the same while we continue to bring in more work, so that makes us more profitable without having to hire additional staff.” As a result, there’s less wasted time, the company is on time or ahead of schedule with projects and they’re now able to hold vendors and contractors accountable, which contributes to continuously exceeding their client’s expectations.

Key Benefits:

Reduces unnecessary travel time

Helps to reduce costs associated with theft, damage and false alarms

Increases efficiency, so projects are completed on or ahead of time

Overview:

Industry: Real Estate & Construction

Region: North America

Company Size: Small Business - 6 employees

Solution: MobileCamViewer from mobiDEOS, BlackBerry Messenger (BBM)

Contact:

mobiDEOS, Inc.
75 S. Milpitas Blvd, Suite 201,
Milpitas, CA 94035
Phone: 408-716-8347