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Changing a safety system that people already use is a bigger decision than choosing the first one. There is a record to protect, a team that knows the current set-up, and a contract with dates in it. This guide goes through what to check, in the order most sites meet it. Each section ends with how we handle it at RoboK, so you can hold us to the same questions as anyone else.
Usually for practical reasons, not because something went wrong:
Adding a second supplier alongside the first is common, and often the lower-risk route. It lets a site compare like with like before changing anything that already works.
What to check. Whether your cameras give standard streams (RTSP, and whether they support ONVIF), and whether the new system takes video from the cameras directly or through your recorder or video management system (VMS). Ask what happens where an existing camera's position, angle, resolution or lighting is not good enough.
A good answer. The supplier checks every camera view before setup and tells you which views it will and won't work well on, rather than saying yes to all of them.
How RoboK handles it. RoboK SiteLens works with a site's existing IP cameras and recorders over standard RTSP, and supports ONVIF cameras. We check every view during setup and tell you where it will and won't work well. Where a zone has no usable camera, we can supply one.
What to check. Whether the same cameras can feed both systems at once, and how you will compare them fairly:
A good answer. The supplier agrees the comparison method with you before the trial starts, and ends with a written result you can check against your own records.
How RoboK handles it. Most sites start with Safety Mapping, a free two-week trial on one camera: ours on its own 4G, or one of yours once access is agreed. We check the camera's view first (a still image is enough). If it doesn't show the area clearly, we start on ours. It ends with a written report and a review call. See Safety Mapping.
What to check.
How RoboK handles it. Footage is kept for 30 days as standard, and clips flagged as hazards for the length of your subscription. Both can be changed in your contract. Footage is processed and stored securely, and where it is held is set out in your contract.
This is a list of things to look at, not legal advice:
What to check. Exactly which events you need, in which areas, and whether they can run on the same camera as the detections you already use. Ask whether each extra detection costs extra, and what the system does not detect.
How RoboK handles it. Several detections can run on the same camera, set up per zone and depending on the camera's position. Adding a detection to a camera does not need an extra licence, and new detections can be added on request. What it does not do: RoboK SiteLens does not detect crane lifts or suspended loads, and it does not warn drivers in the cab. See RoboK SiteLens features for the full list.
What to check. The time from camera access to the first useful events, whether setup can be done remotely, and whether support hours cover your shifts and time zone.
How RoboK handles it. Setup is remote or on site. Support covers US hours as well as UK hours. It typically takes one to two weeks from camera access to the first events, including camera assessment, configuration and training.
A new system changes who sees what, so treat it as a change for the workforce, not only for IT.
Also available as a one-page PDF to print and fill in (download above).
If the current system covers the events you need, the team uses the record, and the main problem is something the supplier can fix (for example a camera view, a rule or a training gap), raise it with them first. A switch costs time, a learning curve and a gap in the record. Adding a second supplier for a new area can give you the comparison without changing what already works.
| Question | Our answer |
|---|---|
| Existing cameras | Works with existing IP cameras and recorders over standard RTSP, and supports ONVIF cameras. Every view is checked during setup. |
| Side-by-side trial | Safety Mapping: a free two-week trial on one camera, ours on 4G or one of yours, ending in a written report and a review call. |
| Data and retention | Processed and stored securely; where it is held is set out in your contract. Footage kept 30 days as standard, hazard clips for the length of the subscription; both can be changed in your contract. Access limited to named user accounts. |
| Detections | Several on the same camera, depending on its position. No extra licence per detection. New detections added on request. Not crane lifts or suspended loads, and no in-cab warnings. |
| Setup and support | Remote or on site. Support covers US hours. Typically one to two weeks from camera access to the first events. |
For the full set of questions to ask any supplier, see the buyer's guides for UK sites and US sites. To talk it through, request a demo.
Usually not. If your cameras give standard IP streams (RTSP, often with ONVIF support), a new system can usually work from the same cameras or through your recorder. Each camera's position, angle and lighting still matter, so ask the new supplier to check every view and tell you which ones will not work well.
Often, yes, if the cameras can send their stream to both. To compare them fairly, use the same definition of an event, the same period and shifts, and count both false alerts and missed events. Agree the method before the trial starts.
It depends on the number of cameras and on the contracts. Setting up a new system on existing cameras can take one to two weeks from camera access to the first events. The longer part is often the notice period on the old contract, which is why many sites run a trial before giving notice.
That depends on your current supplier's contract. Ask what they can export, in what format and by when, before the contract ends, and ask for written confirmation when your data is deleted. Write down your zones and rules too, so they can be set up again.
Adding a second supplier for a new area or site is often lower risk: it gives a direct comparison without changing what already works. Switching makes more sense when the current system can't cover the events you need, or the problems are ones the supplier can't fix.
It varies by supplier, so ask. With RoboK SiteLens, adding a detection to a camera does not need an extra licence.
The fairest way to compare a new system with the one you have is one area, two weeks, on the same camera, and a written report you can hold it to. Safety Mapping: a free two-week trial on one camera.
Last checked November 2026