Remote monitoring of chain stores: cost comparison between VPN and dedicated lines
The particularity of chain scenes
There are a large number of stores and low single-point bandwidth requirements (usually 2 to 8 Mbps uplink), However, the requirements for manageability are high - the headquarters must be able to uniformly inspect stores and review videos. The store clerks do not have any network operation and maintenance capabilities.
Comparison of three options
| Plan | Single point monthly cost | Activation cycle | Stability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet + VPN | Low (normal broadband) | 1~3 days | Depends on broadband quality |
| MPLS / dedicated line | High | 2 to 6 weeks | With SLA guarantee |
| 4G/5G backup link | Medium | In real time | Affected by signal |
Phase-by-stage suggestions
- Within 20 households: Normal broadband + headquarters VPN gateway is enough. The headquarters exit requires sufficient bandwidth (number of stores × single store patrol code flow).
- 20~100 households: Mainly broadband + VPN, with dual uplink and VPN gateway redundancy at the headquarters; Set up dedicated lines for a few key stores (flagship stores, high-value warehouses).
- More than 100 households: Consider SD-WAN, automatic route selection, centralized configuration distribution, The operational stress is much less than manually managing a large number of VPN tunnels.
Some points that are easily overlooked
The first is Headquarters export bandwidth: When multiple people are checking a store at the same time, the bandwidth requirements are cumulative. This is the most common bottleneck; the second is store uplink: many low-priced broadband uplinks are only 5 to 10 Mbps. The main stream plus sub-streams will be full; the third is recording strategy: it is recommended to mainly store locally. The headquarters calls it on demand rather than uploading it in full, otherwise bandwidth costs will get out of control.