Security NetWorkings by David Engebretson, Contributing Technology Writer WIRING A New Twist on Our Oldest Task
Whether it’s the latest IP-enabled cam- era connected via Cat5e UTP, or a sim- ple magnetic door contact, most devices on the systems we install and maintain are connected via some form of cop- per cabling. When you think about it, a large portion of what we do as electronic security dealers is cable pulling and installation. It’s been that way since the beginning of our industry. And it’s in the estimation of labor costs that spe- cific installations pivot between profit and loss. If there were a different way of cabling homes and businesses that
saved labor time, jobs could go in more quickly and with less uncertainty. Many security dealers look at the wire they use as a commodity item, like #6 ¾-inch wood screws. They buy decent wire brands at the cheapest price, and use old-school cable-pulling tech- niques, tossing the wire boxes on the floor and hoping that the cable stuffed into the “easy pull” box doesn’t snag up when the wire has been pulled only half- way to the target location. How many times have you or your technicians had to climb down from the ladder to untan- gle a wire pull box, and how much time have you lost on the job? There’s a company that provides an
The Rack Pack cabling system provides easy pulling of
innovative “system” approach to cabling installation, providing guaranteed reduction of labor costs. Windy City Wire (
www.smartwire.com) is a fast- growing cabling and security device distributor, with sales and shipping locations throughout the lower 48. Let’s focus on the quality of its cable first, as there is nothing worse than a defec- tive cable — particularly if you find out (as I have) that a four-conductor has turned into a three about 200 feet into a cable pull. Windy City Wire manufactures all of its own alarm cabling, while coax, UTP, and fiber are built by selected private manu- Every single roll
facturers. multiple different cable types at the same time. of SmartWire™ is 100 percent
tested for quality and electrical continu- ity, and carries appropriate UL listings. What’s cool about the cable itself is that it can be private labeled, jacketed in proprietary colors, and can be labeled for specific system types, such as “access control” or “fire alarm” or can have your company name. While foot markers are standard, many dealers opt for a simple striping mark that can greatly reduce confusion when pulling, terminating and
What’s up With Analog HD CCTV?
Some articles published recently have touted the ability to deliv- er analog HD CCTV signals over coaxial cable. This new technology would theoretically eliminate the “problems” associated with IP HD cameras in terms of programming, network bandwidth and maximum cabling distances. While it’s an interesting idea, I have one simple question: If the video is uncom- pressed, how many hundreds of terabytes of storage will be required to record one or several of these analog HD CCTV signals, each pumping out over a gigabit per second? And if the video signal is going to be compressed at the storage server, what makes that better than IP HD cameras that compress the video before it’s sent down the wire?
I don’t see how this potential tech- nology will benefit our industry in terms of video storage costs, which will translate into higher system costs for end-users, which equals fewer sales. Analog HD CCTV is a non-starter, in my opinion.
David Engebretson is the president of Slayton Solutions Ltd., Chicago, providing online and instructor-led training on fiber optics and networking electronic security systems. His latest book, Technician’s Guide to Physical Security Networking: Enterprise Solutions is a fully illustrated manual describing high-end IP physical security applications. Visit
www.slaytonsolutionsltd.com for ordering information.
October 2010 151
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