Viewpoint | CCTVImage Why you must consider wireless
Wireless transmission of CCTV signals is a viable and less expensive alternative to fibre and copper, according to Paul Goodbrand. Install a wireless system and you will start to see ancillary benefits, too, such as smart storage and better images, he argues.
The UK has more CCTV cameras per capita than any other European country, and CCTV for public space surveillance in the UK has developed at a faster rate than anywhere else in the world.
So no longer are we facing the question: Why do we need CCTV? It’s more: What is my local authority doing to ensure public safety in this economic downturn, plagued with budget cuts?
Paul Goodbrand
Surely this is where emerging technolo- gies present a compelling case? The bene-
fits of IP and over historic analogue systems will no doubt be further docu- mented in 2013, with wireless CCTV predicted to really come to the fore.
Why Wireless? With wireless public space CCTV, long gone are the days of massive
investment with depreciating assets. The latest surveillance technologies present a wealth of cost savings, superior quality footage, enhanced stor- age and review capabilities and truly scalable solutions. If designed and installed correctly wireless CCTV solution are both highly secure and reliable with high level of encryption and an impres- sive 99.999 per cent up time.
Wireless solutions can seamlessly transmit the footage from both IP and encoded analogue CCTV cameras. As well as the transmission of single feed cameras, the use of high capacity, high bandwidth links can present benefits with the backhaul of multiple CCTV cameras, to a centralised location.
Becoming increasingly deployed by both local authorities and the emer- gency services, some key drivers for IP and Wireless technologies include:
1. RAPID DEPLOYMENT AND MOBILITY
Wireless CCTV cameras can be deployed and redeployed quickly and efficiently - the polar opposite to fixed analogue cameras that require a dig solution.
Such time savings greatly benefit emergency services, enabling them to target crime hotspots and monitor temporary events that possess an element of public risk. Moreover, with wireless technologies, the police and local authorities can share services and cameras, presenting an even greater cost saving.
Wireless cameras can be gradually introduced and added to existing systems to create a hybrid solution. An evolutionary approach to migra- tion negates the high up-front costs associated with analogue system and there is no mass ‘rip out and replace’ required.
2. IMAGE QUALITY
Indisputably, a HD camera can deliver better image quality and higher resolution than an analogue camera. In a fully digital wireless surveil- lance system, images from a network camera are digitised once, and they stay digital with no unnecessary conversions and no image degra- dation. In addition, digital images are stored and retrieved much more effectively.
Wireless surveillance solutions also support all camera functions including telemetry, with no lag or latency. Additional motion detection can also be supported as an event trigger, which, for example, can be used to direct a PTZ network camera or initiate recording of video - all automated and managed wirelessly.
3. COST EFFECTIVENESS Wireless surveillance solutions are much less expensive alternatives than traditional coaxial and fibre cabling for an analogue CCTV system. A public space CCTV camera connected wirelessly can deliver an initial deployment saving of over 50% vs. a traditional leased line installation and this saving can be further enhanced by the use of shared services or the use of fully re-deployable CCTV cameras.
4. INTEGRATION AND AVAILABILITY
Digital video streams can be quickly and swiftly viewed in various loca- tions and also seamlessly integrated in to an intelligent control room. Management and equipment costs are also lower with the adoption of back-end application, smart storage, and open systems-based servers as opposed to proprietary hardware, such as a DVR in the case of an analogue CCTV system.
5. ENHANCED STORAGE
Efficient storage delivers obvious benefits in terms of hardware require- ments. In addition smart storage is also more flexible in video format, with wireless and IP cameras offering more than one video compression format, including Motion JPEG, MPEG-4 Part 2, and H.264. Edge storage now allows a wireless camera to record video directly to a storage device such as an SD/SDHC card, thereby creating a more robust, reliable, and flexible system. The cameras can record video locally when the central system is not available, or continuously record in parallel.
6. EVENT SURVEILLANCE
The aforementioned swift and cost-effective deployment is illustration enough as to why a wireless CCTV solution is most appropriate to moni- tor an event.
Advanced wireless cameras include built-in features such as video motion detection, audio detection alarm, active tampering alarm, and alarm and event management functionalities. These features enable the surveillance solution to constantly analyse inputs to detect an event and to automatically respond.
7. FLEXIBILITY
A wireless surveillance system can change and grow, almost immedi- ately, as situations and requirements dictate. Cameras can be added and/ or moved within the system without significant or costly changes to the wireless infrastructure and no service interruption.
Conclusion Government reports continue to recommend that the sustainable use of
technology to help improve community safety, effectively manage inci- dents and tackle crime, such as 3G and WiFi, should be given serious consideration for future CCTV growth. Wireless CCTV solutions offer a myriad of benefits from cost savings to smart storage and enhanced images and will no doubt be on the agenda for many local authorities to play a key role in shaping the future of public space CCTV.
• As Director of Intelligent Buildings for Boston Networks, a UK leader in the design, installation and support of high-perfor- mance Intelligent Building Systems and Wireless Solutions, Paul Goodbrand is a certified BICSI RCDD and has a deep understanding of networking infrastructures as well as wireless communications and integrated security solutions.
www.bostonnetworks.co.uk
Spring 2013 28
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