The Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth Harbour gives outstanding views of the area. Now Tower staff have High Definition (HD) views, too, after an upgrade of the CCTV system.
ADT Fire & Security used existing cabling, which helped to reduce the cost; and with fewer but more sophisticated HD cameras – ADT reports that it has been able to increase coverage.
The 170m tower opened in 2005 with analogue CCTV typical of the time. As the building has gradually changed inside, the Spinnaker sought to expand its coverage to include such rooms as a ground-floor gift shop.
Neil Hunter, General Manager at ADT, said: “When we came in to discuss the project with the facilities team at the Spinnaker Tower, we presented the benefits of upgrading the building’s existing CCTV set-up to the latest High Definition technology.”
ADT was also able to make use of the existing cabling from the previous analogue system, meaning that the upgrade ran without disruption to the Spinnaker, and the site opened at usual times.
Sarah Webb, general manager at Spinnaker Tower said: “Had we not been able to work with ADT Fire & Security to re-use a lot of the existing cabling, an installation of this quality would have cost significantly more. Thanks to the ADT team, we’ve now got the extra coverage we wanted, but with HD broadcast quality images. The team have done a great job with no disruption to us or the public.” ADT adds that it has provided additional coverage in all areas of the building with fewer cameras and by repositioning them around the building, has helped to reduce overall costs.
When compared to analogue CCTV, a faster transition time between the HD image being taken and the image appearing on screen allows for real time footage. Also, the installer adds, buildings using HD can cover larger areas with CCTV – without comprising on the resolution or picture quality it is claimed.
ADT was responsible for all the cameras at the Gunwharf Quays development beneath the landmark and carried out the intruder alarm contract at Spinnaker Tower when it originally opened. Visit: www.adt.co.uk.
About the Spinnaker Tower
Built as the centrepiece of the renaissance of Portsmouth Harbour it has become the city’s most prominent landmark. It dramatically overlooks the harbour, the Gunwharf Quays retail and leisure complex, the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, Portsmouth and its neighbouring towns and suburbs. Stretching for up to 23 miles in any direction, the 350 degree views from the top of the Tower go to Southampton and the Isle of Wight.
