In the June 2002 print edition of Professional Security we reported on how a remotely-monitored CCTV installation – the Hyundai import centre in east London – uses lasers to transmit pictures across the thousands of cars at Tilbury. In the July 2002 issue we talk to the installer, about another installation in the capital.
Pentland, the international brand management group, whose sports, outdoor and fashion brands include Berghaus and Mitre, has its UK headquarters in Finchley. Installer Martin McCormick of Basson CCTV Systems installed five external domes and 23 internal static cameras at the north London HQ – Quickfix cameras from manufacturer Dennard. The system is powered from the rack-mounted cabinet in the security office, and using a Digital Sprite digital recorder from Dedicated Micros. Martin reports that one of the main advantages of the set-up is that it is powered from the cabinet, and the main contractors did not have to be called upon to put in power for the CCTV around the site. Camera control can be via the client?s wide area network (WAN). Martin adds: ?I have been using the Quickfix system for over a year and I haven?t used anything else since, because I know where everything is powered from.? He explains that if there should be a faulty camera on the system, the engineer can tell from the control end which supply is faulty thanks to an LED on the powr supply unit. By contrast, if power for the cameras were to come from the mains, unrelated site electrical work could inadvertently disrupt the CCTV. At the Pentland installation the transmission method is coax – one cable supplying both power for the dome camera and the telemetry control.
