It has been 14 years since the first cabinet based camera poles were installed in Glasgow, reports Terry Harradine, Director of Sales & Marketing at Altron Communications Equipment Ltd.
Camera technology has moved on in leaps and bounds during the intervening years but still these structures remain commonplace in urban areas.
Technology has moved on even in camera poles. They have been made more aesthetically pleasing, more secure and properly ventilated. Consultants now realise that it is imperative that the products on which the CCTV cameras are mounted are stable structures.
Naturally, the deflection or movement of any camera pole should be kept to a bare minimum but a number of factors need to be considered. The larger the surface area of the equipment installed and the greater the weight, the greater the deflection can be expected to be. As would also be expected, the height of any camera pole will always be directionally proportional to its deflection, for example, the greater the height the more the deflection can be expected to be. Camera pole manufacturers will seek to overcome this in a number of ways for example by increasing the tube diameter increasing the wall thickness, or a combination of both to keep the deflection levels to a minimum.
When selecting a camera pole, selection of the correct unit should not be driven by price alone, but by consideration of all relevant factors including a comparison of the pole manufacturer’s technical details to ensure that the structure on which the camera is mounted meets the deflection requirements.
Indeed, most camera pole manufacturers will happily provide structural calculations for standard products which state the movement at a given wind speed. The selection of the right camera pole will ensure that the images viewed in any control room or recorded on any recording medium will have minimal camera movement. This is particularly important when viewing pictures such as those from a town centre camera fully or nearly fully zoomed in when viewing an incident. If the camera has been installed on a pole that is unfit, movement will be immediately evident even at low wind speed.
At moderate or high wind speed the movement may mean that the operator is unable to either keep the incident in view or at best, keep it in view partially. In any event, valuable evidence or footage will be missed. What price then will be put on a suitable pole if the incident is serious?
As CCTV cameras and their applications have become more prevalent, increasingly stringent restrictions in their siting and appearance appear to have been imposed by local planning authorities and heritage departments. The aesthetics of any camera pole is now therefore of paramount importance. The required aesthetics of a camera pole will vary. It will be obviously dependant on local architecture, for example,
At an ornate tubular camera pole arrangement to be found in Kent, a standard camera pole has been fitted with cast embellishments to enhance its appearance and to blend with the local surroundings.
All good pole manufacturers will be able to provide advice and a range of solutions to meet these needs within a required budget. For example, the use of gold banding instead of cast embellishment kits adds minimally to the cost of a pole but enhances its appearance substantially.
Cabinet based poles have the advantage of being able to mount equipment in the pole base. These bases must be kept ventilated so as not to allow condensation to form and collect in the base. The provision of vents in the pole base and at the pole top allows for a full convection air flow preventing condensing and removing any need for drip deflectors or drainage pipes which need to be cleaned and serviced to prevent blockage.
As equipment sizes have reduced so have the pole sizes with cabinet sizes as low as 300mm now available. However, multiple use poles containing street lighting, wireless internet and mobile phone technology generally still require slightly larger units with twin door access.
Above all, it must be remembered that the structure of any CCTV mounting product is the starting point for a quality CCTV installation. Good quality electronic equipment on top of a poor structure will lead to certain disappointment.
