Schools and hospitals a seminar audience at IIPSEC heard, are among applications for IP CCTV. We focus on a new, IP installation at a comprehensive.
Schools generally have good data networks already, Steve Hodges, operations director of DV Networks, told IIPSEC. His Bristol-based software firm’s PC-based software DISCOVERe was used with Axis network cameras at Stafford General Hospital, as outlined by Axis UK Managing Director Dominic Bruning at the show. Steve Hodges suggested that the IP market was unlimited, whether thousands of cameras were linked across multiple sites, or a few cameras, plus access control, building management, fire and intruder alarms over an existing network.
Bristol comp
Steve Hodges gave a case study on Sir Bernard Lovell secondary school on the outskirts of Bristol. As background: the school sought CCTV for site protection reasons (classroom equipment at risk of theft, and the site is open, with playing fields and three entrances from a main road); and in an operational sense CCTV had uses in pupil monitoring, to tackle internal vandalism (such as scuffing of corridor walls), bullying and smoking. Cameras would also stop ‘knock out ginger’ whereby pupils might knock on the head teacher’s office door and run away. The school wanted, Steve Hodges reported, a flexible system, so that cameras could be added, as more funding became available. The school wanted to move cameras internally; and some staff should be able to view cameras from their desks. DV Networks recommended seven external (of which five were fixed) and 11 internal cameras, all IP; and connected to the nearest available network point, and ethernet-powered. Thus the cameras could be resited if necessary. Authorised staff could view images on password-protected PCs. Steve Hodges warned end users and specifiers that generally the IT manager at a site would have concerns about bandwidth. He added: “There is a little bit of a misconception in the IT world about the effect video has on bandwidth.” The file size of images produced by the cameras is invariably smaller than expected, he claimed. Out of school hours, he added, there is little or no data traffic over the network. Other tips were securing access to the camera (an individual camera should be password-protected) and virus protection. As for IP addresses of each IP camera, Steve Hodges said that Sir Bernard Lovell, like other schools, is part of a bigger, local authority network. Every device on the network needs a unique IP address. A camera needs a static IP address, and the school may have to ask the local education authority for one, which may take time.
About the equipment
Steve Hodges went through the equipment installed: Sony RNZ 30 pan and tilt cameras, with a couple of passive infrared motion sensors; on an Altron column, inside a Dennard housing, to cover hot-spots. That make of camera was also mounted on the corner of a gym to cover a car park. These cameras could be put on tours, recording to pre-set positions. The school also wanted to be able to monitor pupils at break times, to tackle smoking outdoors; hence staff could take control of cameras. The eneo 1001P fixed colour network camera from Videor Technical was installed externally in a wedge housing; and internally, to cover corridors. The Axis 205 network camera was fitted in, for instance, reception. Because of a worry that the camera might be stolen or knocked, it was put in a PIR ‘sleeve’ to make the camera look less vulnerable. And the Axis 211 camera was wall-mounted in corridors, high enough to be away from possible thieves and vandals (and by the way covering the head’s door).As for the viewing software, site plans can show where any camera is sited and images can be called up with the click of a PC mouse.
Remote access
Overall, the system runs unattended. Remote access is possible; and the system can be used for alarm verification. If an intruder alarm sounds, a site manager can judge whether an alarm is false or if there is an incident to respond to. The CCTV had an early result when during commissioning a car driven by a sixth former was spotted and the site manager was able to intervene. The system identified the thief of a laptop, and the property was recovered. And ‘knock out ginger’ has stopped!
About the firm
Software firm DV Networks, a member of the IP User Group, works through third-party installers. Its DISCOVERe product, which captures, records and plays back video over IP, has been used at Heathrow Airport, and is available through the distributor VIS.
