|
CCTV
Systems
By John W. Colley
Grill
The CCTV Expert
View
The Grill The CCTV Expert Archives
I am part of committee that has given the responsibility to
research what is available in security products, voice products
and analog control to upgrade our fifteen-year old security
system at a campus public corporate site. Our goal is to have
a single security station to view CCTV and other security
requirements. The management is requesting we choose products
with ten-year life span. The products should be able to interface
to our seven year old Ethernet Network. I believe they used
CAT 3 cable for the Ethernet Network. Would you please give
me an overview of some of the challenges as a committee we
will need to consider for this project?
I am sure one of your senior staff has at one point made a
comment "It seems like the world was a lot simpler back then".
Alexander Bell might have also said the same statement on
his task in the early formation of a telephone communication
system, which originally only needed to pass a single voice
signal from one end of the cable to other end. At that time
the transmittal of single voice over cable was a monumental
step forward in technology.
As
I studied your tasks they will be substantially more complex
than Alexander's tasks. Your study will encompass several
areas of technology and business decisions that may be equally
as challenging.
Several
technologies will play a role in the decision your company
will choose. In a campus environment the first decision is
how and how many signals do you transmit building to building
to gather them at Central Command Center? If the buildings
have access to each other via a conduit system this would
be a good choice. First explore what type cables pre-exist
building to building and determine if any of the cables will
interfere with the other new products being used. The use
of Fiber Optics cabling is a cost effective way to gather
CCTV signals and other data applications within buildings
and multiplex them to your Central Command Center. The use
of Fiber Optics will reduce your chances of other cables interfering
with other signals or EMI bleed. The Fiber Optic multiplexers
may be chosen individually for each type of data and video
signals to be transmitted from each sub-system.
Wireless
transmitter and receiving applications may be considered if
no conduit exists or the buildings are across a public roadway.
The most popular technologies should be considered. When using
wireless the signal strength and category of the signal may
or may not require FCC licensing. The consideration of wireless
may be the less in budget than to dig up parking lots and
highways versus wireless. A consideration of not using wireless
is the loss of signal and the causes, which sometimes may
be due to rainy weather, sunspots and other device transmission
or environmental interference beyond your control interfering
with the signal. How many times has your car radio changed
channels automatically for no visible reason? I am finding
this to happen more and more. The proliferation of wireless
bandwidth devices i.e. cell phones, microwave, Networks will
most likely increase likely hood of interference.
Are
the CCTV cameras scalable to fill are company needs in the
future.
Ethernet
Networking is an option to consider. This is an area that
may be more complicated and more costly when all the facts
are known but it is viable solution to consider. In consideration
of using IP Cameras within your campus environment a few important
steps need to be explored. You mentioned you thought your
firm is using CAT 3 cable Network. The latest Network Technology
cable is CAT 6 and Cat 5 is in-between. This is area that
the IT departments and experts will need to explore.
The
use of Ethernet and Internet Networks require TCP/IP protocol
to communicate. Network cable sizing and equipment will need
a complete review. If your company is using CAT 3 it will
most likely need an upgrade to CAT 5 or 6. I recommend you
look at IP Network Security products that use a multi-level
user encrypted login and password requirement. Many of the
new products are adding encryption and built-in firewalls.
The consideration of the Bandwidth size of the Network should
be Dynamic and adjustable. This will allow the Network Administrator
the flexibility in managing the IT Network. Of course you
will need a back up plan if the IT Network is offline or malfunctions
for long period of times.
The
back up of data should always be considered when mapping out
new systems. The importance of the security system should
be discuss with the corporation Risk Manager or Chief Financial
Officer to determine levels of security of data, intellectual
property's and physical assets. Why the Chief Financial Officer
you ask? In the new IRS tax code are requirements for the
high level managers to check off that they have protected
the all assets including intellectual assets of Public Corporations
in 2005.
Considering
the fact the Corporation is requesting ten-year life cycle
you need to explore the average life of the sub-systems to
be purchased. It is my experience that five-year life cycle
is more realistic. How many homes in America are using ten-year
old electronic appliances in their homes?
Now
their are the real important business issues to discuss with
your committee. Are the businesses you are exploring going
to be doing business five years from now? Are they financially
stable? Are they a great technology company but poor businessmen?
When evaluating manufactures which ones are committed to products
and customers? Determine if you can which one's are only trying
to see if they can make financial return in the business and
if they can't they get out?
Of
course technically there are many technical issues to be considered
when integrating sub-systems. As you explore the process I
am sure at one point you will say, "It was a lot simpler back
then".
View
The Grill The CCTV Expert Archives
John
W. Colley is president of Integrated Security Systems, Ltd.
and has been in the security industry for over 25 years, beginning
his experience in the CCTV segment of security and gaining
knowledge through field experience, manufacturer training
and designing systems to meet customer needs. Colley started
his security integration firm 18 years ago, providing design,
engineering, installation and service to commercial accounts
using integrated systems. Send your CCTV/Surveillance questions
to jwc@securityiss.com.
|
