CCTV Systems
By John W. Colley

Grill The CCTV Expert
July, 2003 Issue

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Dark building and ground areas with poor lighting have been difficult to cover with standard off the shelf CCTV equipment. What equipment is available to assist in providing better images?

Twenty-four hour CCTV coverage is a customer request and requirement that electronic solutions are becoming more plentiful. Lighting conditions that are so low the human eye cannot see and a traditional CCD cannot read the light to produce a useable picture, the client wants a clean crisp daytime picture requires a combination solution. First you need to select an Infrared sensitive camera, next is to select an infrared lens and third you need to select the right infrared illuminator for area scene to be monitored. Select a CCD camera or lens that is IR sensitive or the results will be a blurry picture. The selection of an infrared lens that can adjust to daytime pictures will give the client the best picture twenty fours per day.

When using infrared illuminators what do we considered for infrared equipment under nighttime conditions without imposing intensive, overt visible light for a specific CCTV application?

Three conditions will result from your correct selection of illuminators. Overt illuminators will produce a distinct red glow approximately in the 716nn range. Semi covert illuminators produce a red glow that can be detected with a trained eye in the 850nn range. Full covert illuminators will avoid any red glow, which should make it impossible to view in the 950nn range. Request a demonstration from factory representatives and do your own record in similar light conditions before you make a customer recommendation.

Why use digital video surveillance on networks?

Managers of security applications are usually able to access the corporate network. Having access to the network may allow video wherever the user is located. Advanced network security, management and faultfinding are usually designed into an IP network. Advanced DVR applications either may allow the use of wireless technology to connect into the IP network on an event basis or connected a fulltime basis.

Can our client have a hot spare storage drive replacement for their Digital Video Recorders?

Contact your CCTV factory representatives to ask your specific question on the product they are selling and you are considering buying as the dealer. Some digital recording manufactures offer the hot spare storage. The system design will require a system manager console to manage a disk array. Any number of global hot spare disks can be configured by some manufactures. The spare drives automatically rebuild the disk array to a consistent state in the event of one or more disk failures. Additional archive tape subsystems should be considered.

Using recorded video digital information versus analog videotape information is their any differences to consider.

The video collected may not contain different information. The difference is the ease in which a person may transmit the collected data information around the world on the Internet and IP networks. This is blessing and a curse. If the information collected is for legitimate use a few clicks of the mouse and information is sent. If a person is using the same equipment to gather information not consistent with our state and federal laws, it can also be sent to anyone or stored on the Internet for everyone to view. Reality shows on TV are educating the consumer on potential uses of digital CCTV. Money is always a motivator. Educate your customer "the data information collected by a Digital Video Recorder should be considered as confidential company information". Company and institution policy guidelines should be developed applied and followed to manage the use of digital video recorded information.

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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.