In the few years that IP surveillance has been a viable tool for security managers, few CCTV consultants and installers have tried to breach what is not just a knowledge gap but almost a generational divide. Diehard installers and end-users brought up on RG59 Coax have treated IP with disdain and mistrust.
Asked about IP by forward-thinking clients, traditional installers will often say it is impractical or simply doesn’t work. If you’ve been operating in an analogue environment for 20 years, both fear and comfort factors produce such a response, prejudice that stems not just from ignorance of IP but of underlying IT systems.
Installer faces a challenge
Ubiqz specialises in making these two technologies converge, drawing on experience from both the traditional analogue sector as well as the data-centric IP world that we live in today.
When forward-thinking clients say they want internet-addressable CCTV the security installer often finds himself in a challenging section of the IT domain. The first task is how to allay the concerns of the IT managers who are keen to protect their network bandwidth. And if a security engineer has the nerve to place cameras on a poorly managed network the units are usually kicked off for fear of compromising service.
As a consultancy, we pose no threat to incumbent installers. We’re certainly not trying to poach installation contracts and much of our work is helping engineers with an analogue background adapt to IP and implement it for their long-standing customers.
We’ll never go to an end-user and try to sell them a system but once the client has drawn up a short list of vendors we can offer advice, both in selecting the best solution and implementing it. Similarly, we don’t have an army of operatives pitching for maintenance contracts and are far happier educating the client’s existing installer as to how to fine-tune the equipment and maximize its benefit to the end user.
At times we’ve felt like a lone voice crying in the wilderness but we’re now seeing banks, hospitals and schools go down the IP route, using their long-standing installers with input from us where required. Recent projects cover many industries as well as some surprising geographical locations such as in Tripoli (see panel on right).
Well versed in Sony technology as a result of continuous manufacturer training and support, we are also accredited by MAXcess, March Networks and Bosch to work with their network technology and video streaming products.
IP is not a ‘necessary evil’
We discourage the idea of IT people regarding IP cameras as a necessary evil hanging on the end of their systems and consuming unnecessary bandwidth, and certainly don’t like IP being seen as a black art.
IP is fantastic for tightly-legislated sectors like pharmaceuticals. With an appropriate hierarchical structure of access, middle and senior managers can analyse staff behaviour as well as monitor production processes and guard against intruders.
In addition to the pharmaceutical industry, I see sectors with similar regulatory frameworks such as petrochemicals as a potential growth area for IP. Other promising niches are education – traditionally bandwidth rich – as well as transport, retail and finance. We have also worked recently at schools and colleges as well as on transport infrastructure. A notable application has been a 50-camera system at a Church of England secondary school on the south London/Kent border.
The project employs a power-over-Internet solution from PowerDsine and stores data on Dell servers.
It is a largely unmanned system using client server architecture through which the school’s IT manager can view all the cameras from his desk. The cameras have varied usage that can range from obvious problems such as intruders and bullying, to theft of library books and non-payment for canteen meals.
Working with north London-based The CCTV Company, Ubiqz facilitated internal and external structured cabling (Cat 5 and Cat 6) for camera installations in every area of the school other than classrooms where there are Data Protection Act issues.
Working with analogue
The cameras have been mounted on the school playing fields, car parks, walkways, stairwells and in most communal areas.
With its background in analogue technology, Ubiqz can also work on hybrid systems, often taking images from conventional cameras and exploiting protocol conversion. An example of this is a 400-camera system across 18 car parks (see panel on right).
Installers need to meet changing demand. If an end-user realises that IP is the route forward and his installer won’t provide it, then the client is going to walk. However, we can work constructively with security installers to meet changing needs through retrospective conversions to IP or hybrid IP, even in listed buildings where physical restrictions on wiring can be overcome with Wi-Fi.
Our approach is that of an IT-literate company with a background in traditional CCTV who have spent three years researching how IP and analogue techniques can co-exist.
We’re here to help installers
We have no aspirations towards being an installer and there is no branch network structure. Our mission is to help end-users by introducing installers to IP techniques.
We work with PTZ, static and dome assemblies, both through conversion of analogue images and through dedicated IP cameras from the major manufacturers.
End-users are realising that the overall cost of ownership falls when they take the plunge from an analogue or a hybrid system to pure IP … and while the migration can at first appear daunting, consultancy services can make the IP route viable for engineers working across all industry sectors.
Installers should not regard IP as a necessary evil and implement it only after client pressure; they should appreciate the functionality and economies offered by Internet addressable technology and embrace it.
