Category Archives: IP CCTV

Why buy IP CCTV Cameras?

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IP CCTV.

IP CCTV has suddenly come to the fore in the last couple of years . It was particularly noticeable at IFSEC this year where analogue cameras seemed to be no more than an after thought . However what are the reasons that a CCTV camera format that has served the industry for so long should now so suddenly become a technology that will soon be confined to museums or very short sighted end users?

Life in the old dog?

Well perhaps that last statement was a little unfair. It will still take a while before we see analogue cameras disappear completely off the scene, perhaps long as 10 years, but in the meantime megapixel IP cameras will start to produce results that many organisations will find hard to resist. What results you may ask? Well for so many years every CCTV administrator has just wanted to zoom in on captured images and blow them up to prove an event has occurred. Up to now there has rarely been enough definition to achieve this goal . Any blown up or artificially enhanced images have been blurred or pixelated to the point where they are useless.

Why HD CCTV or Megapixel cameras.

Mega pixel especially does not however suffer this problem. The images remain clear and crisp as they are zoomed into on the played back recordings . Add to this stunning live images and you will understand why analogue is effectively dead. Examples of camera manufactures who have taken this technology and produced some excellent camera solutions include Avigilon, Arecont, 360 vision technology, Bosch to name but a few.

What is the catch?

So as the camera technology improves are there any drawbacks? Well of course there are . Due to bandwidth and processing limitations some of the 10 mp cameras can only deliver images at 3 frames per second. Slow to say the least but with such crystal clear images it is still better than 12 fps on an analogue alternative. Of course the camera technology may be slighty ahead of the networks that they need to deliver them to their recording solution ie CCTV software. However as CCTV software gets better and the speed and flexibility of networks increase as well as the processing power of the camera chips, we will eventually see the utopia in terms of megapixel technology and this can bring to the end user the ultimate CCTV solution.

Conclusion.

Are you an end user who is considering an upgrade? Perhaps you have upgraded already and are either impressed or disappointed in what you have purchased? Let us know your thoughts and we will be happy to publish them in order to help other organisations to make that important decision, to upgrade or not to upgrade?

The Shield security camera

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The Shield security camera.

At IFSEC this year we spent plenty of time looking at The Shield security camera. The camera is a testament to the technology partnership between March Networks and 360 Vision. It combines the best of what both companies are about  and we believe it is soon to hit the American market place. This unity of technology means we predict it will take it by storm.

External security solution.

The hardware side of The Shield security camera is manufactured by 360 vision technology and fits seamlessly together with the clever software solutions developed by March. The Shield has been designed to fit into the needs of customers who mainly have external security issues but need a camera that can operate in the harshest of environments.

March Networks,The CCTV software side.

IP, POE, and analytics have all been cleverly integrated into the camera design and and help to make it attractive to CCTV installers and IT integrators alike. March Networks have fitted all these features together and with their codec at the heart of things it means that videosphere CCTV software acts as the ideal recording solution to compliment this camera.

ONVIF.

The Shield security camera is ONVIF compatible  and this means that it will integrate with other manufactures CCTV software as well. However March Networks and 360 vision also have other ideas they wish to add to this already loaded security solution. An on board hard drive will soon compliment the software recording and this will make it attractive where recording continuity is essential.

Robust design.

The Shield PTZ camera moves beautifully, is fast and quiet and built to last, this makes it ideal for any external needs but don’t rule out using it internally . It will come to the fore when installed in docks , ports airports and sports stadiums to name just a few applications but hangers and warehouses could also suit. When installed outside it has a wiper to ensure weather does not become a factor and is extremely robust in design, resisting all the elements can throw at it.

Megapixel IP Camera.

Could there be any more developments round the corner? There are plans to integrate Megapixel  technology into the package and this will add just one more benefit to what is already a very loaded CCTV camera.

Conclusion.

Having seen how the Shield camera works, big sales are inevitable, upgrades of  PTZ cameras are the ideal target market for this product and viewing the Shield Security camera on the web is highly recommended.

FLIR PT-series thermal IP cameras

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FLIR release new range.

The popularity of thermal imaging cameras has increased steadily in recent times as the CCTV security industry find more and more applications for them.With the advent of IP and analytics, together with a reduction in cost, means that suddenly solutions exist that were not there before.

The new FLIR PT-Series.

 The new FLIR PT-Series has been specifically aimed at this market place. Programmable scan patterns and slew to alarms  gives this range of cameras some interesting extra features. The ability to see in total darkness and in any weather, along with easy integration to either analogue or TCP/networks are all valuable selling points.

More Pixels.

By incorporating a high resolution 640 x 480 pixel detector the camera can give up to 4 times the image clarity of previous cameras. It also gives better performance over longer ranges. More pixels mean more detail and the ability to detect smaller objects that would previously have been missed. This all comes with the savings that can be made when expensive lighting systems can be shelved.

On site repairs and upgrades.

Flir have also introduced the interchangeable camera cassette that allows you to upgrade existing FLIR cameras. This can be done in the field and takes only a few minutes, keeping installers and end users happy and no break in camera coverage while the unit is returned to the factory.

Conclusion.

It would appear FLIR are now developing their cameras to fit more and more into security applications in the commercial market place. This has been achieved with more competitively priced cameras that come with more choice of lens size and more built in features.

Outreach Max/Lite

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Going beyond the 100 meter mark.

With IP CCTV becoming ever more popular, some camera installers are finding a need to extend Ethernet networks beyond the standard 100 metre or 328ft range.

Bigger IP camera installations.

As installations become bigger and external compound security requires longer cable runs, Outreach have come up with a solution. If you install the Outreach Max every 100meters then full capacity 100base tx or 10 base-t can be maintained across the entire network the device can give 70 watts POE forwarding depending on the standard with a maximum of 0.7 amps on data pairs and 1.5 amps on spare pairs.

Makes things easier.

A big help when specifying installations knowing that it is now very easy to extend the distances we can put the cameras away from the POE source.