Category Archives: IP CCTV

IFSEC 2010 Integrated CCTV wish list.

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What’s new in 2010?

What are we at Integrated CCTV looking for this week at IFSEC 2010? We have set this out in our wish list below.

Megapixel camera.

Well we would be very interested to find a megapixel camera with wide dynamic or back light compensation. We know that megapixel cameras do struggle at times in challenging light conditions. We believe Panasonic are about to release their new i-pro range of IP megapixel/HD cameras and these boast this particular feature. March Networks have the Videosphere 1080p that has been recently tested by us and the pictures were simply stunning. In addition we would also like to find a megapixel solution that properly supports IR.

Analytics.

As we know analytics are currently only available in standard IP cameras or with an analogue camera that has been converted to IP via a codec. So we are interested to see the progress any manufacturers have made with megapixel cameras that support or are capable of processing analytics and generating alarms.

IP delivered externally over 100m.

With more external IP cameras being specified, we realize the limitations of trying to deliver IP over distances of more than 100m. Of course we can use fibre but this is expensive, so, a cost effective way other than powered switches would be interesting to us.

Thermal camera solutions.

Thermal cameras are a brilliant solution for external detection especially when combined with analytics. Are they however priced competitively enough to sell?  Several companies are now looking to bring this type of security solution to the commercial market place and we will be looking hard for the most cost effective solution out there. FLIR as we know are the market leaders.

Storage solutions.

Megapixel cameras means massive storage issues , before this type of technology can be used to its full potential storage prices need to drop. As we know many Terabytes of storage are needed and so any company that can supply this at a competitive price could find business taking off this year.

Dome camera.

Auto tracking domes have been about for a while but has anyone been able to integrate this technology into a Megapixel version of their dome? We know March Networks have an excellent version of a megapixel dome surely they are close to being able to give us this feature? Can anyone else?

Dome camera with IR.

Dome cameras with integrated IR solutions are growing in popularity. We did a feature on the predator dome and we know the IR version is out shortly. This is something we have wanted to be able to Spec for some time and has many applications externally. We will be checking out all the dome suppliers to see if they are able to provide this feature at the best possible price of course.

Case study.

Features and benefits of all the products that we think you need to know about will be following on this site after IFSEC. So, if you would like us to write an article on your product or carry out a case study especially if you think it fits into our wish list then please contact us here at Integrated CCTV and we will be happy to help.

ZX55-IP Perimeter security solution

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ZX55 Infrared Imager.

The Bosch ZX55 Infrared Imager is a camera specifically designed for perimeter protection. It is ideal where the end user has long fence-lines that would require perhaps 3 or 4 standard CCTV cameras to take in the same coverage and critical information.

Powerful camera lens.

The ZX55 is fitted as standard with a powerful 9-90 mm lens and uses Black Diamond infrared technology for illumination. Bosch claim that with the correct field of view, identification can be achieved at up to 100m however usable images can be achieved at up to 300m making this camera a very high performance unit.

Analytics

If you require alarm event notification there is the ZX55-IP it has all the features we have listed above but in addition has on board analytics . Together with the Black diamond illumination, night-time pictures are excellent. The IR technology  helps eliminate hot-spot foregrounds as well as underexposed backgrounds. Black diamond technology also is effective at reducing image noise, this means better compression increasing storage and reducing costs.

All weather construction.

The camera is designed to perform in all weathers as you would expect and has a rugged design to suit all needs.It has been designed to survive a 250km/h wind loading.

Conclusion

Although the camera is not cheap you would not expect this with all the technology and the specification. It wins on performance and reduces costs because this one IP camera solution can be deployed in place of 3-4 standard cameras fitted with IR technology and sensor detection . Visit  Bosch IFSEC IP cameras for more information on both the ZX55 and the ZX55-IP camera solution.

Mayflex.

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Mayflex

Within our industry we need reliable distributors. Mayflex is one of these companies that specialises in providing a broad range of IP security solutions for installers. Mayflex is dedicated to providing a broad range of IP cameras together with CCTV software, lighting and storage solutions.

Any budget.

Mayflex have produced a security product guide that gives in depth detail into all the products they can supply and the benefits of each of these integrated security solutions. They aim to cater for any budget.

Mayflex.com

The website is extensive. They have a competitive pricing structure together with a dedicated projects team to help with quotations and delivery. Orders will be taken on line up until 8pm.

Products.

Mayflex  sell products produced by many manufacturers including:

ACTi.

Bosch.

GE Security.

Milestone.

Mobotix.

Panasonic.

Raytec.

And many others.

The web site is well worth a visit to introduce yourself to all their product ranges. Most of the above manufacturers will be exhibiting at IFSEC 2010.

The new 200 series IP camera range from Bosch

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The perfect IP solution.

The perfect all in one new 200 series IP camera range from  Bosch has been designed to take on Axis in the market place that uses on board camera recording rather than a DVR or a CCTV software recording solution.

Straight out the box.

The package comes as an all in one solution straight out the box. It is designed to be fitted into reception areas and other isolated locations within a building that may involve lone workers or staff who have exposure to the public that may potentially escalate into a violent or dangerous situation.

Audio alarm.

On board audio alarm means that a normal working sound level can be set that when exceed, perhaps because of shouting or a cry for help, the CCTV software will generate an alarm in order to alert a third party.

In addition.

Add to this built in motion detection to enable the 16 gigabyte SD card to capture only the required events and we have a very powerful IP camera.

More for your money.

Finally we have the benefits of POE but most importantly the quality of the image produced from this camera. As expected it is very good as with most Bosch products and with a lack of competition in this particular IP camera type, Bosch must expect some strong sales.

Samsung v Videosphere-Wide dynamic v Megapixel

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Case study.

Integrated CCTV were recently asked to carry out a very interesting camera comparison in order to establish prior to an installation the effectiveness of  two different types of cameras and how they performed when used for two different applications.

Solutions must be found.

The customers main issue was that he needed to identify if stock became damaged on his premises while being loaded or unloaded onto his vehicles. The problems he had encountered in the past was that while looking out from his warehouse into the rear of the lorries the sunlight adversely affected the camera picture and his ability to view the stock inside the trailer. In addition, when replaying any events, when he zoomed in to get more detail, the picture became pixelated and unusable. Also cameras inside his warehouse viewing staff, never gave him the detail required for the wide angle view he wanted and so incidents frequently were either missed or when replayed, offered no real information that he could use.

Wide dynamic or Megapixel IP camera.

With this in mind, we chose to trial two cameras, the SCC-b2335p Samsung wide dynamic static camera and the Videoshpere 1080p Megapixel IP camera from March Networks.

Camera lenses.

To get the best comparison we used very similar lenses, the 2.8 – 8mm on the wide Samsung camera and the 2.2-6mm on the 1080p Megapixel IP camera. We set both cameras up on a tripod and powered the 1080p with POE as designed. The Samsung camera was converted to IP using the March Networks encoder so we were able to bring both cameras back into the Videosphere VMS CCTV software for recording purposes and then after the trial, demonstration of our results to the customer.

The test.

Firstly we positioned our vehicle in the loading bay and pointed both cameras out through the warehouse door. The boot of the vehicle was left open so all the goods inside could be seen. Or at least we hoped they could be seen but on initial power up, both pictures proved to be very disappointing. It was a very bright day and the warehouse had limited natural lighting and no artificial light at all . As a result, we could see little or nothing of the contents within the car, the reason of course was the huge difference in light levels between inside and out. We then turned on the back-light compensation feature within the Samsung wide dynamic camera. This made a huge difference. The Samsung camera then gave us a clear, crisp image of the boot contents and we were considerably impressed. We looked for a similar feature within the Videosphere 1080p but there seemed no adjustment we could find that would improve the picture and despite the progressive scan that we had hoped would help, the images had  to be classed as un-useable.

Playback.

We then played the Samsung images back on the VMS CCTV software we found we could zoom in to the boot contents up to 2x before any pixelation occurred and we deemed that with the camera position we could attain using brackets hanging from the warehouse roof ,we would be able to deploy the Samsung camera successfully.

Looking at movement inside the warehouse.

Onto our next issue, this was getting detail from a wide angle view of staff movements inside the warehouse. The areas that needed to be covered by each individual camera were approx 25m by 50 meters and the number of cameras had to be kept within reason to keep costs within budget.

Looking into the dimness!

Both cameras were turned round to take in the view described above. We identified a few distinctive objects at certain distances to help us compare the pictures. Both cameras offered up good pictures but the image quality from the Videosphere Megapixel IP camera could only be described as stunning. The clarity was incredible considering how low the light level and the distance we were asking it to look. However we were to be even more impressed when we looked at the playback . Even when zooming right to the back of the warehouse the pictures were of superb quality.

Image storage issues.

We must not however forget that with this quality comes certain issues. Data storage when using IP Megapixel cameras runs in several terabytes and this pushes up the cost.

Customers opinion.

We then took the opportunity to show the customer the results of the trial he was very impressed with the results of the Samsung B2335P. For a long time he has been looking for a camera that can cope with extreme lighting issues and he now finally has a solution. With regard to the Videosphere Megapixel IP camera the pictures quite simply sold themselves as he said “it’s a no brainer I have got to have these in my warehouse”. Of course there are price issues, this sort of quality cannot come without cost implications.

Conclusion.

In conclusion the review and testing highlighted the fact that there has never been a clearer example of the fact that there is always the need for the right camera for the right job. Careful testing and specifying will ensure we get a happy customer at the end of the day. The Samsung wide dynamic camera definitely performed as designed and as for Megapixel Ip camera technology the picture quality was fantastic . This can only help to make these cameras a very popular choice with  forward thinking customers.