Nitty-Gritty of IP Video Migration
Learn about essential technologies to step clients through the IP video upgrade process, be it baby steps, significant migration tactics or a complete forklift overhaul.
Media Converters Negate Need for Recabling
The technology used in C&C Group’s IP migration path for the Sysco Foods facility doesn’t end there. The facility was built out over the past 20 years and it still uses some analog cameras that are nearing end of life.
As these older model cameras begin to fail, C&C Group technicians will come in to evaluate the original cabling between the camera and the front-end to see if it will need to be replaced. If so, Ethernet over coaxial cable media converters will likely be deployed. These devices enable IP communication over existing coax cabling and convert an
analog system to digital.
Media converters can offer huge cost savings for clients with large legacy systems or expansive buildings. The benefit is twofold: No. 1, labor costs are saved since there is no need to recable numerous cameras. Secondly, consider that video transmission over Ethernet cable is limited to roughly 300 feet while using a media converter at either end of a coax cable can extend the distance to about 1,600 feet.
“As cameras fail we will go in and replace them with IP cameras. They will be going to their closest switch or we will be utilizing converters and the existing cable if it is deemed it can be used,” Tenbrink says.
In an era when end users remain insistently cost-conscious and focused on the bottom line, dealers can expect to service a deep pool of legacy infrastructure well into the future as customers demand to extend their existing infrastructure. Shahar Ze’evi, a senior product manager with Tyco Security Products, likens this movement to the automobile industry where the average age of vehicles in the United States is more than 11 years old compared with nine only a few years ago.
“This has been a recognized trend in the security market, as [end users] look to make the most of their security technology investments,” he says. “This is especially true with analog-based surveillance systems, which have reliably served as the foundation for numerous surveillance programs.”
It is these three wares in particular – hybrid NVRs, encoders and media converters – that will continue to fuel fiscally responsible IP migrations. With a networking foundation implemented, other products such as unified client management software can be applied to extend existing infrastructure.
“Customers can now view and manage video from both digital video recorders and network video recorders through one application, making it possible to leverage past investments in analog devices while adding IP devices at their own pace,” Ze’evi says.
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About the Author
Rodney Bosch, Senior Editor
Although Bosch’s name is quite familiar to those in the security industry, his previous experience has been in daily newspaper journalism. Prior to joining SECURITY SALES & INTEGRATION in 2006, he spent 15 years with the Los Angeles Times, where he performed a wide assortment of editorial responsibilities, including feature and metro department assignments as well as content producing for latimes.com. Bosch is a graduate of California State University, Fresno with a degree in Mass Communication & Journalism. In 2007, he successfully completed the National Burglar and Fire Alarm Association’s National Training School coursework to become a Certified Level I Alarm Technician.
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