Migration To IP

Jun 1, 2007 12:00 PM

Updating analog surveillance systems to IP-based video is a major challenge facing security professionals in the education market, especially in older schools. These buildings lack the dedicated network cabling required for IP cameras. Moreover, the cost of new network switches, servers, software licenses and installation can discourage a budget-strapped administration from implementing even a badly needed upgrade.

Fortunately, advances in open platform software and Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) cameras are making the migration to IP in older facilities affordable. A case in point is Sandusky High School, located in Sandusky, Ohio, a city of 27,800, situated two miles south of the Lake Erie shoreline. Built in 1957, Sandusky High School is currently home to 1,200 students, making it one of the largest secondary schools in Ohio.

Security problems at Sandusky High School are typical of high schools, such as graffiti, vandalism, fights and petty theft. Improving safety prompted the district a decade ago to install its first video surveillance system, which consisted of box-style analog monochrome cameras mounted throughout the hallways connected via coax cabling to onsite time-lapse VCRs and video monitors.

In late 2005, Sandusky school officials contacted Northwestern Ohio Security Systems Inc. (NWOSS) seeking additional performance from their surveillance system. They wanted to centralize remote video storage at the district's administrative office located a mile down the road from the high school. In addition, officials wanted to be able to view the entire building through multiple camera feeds on a PC or notebook computer and control camera pan and zoom functions. Mindful of privacy concerns, administrators sought to isolate video access strictly to authorized users.

John Kostelac, a design technician with NWOSS's Dayton office, recognized that Sandusky's goals required deployment of a new IP-based video surveillance system: “We presented a design proposal that combined Milestone software running on a dedicated Windows 2000 server along with multiple Toshiba network dome cameras that supported PoE. The cost of the new system was competitive, even with the added expense of running new Cat 5e wiring,” he says.

According to Kostelac, NWOSS's “ace in the hole” was a high-capacity fiber backbone that had recently been installed from Sandusky High School to district headquarters. The fiber allowed Northwestern to tie into the district's remote server through the telecom closet, reliably and cost-effectively.

In all, NWOSS installed 50 Toshiba IK-WR01A IP-addressable dome cameras inside Sandusky High School. Placement of the cameras concentrated on areas prone to student problems, such as the weight room, lunch lines and the gym. Cameras were not installed inside classrooms. In addition, a single Toshiba IK-WB02 IP camera protected by an environmental housing was installed outside the main doorway to monitor traffic moving in and out of the building.

“The IK-WR01A cameras were vandal-proof, delivered VGA resolution images at up to 30 frames per second and most importantly, they supported PoE,” Kostelac explains. “Anywhere Cat-5e cable was run, we could put a camera, giving us more flexibility in mounting choices. Also, it resulted in lower installation costs since we didn't need to put in additional electrical wiring or power outlets, which made our bid more competitive.”

Sandusky High School administrators immediately recognized the value of the camera's vandal-proof design. Students had tampered with and shoved the old analog cameras from their targeted direction. The IK-WR01A has a thick steel body with tamperproof screws along with a break-resistant dome cover.

NWOSS chose Milestone XProtect software to automatically manage the Toshiba cameras and digital image archiving. Toshiba has a strong alliance with Milestone Systems, Denmark, to ensure compatibility.

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