Using UTP instead of coax saved days on the installation at the high tech warehousing and office facility of Pets At Home.
"And, in addition", said Phil Thomas, AsPro's Systems Integration Manager, "we have the benefit of being able to draw upon spare UTP pairs if we need to add further cameras in the future – a far better solution than having to come back to site to run additional coax cables! "
Pets at Home is a rapidly expanding business success. To cater for its distribution needs, a 140,000sq ft warehousing facility has been built at Trentham Lakes in Stoke On Trent.
The combined head office and distribution centre will underpin the company's plan to become the strongest and most innovative company within the UK pet retail sector.
To secure the £5.5 million 'design and build' investment, its stock and 200 employees, Pets at Home chose AsPro (UK) Ltd of Mawdesley, Lancashire, to specify and install an effective security system.
Pets at Home Senior Project Manager, Gerry Jones, worked closely with AsPro on the project.
Highly detailed plan
He implemented an integrated security plan that featured a level of planning and detail right down to the specific operational requirements envisaged for each camera.
"Securing a warehousing and distribution environment capable of handling 11,000 pallets of stock, calls for the examination of all the key security and site management factors that could affect the smooth operation of the business," he said.
"From here, we distribute to 145 stores nationwide, so effective security and site management is an essential tool for our operation.
"AsPro's fully integrated system provides us with building and site security, traffic management information, and a time and attendance system that addresses our payroll requirements."
He said that careful planning of the installation mechanics meant they were able to install additional equipment at minimal extra cost.
High quality images
Integrating CCTV, access control and intruder alarms, AsPro's £90,000 system delivers high-quality CCTV camera images, using NVT video transmission equipment and a UTP structured cable network.
Phil Thomas, of AsPro's explained:"Meeting the client's brief to provide the best available image quality, along with the flexibility to readily add additional cameras, we employed a simple UTP (unshielded twisted pair) cable network to distribute the system's high-speed and fixed dome camera video signals.
"Easy to work with, we were able to install the UTP cable infrastructure far quicker than would have been possible with coax. It took just one day to pull a small diameter UTP backbone cable; it would have taken around three days if we were using heavy duty, duct grade coax. And, in addition, we have the benefit of being able to draw upon spare UTP pairs if we need to add further cameras in the future – a far better solution than having to come back to site to run additional coax cables!"
High-quality video transmission of the site's internal storage areas, 27 loading bays, 200-space car park, entry and exit points, and perimeter, is supplied using a mix of NVT passive single channel transmitters and 16-channel active (powered) hub receivers. NVT's active UTP transmission equipment means that the system also has built-in lightning protection, and ground-loop isolation. This can be a valuable feature, especially with 'new build' installations where it's not unusual for post-installation plant to 'appear'. When using coax cable this can easily cause interference problems.
The system's 400m long backbone cable is a 16mm wide, 25-pair UTP, laid between various junction boxes around the warehouse, and from these, single 4-pair UTP cables are fed to each camera.
Cross talk immunity
Carrying camera video, telemetry and low voltage power, the cost-effective UTP network is connected to the site's main security gatehouse, using a 50-pair UTP cable. "Installation is helped even further when cabling-up perimeter cameras," says Thomas. "Due to NVT's excellent cross-talk immunity, we were able to run a single 4-pair UTP to each camera point, using a pair for video, telemetry, alarm and tamper circuits. Likewise, we supplied three of the internal dome cameras with their low voltage power using a spare pair in the same single UTP cable, saving time and costs by not having to install local power.
"Three of the internal fixed dome camera's feature an NVT UTP output built-in, which again, helped to speed-up signal connection and overall camera installation."
He said the cost/performance benefits of the video transmission equipment were numerous and had become AsPro's "preferred medium" for the transmission of quality camera video signals.
Source
Security Installer
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