Going digital

The IP surveillance market is growing fast. A recent report from industry analyst Frost & Sullivan predicted 90 per cent growth for the network camera and video server market per annum to 2005, valuing the market at $350 million. IP surveillance systems are now being deployed across the world as well as in the UK. Why then is this new technology catching on and how can existing installers take advantage?

Why IP surveillance?

• Ease of distribution & storage: In the analogue CCTV world, surveillance pictures are normally only available on VHS videotape or as printed pictures. Both of these media require physical transportation, with its attendant costs and potential for disappearance. By contrast, in a digital video environment all information is treated as data files stored either as video sequences or single images. A data file can be easily stored on a network server and sent in seconds to authorised individuals by email or across a network.

• Flexibility of access: Analogue systems operate on a point-to-point mode, requiring dedicated cabling for each camera. Viewing can only be done from designated monitors and keyboards connected to the security system. A networked solution, by contrast, can be viewed from any point on a network locally, as well as remotely from around the world.

  Access to the information is controlled through user names, passwords and IP addresses, rather than being restricted to where a monitor is plugged in. It is even conceivable to access specific cameras from mobile devices and get downloaded pictures in cases where alerts have been triggered. Remote, offsite monitoring becomes relatively easy and inexpensive – a central monitoring station could be used to monitor specific locations where on-site surveillance is seen as too costly. Alternatively, a central monitoring centre could work in tandem with on-site security to make sure nothing is being missed.

• Ease of integration with other networked applications: Networked video technology offers a higher level of integration with other functions and services, making it a continually developing system. Use of open standard protocols and networks for communication enables easy integration with door entry systems, and passive infrared systems for motion detection. The ability to network means that networked surveillance systems are able to take advantage of the development of new IP-based security systems as they emerge. Programmers will simply write in the code to enable integration of new devices.

• Reduced total cost of ownership (TCO): Despite IP-based network cameras being more expensive generally than their analogue counterparts, significant TCO savings are made by users through use of existing networking infrastructure and hardware such as PC monitors and servers, rather than the installation and maintenance of dedicated coaxial cabling demanded by analogue systems. Some hybrid solutions even deploy existing analogue CCTV cameras, converting their output into data files via a video server.

The ability to offer hybrid solutions makes the decision to go IP a low risk, high reward one. In addition, ongoing maintenance costs associated with VCR replacement and repair and VHS tape rotation and replacement are also eliminated in the digital world. Operational efficiencies and cost reductions are made because there is no longer a need to physically move and copy physical tapes. In addition, installers can utilise the wires in standard Cat5 Ethernet cabling to run power through a standard Local Area Network to devices which are inaccessible by regular power supplies.

Designing and installing a networked solution
1. Network capacity – bandwidth & compression determine quality of output: Correct network configuration is crucial to keep bandwidth usage to a minimum and avoid impact on the performance of mission critical systems such as payroll and corporate email. Bandwidth management is likely to be top on the agenda of any IT manager considering an IP surveillance system.

Here too an Ethernet connection outperforms the star-based system, which tends to offer 10/100 Mbps connections to the hub, whereas a backbone communicating between hubs and switches may run at 1 Gbps or even 10 Gbps. It is important to define a plan stating minimum and maximum bandwidth requirement and ensure that this resource is ringfenced so that performance is not compromised. Bandwidth management solutions can help with this.

In addition Axis network products use a compression standard called MJPEG. Other considerations are the required resolution of the images for a specific application. A camera recording potential fraud at a shop till will need much higher resolution than one recording the delivery of goods at a depot. Frame per second (fps) rates will also be determined by the application, some will demand 25 fps, while others can make do with less than 5 fps. As frame rates and resolution go up so do bandwidth demands, only limited by compression.

2. Security over IP: Many people used to working and installing traditional CCTV systems argue that the internet is not secure and as such surveillance images should not be passed across it. The reality is that information security has grown and increased in sophistication in recent years as email and internet usage has become mission-critical and electronic transactions have become the norm.

All communication over the internet is made using the internet protocol suite Internet Protocol and the Transport Control Protocol or TCP/IP. TCP/IP works by dividing data into packets and then independently routes each packet through the network.

TCP/IP itself provides for no security but the IT market has responded by creating highly sophisticated solutions to enable confidentiality, data integrity and authentication when sending data over the internet. Security is multi-layered today such that at the IP layer, one protocol provides security and Transport Layer Security (TLS) normally operates at the next level, while Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encryption is used to identify and authenticate sender and receiver at this level. Further up, at application level other security protocols have also been devised.

With this multi-layered security through the 'comms stack' and an array of front office applications designed to block malicious activity getting into corporate systems, it is possible to build very secure surveillance systems which move surveillance output across the internet in a highly secure way, much as banks move billions each day electronically between institutions.

3. The network design itself: Network performance and management is undoubtedly influenced by network design. Figure 3 illustrates a solution which is vulnerable due to several points of potential congestion. All the cameras are linked from Hub #1 to Hub #2 before going to monitors. This link will need a high capacity to avoid a possible bottleneck. One solution here is displayed on the right where a second link and second hub has been attached to the cameras.

Two distinct advantages flow from this design. Firstly this configuration improves bandwidth from the cameras and secondly it eliminates potential congestion. Building some redundant capacity into the network, the system avoids bandwidth issues.

4. Outdoor wireless IP-surveillance: Many installations may be more suited to wireless installation. Cat5 cabling is not available everywhere but wireless can be deployed virtually anywhere – across water, over rugged terrain and remote or protected locations. It is also valuable for installations where it may be useful to move cameras between a range of locations.

They have the added advantage of being able to offer a wide range of bandwidths from 11 up to 860 mbps. Outdoor wireless networks can be confused with wireless LAN technology but it uses an entirely different protocol called WORP designed specifically for outdoor use over long distances. WORP also provides system scalability and enables effective remote monitoring of wireless cameras from a central monitoring centre.

Network video system components
In the networked surveillance world, the products used are sometimes different from the CCTV products. Here is a short summary of key components deployed in networked solutions.

Network cameras are not just cameras but mini computers. They provide picture digitisation and compression, a server and a network and modem connection. More advanced versions also offer motion detection triggering and alarm in and output capability as well as connectivity to email and mobile devices. Some network cameras are fixed and others are capable of pan tilt and zoom (PTZ). PTZ cameras are operable remotely so that field of vision, zoom in or iris adjustment is possible via the internet.

Video servers offer a number of analogue inputs, digitisation, compression, a server and network and modem connection. In short it converts a traditional analogue CCTV camera into an IP-based system.

PC with monitoring and recording software: software installed on a standard PC is used to communicate with the network cameras and video servers for monitoring and control of the images and video streams, as well as storing and replay of the output.

Axis has more than 150 Application Development Partners (ADPs) around the world who have developed specific applications for buildings maintenance, remote monitoring, access control and many other specific applications. Visit www.axis.com/partner/adp_intro.htm for more details on these.

DVRs are already widely used in analogue-based systems. The DVR can take in several analogue inputs and records them onto a hard disk drive inside the unit. Viewing is normally done locally and/or from PCs connected to the same network as the DVR. True IP surveillance systems dispense with DVRs and have inputs running direct to PCs which will store video data as a normal data file.

Transmission Media: Here again existing infrastructure can be deployed. Computer net-works, phone lines and wireless communications are all deployable for IP surveillance system usage. As more and more of the country gains the benefits of broadband, providing data speeds of up to 1GB per second, the feasibility of moving more data-intensive output such as video streams via the internet is increasing.

Network hardware: As explained, several network products are needed to put together a successful surveillance network including switches/hubs, routers. Power over LAN is also worth exploring to maximise the benefits of an Ethernet network.

Storage solutions: It may be worthwhile to install CD/DVD-Rewriters for recording of information to take offsite. Printers and standard network attached storage (NASs) may also be a consideration for high data volume applications.

Surveillance in action
There have been too many stories over the years of surveillance systems which are rendered inoperable or are not effectively monitored after they have been put in.

It is crucial to establish the intention in terms of what the site wants to have the surveillance for. Is it really just a deterrent or is it a tool that will be used to actively reduce a particular crime?

In our work with Newport County schools in South Wales there was clearly an intention, driven from the centre by Newport City Council and Gwent Police from day one, to reduce vandalism and anti-social behaviour in and around school buildings. If there are clear aims it is easier to build a system to meet a precise requirement.

The larger the project the more important it is to understand what the system is really trying to achieve. If the system is going to achieve clear goals it is easier to attract resources to it.

If a proactive approach is being adopted it will be important to have monitored surveillance in the vulnerable hours after dark. It may be necessary to have a central monitoring station, particularly if several sites are being joined. Storage requirements need to be considered very carefully as storing images for more than a month is in breach of the Data Protection Act unless there is a specific requirement to keep it.

It is also important to consider security procedures to ensure those unauthorised to view images from the surveillance system cannot see them.

For the future it will be valuable to consider integration issues so that if it is worthwhile to link door entry systems to cameras to track people entering a building, then this integration work can be considered right from the beginning.

In summary, the market for IP surveillance is growing strongly in the UK and around the world. Many CCTV-based systems in this country will need upgrading in the next few years as a large proportion are now at the end of their lives. Manned security guard costs are rising as new regulations such as the Working Time Directive force rates up.

At the same time financial directors continue to cut operational costs and maximise existing assets such as investment in network infrastructure.

In tandem, IP surveillance technology is improving all the time and being integrated with more networked security applications that work together to make companies' information and other assets more secure.

With all these pressures in place, IP surveillance will experience exponential growth in the coming years. Security installers looking to future-proof their businesses will need to educate themselves about IP surveillance.

To end on a positive note, existing installers have little to fear as they already have valuable core skills in designing, building and installing surveillance systems and this knowledge is invaluable in any installation, regardless of the technology being put in.