IP CCTV hits Amsterdam

IP surveillance

Network video recording

The city authority’s recent decision to extend the existing analogue CCTV systems at Amsterdam’s Central Station with an additional 20 dome cameras highlighted the drawbacks of using traditional cabled video systems. The cost to install these remote cameras around the vast station complex using fibre/coax cable was too prohibitive.

Thankfully, Q-Cat – the Dutch security and communications specialist – and IndigoVision worked together to develop a solution that would employ an extension to the existing IT network infrastructure. The analogue video feeds from the new domes are converted to MPEG-4 high quality digital video by IndigoVision’s 8000 transmitter units. The IP datastream from these units is then sent via Wavesight’s WaveMAX wireless Ethernet bridges to Central Station’s Security Control Centre. Here, several WaveMAX receivers/antennas convert and feed the digital transmissions from each camera onto the new local IP network. The system is also bi-directional, allowing camera control data to be sent to each dome over the wireless network.

Within the Control Centre itself, IndigoVision’s video and alarm management PC software and dedicated network video recorders are installed on the IP network.

Four recorders provide continuous recording at a rate of 25 frames per second from each of the dome cameras.

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