VIDEO SURVEILLANCE OVER UTP WHITE PAPER INTRODUCING VIPER VIDEO SURVEILLANCE 1
C O N T E N T S Security Systems can be integrated into any IT Network The Network Manager s New Responsibility The Problem The Solution LAN Power s VIPER System Advantages of VIPER System Conclusion Sources 2
SECURITY SYSTEMS CAN BE INTEGRATED INTO ANY IT NETWORK VIPER, a revolutionary Analog video surveillance system engineered by LAN Power, integrates security video services into TIA/EIA and ISO standards-based cabling infrastructure, allowing easy migration and management by network IT professionals. The Network Manager s New Responsibility According to InformationWeek magazine, up to 40% of all corporate security departments are currently reporting through the Information Technology department and this trend is expected to accelerate.1 This is a major advancement for an industry that has traditionally drawn a rigidly defined line between physical and IT security. To demonstrate how far the security industry has come in opening the doors of communication, Forrester Research2 conducted a poll that shows that approximately 46% of IT security staff and physical security staff are occasionally working together, while 22% are frequently working together. This marriage of IT and physical security produces a number of pros: Results in better protection with one coordinated physical and information security plan Saves money by eliminating redundant functions Provides an integrated view of your security landscape Improves security effectiveness by looking at both IT and physical angles Ultimately, an IT professional will be responsible for management of the cabling infrastructure for voice, data, wireless and security network services. While voice, data and wireless are relatively well-integrated within an established standards-based architecture, the same is not true of traditional CCTV systems. 3
THE PROBLEM Traditional CCTV security systems utilize bundles of home run cabling from every camera to a central security headend location where monitors, controls and recording equipment are maintained. The home run cables for a given camera (in the older installed base) may use up to three cables and include up to fourteen conductors and coaxial cable to provide power, pan, tilt, zoom, blower, heater, preset controls and video signal back to the security office. Cable schemes are often proprietary, used for a single application. Moving or installing additional cameras is expensive and can require all new cable. Distribution is not structured to incorporate a logical hierarchy as in the case of telecommunications cabling networks. Various bundles of CCTV cables penetrate walls and floors and traipse through ceilings and between floors in a haphazard run to the control room. There are no international standards for cable distance, installation practices or minimum cable performance levels. A lack of standards permits poorly installed or poorly designed networks. Video signal noise, power phase differential and unintended ground loops can be the result. Electromagnetic interference, unsynchronized power and ground loops are common in traditional CCTV systems and will result in video signal noise. These systems also lack any migration capabilities toward IP-based platforms. On top of that, CCTV installers have limited IT exposure, and little or no knowledge of computer technology, cabling practices or data network architecture. Logically, this new responsibility for IT Managers has led some of the management leaders to begin requiring the following: A standard form of installation practices The ability to seamlessly upgrade the system Performance reliability as good as the data network The ability to migrate to digital Ethernet communication Design/architecture based on international standards Quality installers and technicians Minimal bandwidth consumption Ease of operation and ease of system moves, adds and changes Ease of maintenance Open architecture and cost-effectiveness 4
THE SOLUTION The engineers of LAN Power Systems had outlined an imaginative solution. Unique centralized systems and camera cords were developed to carry control, power and video signals. Power supplies and distribution methodologies were developed to provide midspan power insertion. VIPER UTP System The approach taken by LAN Power was to incorporate security camera cabling into the well-established structured cabling network architecture. The cumbersome traditional CCTV cabling method is shown below, followed by an illustration of the LAN Power VIPER concept. In the traditional method, coax, power and control cables are run by the shortest, most convenient route to the security equipment room or the camera may be locally powered from an ordinary electrical wall outlet, resulting in video noise. It can easily be perceived that this traditional home run approach will be both cumbersome and inflexible. It uses coaxial and stranded power/control cables that cannot be easily integrated into the data network, and are incompatible with future technologies. Additionally, traditional CCTV systems do not have a standardized method to power cameras. The VIPER solution, on the other hand, has a centralized power solution that eliminates any performance issues related to powering cameras. In contrast to the traditional CCTV system, note the data communications methodology used for the VIPER concept. Here, power, video and controls are uniquely carried on an ANSI/TIA/EIA and ISO single standardscompliant 4-pair twisted pair cable that meets Cat 5 performance requirements. Traditional Cabling Technique with 2 or 3 separate cables for CCTV system 5
LAN Power s VIPER System The LAN Power VIPER System employs a short hybrid patch cord and a modified information outlet at the camera location. Category 5 horizontal 4-pair twisted pair data cabling runs from the camera outlet to the nearest telecom/data closet where patch panels are used to connect to active electronics. This is identical to the permanent horizontal link for data/voice cabling as defined by national standards established by ANSI/TIA/EIA and ISO. In the closet, active VIPER electronics engineered by LAN Power are capable of routing video and camera control signals and power over existing backbone cabling. Again, this is not only economically viable, but fully consistent with the design of the cabling infrastructure for commercial buildings. Information technology professionals, as well as contractors and installers familiar with data/voice networks, will have no difficulty recognizing and maintaining the elements of this standards-based structured cabling network. The following drawing provides further details of the VIPER system in an example where an existing copper backbone is used between the telecom closet and the main equipment room. Advantages of VIPER System The advantages of the LAN POWER VIPER System are readily apparent. Three traditional camera cables (power, video and control) are collapsed into a single standardscompliant data jack. Ninety meters of 4-pair twisted pair cable is used for the horizontal run to the telecom closet where it terminates on the back of a patch panel. Standard data patch cords connect from the patch panel to active electronics that provide power, control and video signal processing. A single VIPER 10 slot Chassis with appropriate Category 5 cable is now capable of handling up to 40 fixed cameras or 36 pan, tilt, zoom (PTZ) cameras. 6
SD SD SD SD In addition, a combination of both fixed and PTZ cameras can be supported by a single VIPER chassis. Powering all the cameras from the telecom closet can eliminate traditional CCTV phase differential and ground loop problems. Twisted pair cabling carries a balanced signal that can provide better noise rejection over greater backbone distances than an unbalanced signal over traditional low-grade coaxial cable. The signals from the horizontal pairs can be directed to the main equipment room anywhere on the campus over existing backbone cabling (which is typically under-utilized). The signal is reconditioned, equalized and amplified upon arrival at the security center equipment room to provide superior image quality. The arrangement of the cabling infrastructure is familiar to any competent installer of data cabling. Due to the logical organization of structured cabling, and the hierarchy of the distribution architecture, maintenance is greatly simplified. Moves, adds and changes can be accomplished by any data technician. Ongoing costs are greatly reduced (a non-viper MAC can cost up to six times more than a MAC on a VIPER enabled system). The cabling infrastructure is fully consistent with national telecommunications standards and BICSI installation practices. CONCLUSION A glance back to the opening paragraphs regarding the current dilemma of any Information Technology Manager charged with managing the cabling and components of the Security department, will show that all of the traditional obstacles can be demolished with the methodology offered by the LAN Power VIPER system. Design, installation and architecture are in accordance with current international standards, and performance reliability will be as good as the data network. The horizontal channel, from the closet to the wall plate, meets Category 5 compliance covering power, video and data. Maintenance and MAC work is simplified, cost-effective and can be performed by in-house personnel. The system is easily upgraded and able to migrate to digital Ethernet or IP protocols. SOURCES 1. Impact Player Mary Hayes, InformationWeek, issue 877, pgs 34-41, February 25, 2002. 2. Safety in Numbers: Communication CSO, pg 24, September 2002. 3. TIA, Telecommunication Industry Association, www.tiaonline.org 4. BICSI, Building Industry Consulting Services International, www.bicsi.org 7
SOURCES continued 5. ANSI/TIA/EIA-568-B.1, Commercial Building Telecommunications Cabling Standard, Part 1: General Requirements, 2001 6. ANSI/TIA/EIA-568-B.2, Commercial Building Telecommunications Cabling Standard, Part 2: Balanced Twisted-Pair Cabling Components, 2001 7. ANSI/TIA/EIA-568-B.3, Commercial Building Telecommunications Cabling Standard, Part 3: Optical Fiber Cabling Components, 2000 8. ANSI/TIA/EIA-569-B, Commercial Building Standard for Telecommunication Pathways and Spaces, 2002 9. ANSI/TIA/EIA-607, Commercial Building Grounding/Bonding Requirements for Telecommunications, 1994 10. Based on extensive comparative analysis of equipment cost, installation methods and contract 8