Over the last 10 years, building owners have increasingly sought to use the corporate network or a stand-alone parallel network for security technologies, including intrusion, fire and video surveillance systems. Using Internet Protocol (IP) – the worldwide standard for communicating over the Internet and corporate networks -- for these systems delivers a number of benefits, including higher security, faster data transmissions, reduced costs and greater flexibility.
In new construction, for example, it is estimated that 50 to 60 percent of costs for a video surveillance system can be saved by laying down network cables, as it is simpler and more economical than laying thick bundles of coaxial cable, pan-tilt-zoom camera control wires, audio wires and power cables. IP also offers improved flexibility for expanding a video surveillance system or relocating cameras or equipment. It is easy to add cameras and support multiple viewers when needed, since the network switch can clone video and use the same data multiple times.
The use of IP with intrusion and fire systems provides higher speed alarm communications to a central station monitoring the facility compared with traditional telephone dial up. When the intrusion or fire control panel needs to send alarm information to the central station, IP also ensures the panel will not encounter a busy signal from the receiver at the central station. This communication method results in more data getting through faster to the people monitoring the security and safety of a building.
Using IP for communications with the central station can also reduce costs for the building owner by eliminating dedicated phone lines for these communications. For example, by using IP communications modules, a college in North Carolina has been able to cut the operations costs of its life safety and security systems in half by eliminating the phone lines previously dedicated for alarm communications.
Given the clear benefits, it is important that owners and architects consider the design of security systems early on in building construction or remodeling projects in order to best take advantage of IP. Security can no longer be considered an add-on at the end of a project.
Options for IP Systems
While IP is where the industry is headed, there is a tremendous amount of installed security infrastructure already in place – compelling building owners to investigate hybrid analog and IP systems during building remodeling or upgrade projects. A hybrid solution can help leverage any existing analog camera or control panel investments when upgrading systems.
There are products available that can serve as a bridge between the analog world and the network. For example, analog cameras can send signals to IP encoders, which create streams of digital video that traverse the network, so they can be viewed using video management software or a web browser, and recorded digitally.
For intrusion and fire systems, information transport solutions or modules exist that convert reports from the traditional telephone dial up communicator into an IP package. The module will then send this secure IP package over the Internet to the receiver at the central station monitoring the building.
End-to-end IP systems are not used for intrusion systems, as it is cost prohibitive to run Ethernet cabling and purchase and install the necessary network switches to cover the hundreds of sensors and door and window contacts necessary to secure a mid-rise commercial building. The control panel is the only device in the system that communicates via IP, and new products are increasingly becoming available that have IP communication transmitters built-in to that device.
For video surveillance, IP systems are largely being installed in new construction sites or in buildings that have not previously had video systems in place but that already have Category-5e or 6 wiring installed or a wireless communication system in place.
For example, many universities and K-12 schools in North America have already made the investment to network their classrooms and are now adding a security infrastructure, where one did not exist before. Since the building is already wired, layering IP camera technology on the existing infrastructure is cost-effective and enables school and district administrators to view video remotely.
For industrial environments, such as chemical plants, miles of barbed perimeter fencing is no longer adequate to meet homeland security initiatives, causing them to invest in new technologies, including IP video. Such systems enable them to use intelligent cameras to identify potential threats at the perimeter.
Considerations for IP System Design
Despite the reliability of modern network switches that make local area network (LAN) failure rare, it is reasonable to expect some scheduled downtime for maintenance, as well as occasional unscheduled downtime. However, wide area network (WAN) failure and Internet connectivity losses are more common. Without proper system design, this downtime can have a significant impact on security systems.
For the building owner, the consequences of lost video recording capabilities or the inability for the intrusion or fire system to communicate with the central station would be severe in the event of an emergency or theft. A reliable and fail-proof system design is essential for these systems.
Video System Design
For IP video, many architects specify and security dealers and integrators install IP video surveillance systems that use PC-based network video recorders (NVRs) for centralized video recording, where all video has to traverse the network in order to be recorded. While this system design does have its merits for some types of security installations, NVRs can also be a common point of failure for IP video systems.
There is another approach to IP video system design that can achieve greater reliability. The concept is recording at the edge, where the storage for video recording resides just at the edge of the network and video does not have to traverse it in order to be recorded.
Multiple cameras and encoders can share storage on a local recording network, while the main LAN or WAN used for viewing and retrieval of video remains without any recording load. The video does not touch the main network in order to get recorded, which means it is immune from any main network failures or congestion. Video recording managers can also be used to ensure video continues to be recorded even if one of the storage devices fails. The recording management software can simply redirect video to other available storage device on the local recording network.
Intrusion and Fire System Design
For intrusion and fire systems, a standard telephone line or cellular backup communication method for control panels to send alarms to the central station creates redundancy in case the Internet fails. Beyond a back-up communication method, there are other considerations important for IP communications equipment.
To ensure uninterrupted functionality, and therefore higher security, the control panel at the protected building can send monitoring messages to the IP communications receiver at the central station at a programmed rate. The IP communications receiver then needs to acknowledge this message. If the control panel does not receive a return message from the receiver, the central station operator is alerted. For high-security buildings, owners may want to ensure their system is programmed to send supervisory messages every few seconds instead of every hour.
Building owners may also want to determine if their central stations are using IP communications receivers that are intelligent enough to analyze the signals that are communicated from the control panel. For example, some receivers use digital signal processing, so they can accept signals even if they do not match the acknowledge tone the receiver expects when sending monitoring messages.
The receiver’s ability to process information means that signals from control panels that may be having difficulty communicating or that were programmed incorrectly are more likely to be received and processed. The receiver would also be more accommodating if the building requires a special control panel set-up.
Converging Systems
IP also lends itself to greater integration among security systems. Many buildings contain an assortment of electronic equipment for video monitoring, fire and intrusion detection, and heating, cooling and lighting controls. As manufacturers continue to use open technology and support nonproprietary industry standards, the opportunity is growing for building owners to achieve efficiencies by connecting various equipment used for security, life safety and building management into one system.
With an integrated system, communication between the various functions becomes automatic. For example, when the fire alarm is pulled on the sixth floor of a 12-story office building, emergency exits are instantly unlocked on all levels, and the voice evacuation system delivers clear instructions, specific to each floor or zone, on exiting the building. If the fire alarm system is alerted of smoke, the air handling software immediately powers down fans to avoid spreading it throughout the building.
If an alarm is raised in a specific area of a building, signifying a possible intruder, an integrated system can automatically bring forth the pre-determined action plan for such events and zoom in on a graphical map of the area where the alarm is coming from. Other associated files, such as video of the area, can also be brought to the system operator’s attention.
Preparing an IP-Ready Team
When designing for security, it’s important to involve both IT and security personnel in the discussion and review process for building construction or upgrades early on in the process. Network administrators do not often have an understanding of the requirements for video surveillance, and conversely, security personnel rarely grasp the nuances of the manageability of network devices. However, together, their ability to help design sound systems is strong.
Systems integrators can also help design IP systems that will scale as needs require. However, there is undeniably a shortage of skilled technicians with both security and networking expertise. IT and security personnel should also be involved in the selection process for the systems integrator and ensure the winning bidder is equally well schooled in installing a managed network switch as they are with running wires.
Overall, there is no doubt that the use of IP is growing in security for low- to mid-rise commercial buildings, and the reality is that IP systems require new technology, new areas of expertise and new collaborations.
While the promises are powerful, many building owners and specifiers are only beginning to understand IP security systems, and it is important to learn how to eliminate issues that can result in systems that are not consistently reliable. This knowledge will help ensure the stakeholders select the right design and integrator, resulting in systems that are easier to manage, maintain and are more cost-effective.
Tom Mechler is the Intrusion product marketing manager for Bosch Security Systems, Inc. He has worked in the security industry for 22 years and can be reached at tom.mechler@us.bosch.com
Dr. Bob Banerjee is the IP video product marketing manager for Bosch Security Systems, Inc. He developed Bosch’s IP Resource Center found at www.boschsecurity.us/ip and can be reached at bob.banerjee@us.bosch.com.
