Hybrid approach — migration from analog to IP video systems.
The closed-circuit television industry is migrating towards a fully digital standard. The speed of this migration depends on the characteristics of the new system, primarily the quality of the video image, and costs. Today, IP video systems with image quality similar to previous systems remain quite expensive, especially when taking into account the total cost of ownership of the facility. Given the tense economic situation, today most end users are faced with the need to reduce costs for video surveillance systems. However, there is a technique that can be used to avoid increasing costs when switching to digital systems.
When installing a hybrid video system, the first step is to abandon coaxial cable and use a fixed cable network instead. The transition to an Internet Protocol (IP) system does not mean that it will consist only of IP cameras with unshielded twisted pair (UTP) cable or fiber cable, or only of analog cameras with coaxial cable. Instead, a hybrid UTP system makes the most of a combination of analog cameras, encoding devices, and relatively inexpensive hybrid digital video recording devices with a fixed wired communication network.
It must be said that the trends in the development of cable networks for transmitting video surveillance data have changed very quickly.
Previously:
Coaxial cables were predominantly used.
Other technologies were used to solve the problems.
Convergence is a favorite term in other industries.
Today:
Unshielded twisted pair technology is being adopted everywhere.
Internet protocol technology is developing, but not as fast as expected.
All technologies thrive on rising coaxial cable costs.
Tomorrow:
Hybrid video solutions will dominate the CCTV market.
IP technology will experience a period of prosperity.
Convergence of IT and physical security equipment will accelerate. First of all, this will be of interest to enterprises and organizations that need to combine all the functionality of a network of physical security equipment on a single management and maintenance platform.
Why a fixed cable infrastructure?
A fixed or well-engineered cabling network is a must for all hybrid video surveillance systems. This transmission medium will reduce system costs and expand the product range, regardless of whether the video transmission method is analog or Ethernet. Fixed cabling has been used in LAN and telecommunications for decades. It is quick to install, can be easily modified, and can be configured to meet industry standards for performance. This performance standard is determined by the category of the components used (5e, 6, or optional category 6) and the installation rules developed by the Electronic Industries Association/Telecommunications Industry Association (EIA/TIA).
Unshielded Twisted Pair Cable – the Foundation of All Modern Digital Networks
4-pair UTP cable is equally valuable for transmitting data in both analog and IP video surveillance systems. In a hybrid video system, only one pair of UTP cable is needed to transmit analog images, while the remaining three pairs are used for other purposes, typically for transmitting power and telemetry data.
Advantages of a Hybrid Video Network
Allows analog video to be transmitted up to a mile and supplies low-voltage (inexpensive) power to a video camera over a longer distance than PoE (Power over Ethernet).
Uses analog video cameras and hybrid digital video recorders for maximum efficiency.
Streams HD video at 60 fps (NTSC standard) with little LAN interaction.
Only one IP address per digital video recorder versus multiple IP addresses per camera.
There is no need to stop the hybrid video recording system for scheduled network maintenance.
Telemetry data and video images are transmitted without delay.
Virus protection only needs to be applied to the digital video recording device, not to all video cameras.
It is a relatively inexpensive, standards-compliant step in the full transition to IP systems.
A fixed UTP cable network displays a certified/verifiable cabling layout from the control side or main data frame through a support/rack to an intermediate data frame and then to the distribution boxes closest to the network video cameras.
The figure shows what a receiving and transmitting system for data, power, and video images will look like when using equipment that supplies the video camera with electricity and transmits video images and telemetry data over the main fixed network using UTP cables.
When using coaxial cable, three different types of cables would be required to achieve the same functionality. IP-based systems offer the same benefits: a single 4-pair UTP cable carries the IP video signal over Ethernet, supplies the camera with power via PoE (Power over Ethernet), and controls the PTZ camera.
One of the benefits of hybrid video systems is their relatively low cost
Using hybrid systems with a fixed cable network is an economically advantageous and rational choice. The cost of installing any system is significantly affected by labor costs. A significant reduction in the cost of analog systems was achieved by using multi-pair UTP cable (25, 50, 100 pairs, etc.) between panels with intermediate and main information frames.
To switch to digital systems, simply disconnect the transceivers and install a digital video camera and the corresponding PoE equipment according to the technical requirements. At the same time, nothing needs to be changed in the cable infrastructure. This largest element is already installed and does not require additional costs.
The user is given the opportunity to choose the data transmission medium used in the cable infrastructure, which in turn makes the system flexible in terms of migration. The most common IP data transmission medium is UTP cable. By using UTP cable, LANs and data centers will move to the next level of data transmission quality while maintaining the current high data transmission speed over fiber cable. Thus, updated physical security networks, LANs and data centers become available in an easily recognizable standard configuration, but at a lower cost. Regardless of what system you use — analog, hybrid or end-to-end IP-based data transmission — UTP cable is worth paying special attention to.