1 May 2021

Punto Sur is a shopping center located in Guadalajara, Mexico. However, it is much more than a typical shopping center. Punto Sur’s “Lifestyle Boulevard” is an urban and open entertainment center with shops, restaurants, hotels, and beautiful outdoor areas.

Due to its vibrant and comfortable entertainment spaces, Punto Sur hosts many events that bring the surrounding community together. Punto Sur even has a large hall called the Balcony, where the community can host weddings, corporate events, or other large gatherings.

Challenges to use IP solution

In 2018, while the outdoor shopping and entertainment complex was under construction, the company started looking at video surveillance solutions. The organisation wanted Punto Sur to have IP cameras in all public spaces to ensure staff and visitors’ safety.

Lifestyle Boulevard would ultimately include several indoor and outdoor spaces spread across many locations, which created several challenges in deploying an IP security solution:

  • Additional space, time, and effort needed to install several IDF closets to support IP cameras throughout the vast entertainment complex, given the 328 ft (100m) reach limitation of standard Ethernet switches
  • High infrastructure costs and extended deployment times to address the IDF closet requirements
  • The cyber-security risk of putting the IP cameras on the core network backbone

Using NVT’s FLEX switches

The NVT Phybridge FLEX24 and FLEX8 switches were used to support the new IP cameras using CAT6 Ethernet cabling

Considering the customer’s challenges, the reseller partner, Telenet, suggested NVT Phybridge FLEX technology. Telenet had used NVT Phybridge solutions in the past, trust the product’s performance and quality, and was confident in its ability to overcome the customer’s digital transformation barriers.

Due to the immense size of Lifestyle Boulevard, Telenet built a fiber optic backbone to connect the various locations within the entertainment complex.

The NVT Phybridge FLEX24 and FLEX8 switches were used to support the new IP cameras using CAT6 Ethernet cabling. The FLEX family of products deliver fast Ethernet and PoE++ over multi-pair UTP cabling with up to 2,000ft (610m) reach – that’s six times farther than standard Ethernet switches.

FLEX24

  • Enterprise-grade 24-port managed long reach PoE switch
  • Delivers 10/100Mbps symmetrical (full duplex) and PoE++ (50W) over 4-pair UTP or PoE+ (30W) over 2-pair UTP with 2,000ft (610m) reach

FLEX8

  • Enterprise-grade 8-port unmanaged long reach PoE switch
  • Delivers 10/100Mbps symmetrical (full duplex) and PoE++ (50W) over 4-pair UTP or PoE+ (30W) over 2-pair UTP with 2,000ft (610m) reach

Flexible and practical installations

Telenet took a proactive approach to find new and better ways to support the customer’s IP modernisation objectives in a financially and socially responsible manner.

We have used NVT Phybridge products in past installations and have found them to be very flexible, dynamic, and practical,” said Eduardo Rodriguez Vanegas, General Manager, Telenet. “Once again, we exceeded the customer’s expectations with NVT Phybridge technology and have experienced no issues.”

Centralised monitoring solution

The Punto Sur security team can monitor all activity in the entertainment complex from a centralised location

The organisation was able to deploy over 250 IP cameras throughout the Lifestyle Boulevard shopping center. The Punto Sur security team can monitor all activity in the entertainment complex from a centralised location using their new state-of-the-art viewing and IP surveillance system.

By leveraging the NVT Phybridge FLEX family of solutions, the customer was able to:

  • Maintain a physically separate network for the new IP surveillance system, ensuring optimal performance, cybersecurity, and reliability
  • Leverage FLEX’s long reach capabilities to significantly reduce IDF closet requirements, guaranteeing a simple-to-manage surveillance network with less complexity and day-two support issues
  • Reduce the overall deployment time by three months
  • Reduce infrastructure costs by more than $50,000