 |
| Kent CCTV has also enabled the school to distribute multiple video inputs by implementing an HDMI over IP solution |
Leading systems integrator Kent CCTV & Data Limited has completed a major project to secure the gates, buildings and assets of one of the UK’s oldest and most highly-regarded independent girl’s schools - The Lady Eleanor Holles School in Hampton, near London.
Preventing unauthorised access
Kent CCTV was called in by the school’s head of technical support services to help them tighten security at the start of a three-year multi-million pound building expansion and refurbishment project.
The school needed to prevent unauthorised access to the school’s construction area because of concern about theft of building materials. More comprehensive surveillance coverage was also needed to cover the new building’s entrances, fire exits, ICT suites and access gates. A total of 22 new Axis cameras were selected, installed and networked by Kent CCTV with a view to covering all these areas.
AXIS P3365-V dome cameras were deployed inside, while AXIS P3365-VE cameras were positioned outside the new building’s entrances covering car parks to the front and playing fields to the rear. Cameras were also installed on the gate post and atop a 10-foot high CCTV pole to cover the vehicular and pedestrian gate nearest to the new building. The AXIS P3365-VE outdoor cameras provide 24-hour coverage using in-built Lightfinder technology which delivers full HDTV 1080p high quality colour images during the day and in near-dark conditions.
Use of ANPR software
All new cameras provide full HDTV resolution quality images, at least 25 frames per second on-motion and are powered via Power over Ethernet to reduce installation costs considerably. A total of 42 Axis cameras have previously been deployed by Kent CCTV to cover all other buildings and the other gate that is in use. AXIS P3346-VE Network Cameras cover external entrances, exits, driveways and side car parks. An AXIS P1347-E Network Camera covers the school’s main car park. This 5 megapixel camera provides excellent images covering all vehicles in the school’s largest car park. AXIS P3346 and AXIS P3304 Network Cameras cover the corridors, entrances and exits of the original buildings.
Gate-fitted cameras were enhanced by uploading Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) software into them and then integrating this with the gate controller and client software to enable pre-registered vehicles to pass through both gates without additional verification.
A total of 64 Axis cameras are now deployed site-wide. All are Power over Ethernet - minimising cabling around the site. All cameras are networked with two virtual servers which together hold 31 days of recorded images, currently requiring a maximum of 16 Terabytes (TB) of storage space.
Milestone XProtect Enterprise 2014 manages and provides easy access to images which are viewed from the school receptionist’s desktop PC and from the head of technical support services’ workstation. Milestone Mobile extends access to images from cameras to the school’s caretaker who monitors the school outside teaching hours. The school’s head of technical support services is also able to access live and recorded images remotely if a problem is reported.
Total perimeter protection
“Lady Eleanor Holles School now has 100% perimeter protection having deployed a total of 64 Axis cameras and ANPR analytics covering all gates. Cameras cover public areas and corridors within buildings - both inside and out ", says Jason Crichlow, Managing Director, Kent CCTV & Data Limited |
Gates are served with 1 Gigabit/s fibre cabling. Kent CCTV & Data laid a total of 1,750 metres of fibre optic cabling linking to a number of switch cabinets creating a 10 Gigabit fibre backbone school-wide and providing 1 Gigabit internet connections to all 650 desktop computers, 120 laptops and 290 iPads. A sophisticated wireless mesh network was also rolled out to ensure consistent wireless internet access across the 24-acre site, even extending to the school’s boat house on the Thames some 1.4 kilometres away.
Umesh Chapaneri, head of Technical Support Services, Lady Eleanor Holles School said: “The truth is the system is so simple you just don’t think about it anymore. If authorised members of staff want to review a reported security incident we know we can find the relevant recording sequence swiftly now…and when we do (find it), we know that it will be of sufficient quality to identify the individuals involved. Before we went to 100% perimeter security we would get occasional trespassing incidents. Now, thanks to Kent CCTV, we know we have the means to stop them at the gate.”
Jason Crichlow, Managing Director, Kent CCTV & Data Limited said: “Lady Eleanor Holles School now has 100% perimeter protection having deployed a total of 64 Axis cameras and ANPR analytics covering all gates. Cameras cover public areas and corridors within buildings - both inside and out. By linking all cameras to Milestone XProtect 2014 video management software we’ve made it possible for the school’s receptionist to view all vehicles and pedestrians requesting access during school hours. Gates can also be released by clicking on digital buttons located on-screen. Cameras are also now viewable remotely outside normal school hours, by both the school’s caretaker and its head of technical support services using Milestone Mobile software.
HDMI over IP solution
“It’s great to see that this school now feel completely secure. We’ve built them an IP video management platform which is future-proof, capable of being expanded by linking with new devices and systems. This means we can facilitate the introduction of new security functionality like biometric access control as budgets open up. The use of an open-architected IP video platform gives the school the peace of mind of knowing they have full security today and tomorrow.”
Kent CCTV has also enabled the school to distribute multiple video inputs by implementing an HDMI over IP solution developed by Just Add Power. This solution has enabled it to take feeds from six different video-format sources including 1080P and pass these images in the right format for display on 10 fixed digital monitors around the school. This enables live streaming of drama productions onto screens in the foyer of the new theatre. In the future it will enable display of matches on the playing fields, and, during open days, the latest promotional videos.
