MOBOTIX IP video cameras deployed at Dakota Hotels, enhancing security

MOBOTIX AG, a manufacturer of digital high-resolution, network-based video security systems has released details of major installation for Dakota Hotels that is helping to provide a secure environment for guests and staff while remaining discreet and unobtrusive.

Dakota ‘Deluxe’ Hotel

Dakota Hotels is a lifestyle hotel brand providing hospitality and restaurant services in boutique hotels based in Edinburgh and Glasgow. The Dakota Hotel brand has quickly established itself as a destination much in demand by both business and leisure travellers.

This year, Dakota Hotels began the next phase of its expansion plans with a new 84 bed Dakota ‘Deluxe’ Hotel which opened in Bond Court, Leeds in spring 2017. As part of the development, the Dakota issued a formal tender for a company to provide both structured cabling and CCTV for the site which spans 9 floors.

“Ensuring the safety and security of our guests, staff and property are a vital consideration but we also wanted a CCTV system that would match the elegant yet contemporary style of the Dakota experience,” explains Mr Scott Shepherd, Facilities and Systems Director for Dakota Hotels, “Another crucial criteria was a video surveillance platform that offered the highest levels of visual quality and reliability plus remote viewing capability allowing us to ensure that the hotel and our staff are meeting our brand values.”

MOBOTIX IP video cameras

With a requirement for an ultra-reliable, easy to manage yet flexible system, the firm turned to Express Data Ltd, a trusted and long serving technical adviser and installation specialist for assistance. Following an extensive evaluation programme and based on a number of strong reference site examples, Dakota selected a solution using a selection of MOBOTIX IP video cameras installed alongside a structured cable network including Allied Telesis active networking equipment.

The installation included MOBOTIX c25 cameras, providing one of the smallest 6MP hemispheric cameras which can be installed in suspended ceilings like a halogen downlight. With a diameter of only 12 centimetres and a weight of approximately 200 grams, the c25 includes a light-sensitive day or night sensor and a microSD memory card that can keep recording even if the primary network connection fails. The camera software includes MxActivitySensor and the MxAnalytics video analysis tools offering person and object counting and heat map display of high-traffic areas.

MOBOTIX MxManagementCenter

The 70 plus MOBOTIX cameras across the site provide coverage of all public areas and entry ways and include audio for areas such as the reception desk and kitchen pass to help with dispute resolution and management training activities. The system is monitored using the MOBOTIX MxManagementCenter (MxMC), a complete video management system perfectly designed in combination with MOBOTIX cameras representing the decentralised concept at its best. MxMC allows controlled recording access via the camera or directly via the Network Attached Storage. A unique feature is the adaptive bandwidth management supporting quality search even over mobile networks with very limited bandwidth.

“We looked at a number of options but MOBOTIX offered us an incredibly reliable solution, with no moving parts and a complete software solution to allow us to quickly access the CCTV network from anywhere without any additional licencing costs of specific hardware,” says Mr Scott Shepherd, Facilities and Systems Director “However, it was our selection of Express Data as our installer which gave us both an expert in CCTV systems and a highly regarded infrastructure specialist and this combination allowed us to deploy an advanced CCTV system that meets all our requirements, on time and within budget.”