| | | | | equipment such a tape libraries but the costs for the |
| Closed Circuit Television Systems (CCTV) and video | | | | main monitoring station are reduced. However, there |
| monitoring and surveillance systems are becoming | | | | is still a risk of the main monitoring station to be the |
| more common in offices, homes, city streets, banks | | | | single point of failure. A multiplexer is still utilized to |
| and shopping malls. So where did these all-seeing | | | | connect many cameras but this time using UTP cable |
| monitoring, recording, access tracking security | | | | with the popular RJ45 network connector, similar to |
| systems originate and why do we need them, and | | | | the one that can be found in every modern |
| how does digital technology play a part in monitoring | | | | computer today. Existing cameras that use coaxial |
| and surveillance? | | | | (unbalanced) cable can have their signals converted |
| CCTV actually dates way back to the 1950s but | | | | to twisted pair (balanced) cable. |
| advancements in the 1970s gave rise to analog | | | | The latest generation of monitoring and recording |
| recording systems together with solid state cameras. | | | | systems are fully digital which utilize hardware such as |
| There were no wireless systems back then so | | | | Digital Video Recorders (DVRs) with IP based |
| cameras were connected via cables to a multiplexer. | | | | cameras and PC/monitors. These have many benefits |
| The signals would then be fed to a recording device | | | | over magnetic tape VCRs media libraries such as |
| (usually a VCR) and/or monitor(s). A multiplexer is a | | | | higher quality and definition and easily searchable and |
| device that allows the operator to cycle through | | | | instant accessible recordings together with offering |
| each camera on the system one by one. There are | | | | improved scalability and expandability. No longer do |
| several disadvantages with this type of system. The | | | | humans need to change tapes as backups can be |
| fact that a monitoring system is often centralized | | | | automatically scheduled. More data can be recorded |
| lends itself as being a single point of failure with the | | | | due to advanced digital compression techniques and |
| infrastructure. As all CCTV cameras were cabled in, if | | | | storage is now moving to more reliable network |
| they needed to be moved often a new cable run | | | | based hardware such as Network Attached Storage |
| was needed. Back in the control room magnetic | | | | (NAS) and SAN (Storage Area Networks) that can |
| media was the medium of which the images were | | | | offer redundancy thus eliminating any single point of |
| stored and were susceptible to magnetic discharge or | | | | failure. One of the powerful benefits of digital CCTV |
| static electricity discharge. Also, for the system to | | | | systems is that the images can be viewed not only |
| run successfully a lot of human intervention is | | | | anywhere within an organization that has a UTP |
| required for carrying out tasks such as physically | | | | network connection, but anywhere in the world, via |
| changing the tapes, monitoring and recording the | | | | the internet. And images can be viewed |
| sessions etc..... | | | | simultaneously. IP addressable cameras can be placed |
| Second generation systems consisted of UTP | | | | anywhere on an existing IP network infrastructure |
| enabled cameras which are IP addressable. Although | | | | thus reducing cost and eliminating the need for |
| these systems were able to run on the existing cable | | | | separate cabling systems. |
| infrastructure they still may require expensive | | | | |