Small Town Install

[3RDIGLBL 0]

Have any of you installed a system in a small town? Wondering what to think about when choosing camera locations. Getting camera windows blanking so no one says the camera are looking into there apartment? Would like to propose an all IP solution as this would make the most sense. The town is really only one Main street so maybe 4 or 5 cameras could cover the area pretty well. They recently had a designer light pole ripped out by a truck in the middle of the night and it's a $12k replacement cost. What would you recommend for transmission? Maybe recommend that the NVR be setup at the Police Department so they alone have full access to it?

 

So many questions

 

If anyone can help me think this through it would be greatly appreciated. I'm not new to CCTV but for something like this I am. I'm not sure if the town will go for it but it's worth a shot.

 

Thanks

[VST_Man 1]

neat situation. I'd propose installing the NVR at the PD. Then I'd try to get the local businesses on your side via a town hall meeting and/or door to door handshake. If you get enough shop owners involved you can use thier current bandwisth and provide them with off-site recording at the PD........and also propose to the PD that they monitor those cameras via the dispatcher?

 

The neat part is if anything happens the PD has some visability of the town and the locals can feel better about the cameras if you include them as part of the projrct. Once it catches on you'll be everyone's friend.

 

Shop long and hard for the NVR software. You need to be aware of per camera license fees, per camera IP license fee's, and any software update fee's.....included or not. Also, I'd build this system backwards; find the right cameras for the locations, indoors and out. You biggest challenge will be at night no light conditions which typically produce blurrin unusable pics from cheap cameras. Spend more on the cams upfront...........you'll be glad you did. My favorite all around IP cam is the Acti ACM-7411. I'd stick to one or two camera's and then install it. Also, check your bandwidth from the camera to the NVR as the lower your usage the better off you'll be..higher megapixel cameras eat bandwidth and storage........

 

where are you located? I'll help you out if they name a alley after me and give me a key to the city?

[C7 in CA 0]

Have you checked out firetide? Thewireguys mentioned them. Firetide is a wireless mesh network solution. Along with video the system can provide VoiP, WiFi, and even mobile access. Very cool stuff!

 

I found this to be a good read on the topic:

 

http://firetide.com/WorkArea/showcontent.aspx?id=2314

 

Lots of other good info too: http://firetide.com

 

There may be money available in the stimulus package for wireless internet projects. I have a neighbor that secures grants for school district projects. That's all he does all day is work on the required paperwork to get those funds. There is probably someone similar for general municipality projects too. Or maybe even firetide can assist with funding. Hopefully thewireguys will see this thread. I think he carries the product...

[thewireguys 3]

I am working on a solution for a borough myself. We are going to have a the NVR at the police station with about 9 cameras at that location. There are 2 remote locations need one camera each that I want to get recording on the NVR at the police station. With this setup the secretaries and the police will be able to pull up video from all the cameras on any computer in the police station. Also the police will be able to pull up the video in there cruisers so when they receive an email from one of the cameras at the remote locations they can log in and control the PTZ cameras.

 

 

I am give them 2 options for the remote cameras:

 

1) DSL or Cable modem at the remote locations a stream the video back to the police station.

 

2) Trapeze point to point wireless network

 

3) Firetide Mesh network. This gives them the option to add more nodes and more cameras. They would also have to ability to quickly move or add temporary cameras to cover hot spots.

 

The prices for both wireless systems are about the same for the 2 remote cameras. My problem is I don't have line of site for either remote cameras so I might have to add more nodes to get the system to work. This could drive the price up a lot. With the Trapeze network you can only have two hops and with Firetide you have have as many as you want.

 

I am trying to get training on both systems but I am having trouble getting phone calls back from my rep.

 

What NVR software are you planing to use? I have worked with many of them so I can give you the good, bad and the ugly if you need some help deciding.

[griffonsystems 0]

wireguy what about using 900mhz, you dont need line of site then... i am setting a system up for a housing development for their front and back gates and using avalan 900mhz wireless for the one gate, the other we are getting cable company to run internet line. i am also using mobotix for all the cameras - free management software and they will stream direct to a storage nas box, no need for an ap server

[thewireguys 3]

I have heard of Avalan but I though they where for analog cameras. I will have to look into that setup. What is the range of the non LOS? How much is a node? FireTide is about $2500 per node. We are going to use some of the new Axis cameras the M10's and the 215PTZ-e's with ipConfigure for the NVR software. I would like to use megapixel cameras but don't think they have the budget for that setup.

[C7 in CA 0]

I looked into 900Mhz once for a project. I couldn't find a product with enough throughput for our needs. I think Avalan was in the same boat.

[thewireguys 3]

I looked into 900Mhz once for a project. I couldn't find a product with enough throughput for our needs. I think Avalan was in the same boat.

 

Yea I just looked on there site and it looks like throughput is only 1.5 Mb/s..... that isn't gonna cut it

[toughman 0]

1) DSL or Cable modem at the remote locations a stream the video back to the police station.

 

Have done this before? Did it work?

 

Roger

[thewireguys 3]

1) DSL or Cable modem at the remote locations a stream the video back to the police station.

 

Have done this before? Did it work?

 

Roger

 

yes and yes

[3RDIGLBL 0]

Well I approached the town and they kind of laughed at the idea of having cameras around their little town. So what I am currently looking for in the town is a good central location to mount a PTZ and a wireless transmitter/receiver. My office is about 1 mile by way of the crow from town center. I figured if I hook up with one of the many business owners in town whom I know then maybe they will be receptive to placing a camera on the outside of their business. I'll provide access to the camera for the PD for a period of time and try to sell them on the idea through trial.

 

This project won't happen right away as I have too many self promotion projects in the pipeline as it is and money don't grow on trees!!! This is something I would like to try though.

 

Thanks for all the great responses, I think many folks benefited from it.

[slowforthecones 0]

I'm pretty sure a business would be glad to get free cctv for a period of 1 year

[jeromephone 6]

I did a simliar system for a city they just wanted to cover a couple of blocks to start. Mesh is the way to go and I would look at 4.9 stuff as it is public safety band. We do have some 900 mhz in one location which works well but ou should use a filter as there are a lot of devices using 900. We used proxim which is quite pricey and they were not at the ISC West show this year so I don't know what that is all about. We are using Milestone for the NVR stuff and do have the NVR at dispatch in the PD. Panosonic PTZ on the street. I can send you some photos of what the poles look like with equipment on them. Hidden costs 110 power to locations, cost of setting poles, site survey (would have saved us much time and money) range of wireless access points is very effected by environmental factors trees, buildings etc usually means more points than you orginally planned on.

[thewireguys 3]

I did a simliar system for a city they just wanted to cover a couple of blocks to start. Mesh is the way to go and I would look at 4.9 stuff as it is public safety band. We do have some 900 mhz in one location which works well but ou should use a filter as there are a lot of devices using 900. We used proxim which is quite pricey and they were not at the ISC West show this year so I don't know what that is all about. We are using Milestone for the NVR stuff and do have the NVR at dispatch in the PD. Panosonic PTZ on the street. I can send you some photos of what the poles look like with equipment on them. Hidden costs 110 power to locations, cost of setting poles, site survey (would have saved us much time and money) range of wireless access points is very effected by environmental factors trees, buildings etc usually means more points than you orginally planned on.

 

please post some pics