Addressing The Challenges
Dealer puts emphasis on providing safety measure on large metro university campuses
- By Jennifer Hackenburg
- April 01, 2018
Today, university campus applications
offer many challenges for a
surveillance dealer with student
and faculty safety being paramount.
Add in the complexities
of an urban setting, integral public parks and
student housing, and no barriers separating
students from the greater community. Cities
can be truly a part of the massive metropolitan
campus. Hence, this must become part of the
design dynamic for dealers.
When addressing the challenges of designing
video surveillance for a large metropolitan
campus the highest priority for campus
security is to protect people, property, and
structures, as well as to thwart crime and provide
situational awareness. These challenges
couple municipal and educational concerns
to create opportunities to provide innovative
solutions to address the challenges.
Dahua’s 4-Star dealer partner, Custom
Video Security of Los Angeles has done their
fair share of educational surveillance design
and consulting. Whether a local elementary
or high school to a large campus, the lessons
learned can provide additional design insights
to all industry verticals.
Take Custom Video Security’s end user—a
large Midwest metropolitan university as an
example.
“Our main challenge was quantity. The
campus is so large that it takes many cameras
to monitor the interior and exterior of the
buildings,” said Raymond Shadman, president
of Custom Video Security. “In order to blanket
the campus, we needed cameras for multiple
entrances, hallways, common areas, parking
lots, security gates and cafeterias.”
Another challenge was transforming their
system from analog to IP; a networked solution
was sought to expand and completely
overhaul security on the sprawling campus.
The new installation would include both
indoor and outdoor cameras for three-story
student housing structures—along with a
Conference Center, the university’s business
and event hub.
In replacing and expanding the outdated
analog system, the dealer needed to find a
cost-effective solution that offered higher
resolutions, the ability to scale, easier system
and user management, and multiple camera
options, such as PTZ, built-in microphones
and PoE. In addition to cost, many universities
have other priorities such as, warranty,
payment and shipping terms, and technical
support that needs to be considered.
PRE-PROJECT PLANNING STAGE
Dealers with robust pre-planning activities
can alleviate complications during the installation
by providing product reviews with the
customer, which outline the benefit of products
even down to accessories such as brackets
and mountings. This will ensure successful
and efficient installation even when using inhouse
campus IT and facilities staff as a costsaving
measure.
Custom Video Security recommended
equipment through a process using a camera
design map, and it allows the end-user to
align their expectation with the designer’s
recommendations. This design map provides
vital information to the end-user in terms of
angles and pixel density coverage before they
purchase or install equipment.
“Occasionally, end-users may not request a
camera design,” Shadman said. “In these
instances we typically use the camera’s posted
horizontal field of view (HFOV) to meet the
project’s requirements and we explain the
advantages and disadvantages of using a wider-
angle fixed-lens camera versus a vari-focal
or motorized zoom option.”
Keeping all of the priorities of the university
in mind, Custom Video Security worked
with them in several ways, including letting
them try out different models, helping design
the system, and educating the educators on
the best options for their campus. A vital goal
of any successful large installation is to ensure
your end-user understands and is satisfied
with the solutions offered.
PUTTING THE PLAN INTO ACTION
A wide variety of Dahua solutions were recommended
to provide complete coverage of
the campus, which was the prime objective of
the university. For the parking lot solution,
Dahua Ultra HD 12MP 360-degree panoramic
fisheye cameras were used for increased
situational awareness, covering a wide area in
modest detail.
Additionally, the 1.3MP pinhole cameras
were used in the parking lot inside gates to
capture vital front license plate information
from oncoming vehicles and provide positive
vehicle identification.
Also deployed were Dahua’s 3MP PTZ
dome cameras which include a built-in microphone which can pick up normal volume conversation from up
to 30 feet away. In intersecting hallways, the 4MP indoor fisheye cameras
were installed, and 3x/4x zoom mini PTZs were mounted on exterior
soffits and walls.
Since cost was a high priority, using existing infrastructure whenever
possible was another key goal of the design and implementation
of this system. Many universities like to use their own IT and facilities
personnel to do the installation which makes the design and camera
choice even more important.
A professional VMS—a must. In evaluating the project, Shadman
recommended Digital Surveillance System (DSS), a hardware-based
Dahua VMS to optimize viewing and management of numerous cameras
and NVRs on the network. Cameras are recording motion 24
hours a day. Adding DSS has effectively reduced the time spent managing
each NVR/DVR and eliminated the complexity of running multiple
apps and simplifying secure access for multiple users.
Technical support. All dealers need a manufacturer partner, like
Dahua, with an active and committed technical support group to partner
with the dealer and the end-users technical teams. Poor backend
technical support can ruin good surveillance design. Training the enduser
in the technology installed and being responsive when an issue
arises can make all the difference.
It’s not over until it’s over. Dealers need to design a campus system
that’s scalable. A well-designed system will encourage end-users to
expand the system as benefits are realized.
In fact, in this example, the university has essentially doubled the
number of cameras and storage capabilities for less than they invested
in analog cameras just four years earlier. A planned second phase will
use DSS to implement a 64-camera display on a video wall.
IN THE FINAL ANALYSIS
Large installations on a metropolitan campus can be a challenge but
not an insurmountable one. Planning, training and communication
with the end-user, setting the priorities and expectations of the
equipment installed and taking a long-range customer approach can
win the day.
This large metropolitan mid-west university’s top priority—safety
was accomplished. Word is out that no matter where you go on campus,
you are likely to be seen on camera. The university was able to
increase the number of cameras and coverage for the entire property,
resulting in a higher likelihood of identifying people or vehicles in
any incident.
The strategies for succeeding in the education vertical are straightforward:
focus on total cost of ownership, be flexible
and creative in the surveillance design and set
your educational end-users expectations. Class
dismissed.
This article originally appeared in the April 2018 issue of Campus Security Today.