CCTV Infrastructure

Cable quality versus CCTV image quality

Graham is the project manager for a CCTV systems integration company in Johannesburg. While trying to commission a CCTV system Graham just couldn’t get the cameras into focus. The cameras were all focused on a test monitor at the camera and they all appeared to be in-focus, yet at the recorder the cameras were all out-of-focus. The more puzzling question Graham had was, why were the Pan-Tilt-Zoom (PTZ) cameras out of focus? The PTZ cameras all had auto-focus lenses and no matter what the PTZ cameras were looking at they looked out-of-focus.

Graham was at his wits’ end. He had replaced the PTZ cameras, then he replaced the Digital Video Recorder (DVR) along with the monitor and still the camera images were out-of-focus.

Graham then decided to bench test the equipment. He removed the PTZ cameras, a few static cameras, the DVR and the monitor and plugged the systems together at his office on short fly-leads. Surprise, surprise, all the components worked and Graham had a fully operational system. The cameras, the DVR and the monitor were not at fault.

After much testing and investigating we found that Graham had two “challenges” with this installation:

1. Graham had used poor quality video baluns

2. Graham had installed poor quality cable

The solution to the above challenges was resolved by doing the following:

1. The video baluns were replaced with BFR Digital’s Video CAT products and the video image improved but was still out-of-focus.

2. It was only after the installation was re-cabled that the problem was successfully resolved.

What Graham learnt from this experience can be summed up in one sentence. Even if you use high quality equipment such as BFR Digital’s Video CAT with a leading brand camera and DVR, connecting these components with a poor quality cable will always result in a poor quality video image.

Do IP CCTV systems fail to deliver when poor quality CAT5 or CAT6 is used?

Absolutely! The digital high-speed data stream will experience signal attenuation and crosstalk just like an analogue video signal did on poor quality cable. This always results in reduced data throughput on that particular cable.

Remember, using good quality components installed correctly will produce superb video images every time.

CCTV Infrastructure

The CCTV components that nobody ever thinks about but could substantially reduce the costs of installing a CCTV system

Uday is the owner of a CCTV systems integration company in Tanzania. During the height of the recession in 2009 Uday kept losing CCTV deals to a South African company. The burning question for Uday was how could these South African’s under quote him? He was the local and after all the South African’s incurred extra costs like flights and accommodation. How could they under quote him when he didn't have these extra overheads? Also, the South African’s were quoting on the same camera and digital video recorder (DVR) that he was quoting. So the answer wasn’t that the South African’s were quoting inferior products.

Uday found the answer after many months and the loss of many deals. As these systems aged and required camera maintenance, like cleaning and refocusing, the customers began call Uday. It just wasn't feasible for the South Africans to do maintenance on these CCTV systems in Tanzania.

It was on Uday's first maintenance call that he made some startling discoveries. Uday took the opportunity and accompanied his maintenance crew to the customer. Uday was expecting inferior workmanship and product but this was not the case. The product installed was as per the customers specification, the same specification he had quote. To Uday’s astonishment the installation was neatly done and to a high standard.

What perplexed Uday was the lack of power supplies, RG59 coax cable and camera power cable. Instead Uday found a 16-channel box (VC-016PR) next to the DVR. The outputs of the VC-016PR were 16 RG59 coax cables connected to the DVR; the inputs were 16 CAT5 cables. At the camera Uday found a little silver box (VC-01PM) that the CAT5 cable from the control room plugged into and on the other side there was a 12volt DC power connector and a BNC connector for the camera.

Uday had discovered what was to him a unique installation methodology. He was astounded at how a camera’s video signal and power requirements could be managed on one CAT5 cable to a maximum cable length of 300 meters.

You see Uday pays $1 US per meter of RG59 and $1 US per meter of power cable but the price of CAT5 is only $0.8 US per meter. Uday worked out that by using a VC-016PR at the DVR and one VC-01PM per camera, his CCTV infrastructure, i.e. cabling, conduiting and trunking, costs would be reduced by 20%. Uday realized another benefit after using these products for the first time, because he was using less cable and conduiting his labour costs had also reduced. His installation team finished the installation faster than he had expected allowing for a further cost reduction of 5% on labour.

Uday is now a regular BFR Digital customer. Not only has Uday benefitted from our technology but he has also introduced Amar from Kenya and Faisal from the Middle East to BFR Digital's Power CAT products.

Uday is not the only one to understand the benefit of BFR Digital's Power CAT products. We understand that Uday’s position is unique and that the cost of doing business in Central Africa is high but many local end-users like Standard Bank have specified our Power CAT range of products and reduced the overall costs of their CCTV systems.