The Belle Tout Lighthouse is a decommissioned lighthouse and British landmark at Beachy Head in East Sussex. The lighthouse in 2008 was purchased by David and Barbara Shaw, who began a two-year, £1.2m renovation to convert the landmark into a bed and breakfast (B&B).
The Belle Tout Lighthouse website has about 100,000 visitors a year. Reputation and publicity are key factors that govern the sustainability of B&Bs. For accommodation-based businesses, reputation can be maintained by the overall safety of the establishment; whereas the sharing of the scenery around the place is a way of gaining publicity.
Hence Rob Wassell, writer (and who took the photo), lighthouse enthusiast and IT expert, adopted VIVOTEK’s network cameras. Beside the coast any cameras must be robust enough to withstand outdoor and erosive conditions.
Installed are two of VIVOTEK’s bullet-style network cameras – the IP8332-C and the IP8332. As for camera specifications, the IP8332 and the IP8332-C are relatively similar. Both cameras feature a 1MP CMOS able to capture video at 1280×800 resolution at 30 frames per second, and removable infrared-cut filters and IR illuminators (effective range of 15m) for surveillance in low light. The primary difference between the two models is the mounting bracket featured on the IP8332-C for cable protection. Both cameras are encased in an IP66-rated housing and weatherproof casing to withstand rain and dust.
The cameras were installed on the east (IP8332) and west (IP8332-C) side of the lighthouse, and the video feeds were linked to the lighthouse’s website. Web visitors could then log on to the website and take a glimpse of the scenery of Beachy Head, the English Channel or the Seven Sisters. Besides the cameras allow monitoring against vandalism and potential hazards.
Rob Wassell said: “The VIVOTEK solution is a great success. The versatility of the IP8332 and the IP8332-C supports a wide range of applications, such as video recording, snapshot recording, and writing to NAS or FTP. In fact, with so many configurable options, this solution has been able to satisfy all my needs. Having used numerous brands in the past, the VIVOTEK camera has outperformed each and every one of them in terms of workmanship, reliability, security, ease-of-use, and quality. There has yet to be a requirement that VIVOTEK cannot fulfill.”
For real-time live cams visit:
http://www.belletout.co.uk/information/belle-tout-webcam-east/
http://www.belletout.co.uk/information/belle-tout-webcam-west/
