IP CCTV has been installed to secure tenants at a business park in the Scottish Highlands. The Enterprise Park, Forres, pictured, has been developed by Highlands and Islands Enterprise to bring jobs into the area. Having experienced vandalism, fly tipping and such some lower-level crime, Highlands and Islands Enterprise wanted tenants to feel entirely secure and confident in the security of the park.
Scott McKnockiter, Development Manager at Highlands and Islands Enterprise, says: “Although there’d only been a couple of minor incidents, we decided to nip the problem in the bud and invest in a CCTV system. We knew we needed a flexible system that could evolve with the needs of the Park, which is expanding all the time and our consultants Rybka specified the need for an IP system.” Local company Bartec won the resulting tender thanks, in part, to the value of their proposal, but also because of their understanding of the Park’s requirements. Gerry McAloon, Operations Manager at Bartec says: “Originally, the brief was to create a wireless network across six buildings on the park all feeding back to an NVR in the main Horizon building. However, we suggested that they decentralise the recording so that, should transmission be lost in one area, the whole system isn’t affected.”
Some 25 Vivotek 2MP external cameras using power over Ethernet (PoE) have been positioned around the park, recording to six Vista Graphica Sabre NVRs, each in buildings local to the cameras. An RDT radio transmission system uses receivers on the host buildings to send images to the central monitoring station in the main Enterprise building. A Vista VK2-540 BX camera covers artwork at the park’s entry roundabout. The Vista Graphica2 video software manages footage.
CCTV and IP
Although impressed by the CCTV image quality, Gerry is the first to admit that he never used to be a fan of IP. He says: “I’ve often struggled to understand its popularity. But this project has completely reversed my views. As well as the image quality, the flexibility and scalability of the system is fantastic and I’ll certainly be using IP more in the future.” As newcomers to IP, Gerry decided to use distributor Norbain’s Service Plus as help on-site. Service Plus offers customers a range of resources, designed to complement their own skill sets. This additional support can be used to reduce the risk of installations, minimise time spent on-site by engineers and, in Bartec’s case, to make new technologies, such as IP, more accessible.
Mike Holt, Norbain’s Configuration Centre Manager, spent two days on-site , time for Bartec to work with him and learn on the job. Gerry says: “Having Mike there was fantastic for our knowledge and confidence moving forward. Not only did we fit a system that exactly meets our client’s requirements, but we’ve equipped ourselves with the knowledge to fit similar systems elsewhere, allowing us to tackle projects that might otherwise have been unavailable to us. In fact, we’ve now priced for another three very large IP systems with the support of Norbain.” Gerry also intends to use the pre-assembly and pre-configuration service in upcoming projects. “It really takes a lot of time and potential for error out of the equation, which in turn allows us to be more efficient.”
The future
Highlands and Islands Enterprise don’t plan to be long term landlords; its aim was to set up the park and encourage companies to come into the area. Hence an advantages with IP is that the user can remove cameras from the network and sign them over to others.
End user Scott praises the installer: “Gerry has been great to work with, always on top of any teething problems and very pro-active in keeping us informed as to the status of the project. Because we’ve not worked with CCTV before, Gerry’s advice on issues such as CCTV policy and compliance with the information act was much appreciated.” Scott sums up: “The CCTV system supports our positioning as a high-end business park. Just as we look for companies with innovation in their process, so the system matches this aim.”
About the installer
G & A Barnie was established in Wick by Alex and Gordon Barnie in 1985. Bartec Fire and Security was formed in 2002; and the renewable energy company Barres in 2010. Bartec Fire & Security cover the Scottish Highlands – with bases in Aberdeen, Elgin, Moray, Inverness, Wick, Caithness, Stornoway and Orkney. The Inverness-based firm is accredited with NSI Gold for CCTV, and provides a CAD design service, CCTV consultancy, commissioning, repair, upgrade and maintenance service for all types of CCTV, fire and security systems, from intercoms to barriers.
