The Willow Lane Trading Estate in Surrey houses over 150 businesses and employs 2500 people. When the business park sought to upgrade its analogue video surveillance system, it chose wireless.
The consultant on the project was Garry Hobbs of UK-based MSC Security, and the installer Andy Raymond of Link CCTV and Security. They used Fluidmesh Networks products to upgrade the analogue to cameras running over wireless Fluidmesh FM2200E-D radios to Bosch and Avigilon network management software.
The new installation is employing Fluidmesh VOLOs, which are 2×2 MIMO-based wireless radios designed for back-hauling mission-critical video, voice, and data, and Fluidmesh 3200 Base radios, which host an integrated sector antenna, providing coverage of 120 degrees. The makers say that the 3200s can create point-to-multipoint, mesh, and mobile networks. Two FM3200B radios were deployed, allowing coverage across the Willow Lane estate.
The estate was seeking to migrate to a full IP and HD system (including upgrade of ANPR, and a new recording and integrating front end). Another goal was that the system be designed to enable expansion. The recorded images had toprovide legible, evidential quality capture of VRMs from general cameras where applicable and appropriate, and from the upgraded ANPR cameras.
This solution didn’t come without its challenges. Among them, there was no existing duct infrastructure, and the system needed to be wholly wireless. Reliable coverage was essential, to address various concerns of fly-tipping, and vehicle damage. The ageing wireless analogue 2.4GHz architecture, later supplemented by a small number of Fluidmesh wireless IP transmitted cameras, recording onto a basic DVR. Most camera locations used street lighting columns, making equipment size and weight key considerations.
Upgrading has allowed for higher resolution IP cameras. The Fluidmesh ‘Prodigy 2’ protocol protocol has been developed by Fluidmesh to deliver what the product company terms virtually zero latency for mobility applications, such as vehicle-to-ground transmission. The protocol is now providing similar performance in fixed infrastructure installations, according to the firm. In particular, where there are a number of wireless ‘hops’ (repeaters) due to obstacles in the transmission path, the ‘Prodigy 2’ protocol encompassing Multi Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) provides video and telemetry transmission.
While Fluidmesh products had already been providing security to Willow Lane Business Park, the main criteria consideration for this wireless architecture upgrade was cost effectiveness, the ability to create a PTMP (Point to Multi-Point) system architecture, and allowing estate cameras to link back to the Node block via Sector type top of block antennae / Rx units. The equipment had to provide system management and monitoring remotely, with the ability to upgrade (via license) various elements to allow system expansion. Fluidmesh was prepared to, and undertook, an evaluation of the site entailing frequency scanning and topography, and provided a detailed and accurate architecture/frequency overview for later expansion. Visit www.fluidmesh.com.
