A case study from Uka Tarsadia University’s newer Maliba Campus in India, which has 4200 students and 200 faculty members.
Uka Tarsadia University is in India’s northwestern coastal state of Gujarat. The Indian-based installer Master’s Mind Technologies was contacted to build a CCTV system. Ketan Patel, owner of Master’s Mind Technologies said: “This solution was unique in the sense that the Maliba Campus was a blank slate – the campus did not have any existing CCTV solution when we began.”
Mr Patel explained that generally in such large-scale projects, it is often a case of upgrading an existing solution – not building one from scratch. “This presented both opportunities in the caliber of solution we could offer, as well as potential drawbacks. Namely, the costs associated with building a solution from the ground-up and cost of hardware provided,” he added.
Ultimately, both Mr Patel and the university’s IT department determined that, despite the size, instead of a more economical analogue CCTV system, an IP solution would better serve the university’s overall needs. Also it would help future-proof the solution. This was due to a number of factors.
Due to the massive distances between academic departments and outdoor surveillance points, fibre-optics were run between these locations and connected to each other using PoE switches. While fiber-optics are expensive, multiple PoE switches helped reduce the costs associated with installation. Importantly, this setup allows an easy platform for any upgrades the university may request. The lynchpin of the solution is a pair of Hikvision camera models: the DS-2CD2112-I 1.3MP IP66 Network Mini Dome Camera and the DS-2CD2012-I 1.3MP IR Mini Bullet Camera.
The DS-2CD2112-I IP66 network mini dome was primarily tasked with the interior of the campus. Mr Patel said: “This camera’s 720p real-time video is much better than analog, which obviously serves the school’s security goals to a higher degree. Furthermore, Hikvision’s support really allowed us to customize this camera to our specific needs.”
Mr Patel was referring to Hikvision’s ability to help modify the camera’s lens. Out-of-the-box, the DS-2CD2112-I is equipped with a 4mm standard lens. This 4mm lens provides 75 degrees of coverage. However, due to the specific dynamics of many of the school’s classrooms, a wider field of coverage was needed. With Hikvision engineers, Mr Patel instead placed a 2.8 lens on the DS-2CD2112 to provide 90 degrees of coverage – enough for the entire classroom. While some indoor facilities are lighted overnight, most classrooms are not. In this instance, “the up-to 30m of IR visibility is invaluable for proper surveillance in off-hours,” added Mr Patel.
Ironically, most of outdoors is lighted, thus reducing the need for the DS-2CD2012-I 1.3MP IR Mini Bullet Camera’s identical 30m IR range. However, the unit’s 1.3 megapixel high resolution is vital for university IT personnel to quickly identify a possible threat, regardless of time of day. And the DS-2CD2012-I’s IP66 rating is critical to withstand India’s punishing weather.
Citing a need to both reduce the learning curve for the university’s IT department (the operators of the CCTV system), as well as reduce costs, Mr Patel used Hikvision’s iVMS software to create a PC-based solution. Instead of NVRs, IT administrators can view up-to 135 cameras per PC, allowing the entire network to be fully viewed on four PCs.
