A new report from the market research company IHS suggests that over two million kilometers of new cabling was used in video surveillance solutions in 2013. Laid end-to-end this is enough cable to wrap around the world 50 times over. A total of $540 million was spent on video surveillance cabling and infrastructure in 2013.
Video surveillance applications therefore account for 4pc of the total Ethernet switch and structured cabling markets combined. The study looking at the world market for cabling, Ethernet switches and infrastructure used in video surveillance, forecasts that market growth will exceed the rate for the wider market for video surveillance equipment, as surrounding infrastructure becomes more important.
When specifying systems, cabling and infrastructure has historically been seen as a low priority when compared to cameras and recorders in the video surveillance industry – despite causing the majority of problems. However, this balance is beginning to change. Aaron Dale, market analyst in the security group at IHS says: “In response to the growing scale and complexity of video surveillance networks, end-users are increasingly looking to future proof their cabling and infrastructure.”
Dale adds: “Longevity of the system even beyond the camera’s lifetime is increasingly featuring in end-users cost-benefit analysis; this has the effect of increasing demand in the high end market.’ Indeed by 2018, Category 6a (or higher) Ethernet cable is expected to equal revenues for Category 6 (or lower) cable.”
According to the market research firm some vendors have been quick to capitalise on growth in this market. For example, a number of Ethernet switch manufacturers have started producing a line of products tailored for use in CCTV applications. Furthermore, there has been a host of new partnerships between CCTV equipment manufacturers and networking equipment manufacturers. Such partnerships are likely to lead to CCTV being increasingly incorporated on wider networks with more than one purpose, the market researchers say.
“As video surveillance end-users demand evermore functionality and reliability from their solution, performance of supporting cabling and infrastructure will undoubtedly be more crucial than ever,” adds Dale.
