Integrated Systems

Las Vegas country club lighting

by Mark Rowe

A case study of IP Power over Ethernet (PoE) LED network Illuminators at an estate in a Las Vegas country club. After multiple residences suffered break-ins at night that resulted in extensive losses, the owner of the estate sought IP video; with Raytec network lighting in use.

Axiom Design, Inc was behind the project design and technology integration. Axiom Design was faced with a situation that required a broad security solution to help detect, identify and alert the client and an off-site central video monitoring station. The system was also required to be easy for the client to operate to confirm activity on the premises and alert the authorities. The city of Las Vegas has a ‘no response’ policy which states that without verification, no emergency responders will be dispatched as far too many alarms are false.

After a risk assessment, Axiom recommended an integrated and multifaceted IP security system. Information is centrally managed and relayed between all devices by two software platforms: a Crestron integrated home automation control system and a Mobotix video management software (VMS) platform.

Given that most crime happens during darkness, Axiom recognised that responsive IP White-Light LED technology was crucial for tying this project together and achieving not only the CCTV image verification needed for police response, but to deter crime.

Robert Kranson of Axiom Design, who was in charge of managing the project, says: “Having worked with Raytec high performance LED products before, and knowing the integral requirement for identifying a perpetrator, we knew that their White-Light network illuminators would provide the powerful solution we were looking for.

“We could also fully integrate the IP lighting into the managed network solution and configure the detection and identification process based upon multiple triggers from various security devices, providing different light outputs centered around the nature and severity of the alert and threat.”

The hardware consists of an early detection laser, Mobotix M15 thermal and S15 optical cameras, and Raytec’s ‘VARIO IPPoE’ White-Light Network LED Illuminators.

Fully integrated into the Crestron home automation system with other access control devices, the laser detector raises an alarm into the Crestron system on identification of an intruder on site. This in turn raises an alarm into the Mobotix VMS to activate the thermal camera in the exact area that the intruder has been detected. Based on heat detection, the thermal video analytics identifies the subject and recognises the proximity of the intruder to the home, in complete darkness. The VMS then sends HTTP commands to the whole group of Raytec network illuminators and triggers them into a specific deterrent flashing mode, providing a noticeable White-Light warning to the intruder that they are being watched and recorded. But the illuminator located in the exact area of concern, is configured to produce a solid-on White-Light output to allow the 5MP Mobotix optical camera in that area to generate a detailed night time colour image of the intruder for identification; displayed both on-site and streamed live off-site to the central video monitoring station. The images provide sufficient verification of the intruder, and qualify the site for dispatch of emergency police response.

Robert Kranson added that “the Raytec IP lights enable the camera system to provide enough lighting to deliver exceptionally clear and detailed images for identification purposes during the night. This process ensures improved police response time and allows potential false alarms to be significantly reduced”.

The project also presented hurdles when it came to specifying the lighting, but the VARIO IP PoE network illuminators from Raytec helped Axiom to easily overcome them, and delivered performance, operational and installation benefits, according to the installer. During the security retrofit, the site also underwent an upgrade to its landscape lighting. The new LED landscape lighting improved the aesthetics over the previous halogen low voltage lighting, but was not able to provide enough supplemental light to allow the cameras to deliver a good colour image. But with the addition of the Raytec LED Network Illuminators, this provided a dedicated layer of security lighting to not only allow the cameras to generate colour CCTV images for subject identification, but also to capture detail in the entire scene, evenly illuminating all targets at different depths.

This is the makers say thanks to Raytec’s holographic lens technology and elliptical beam patterns with Hot-spot Reduction Technology. The holographic lensing spreads and controls the light for an outstandingly even light output across the full width and depth of the scene with no dark or bright areas in the image. The targeted elliptical beam pattern focuses the light where it is needed most, reducing light spill both upward and in the foreground, eliminating potential hotspots caused by over exposure at close range.

Where the White-Light was used in a flashing mode, it provided an effective visual deterrent to stop crime in the first place, the makers add. Using lighting on demand in this way, triggered only when needed, also significantly reduces electrical consumption. Furthermore, the site had extremely high temperatures, often reaching up to 50 degrees C (122 degrees F) in Las Vegas. But all Raytec illuminators can operate comfortably and faultlessly in temperatures ranging from minus 50 degrees C to 50 degrees C with a lifetime of ten years plus whilst requiring zero maintenance – eliminating ongoing bulb replacement costs associated with older style lighting the makers say. Also, due to the Raytec lighting being PoE powered, it was cost effective when it came to install. They could be controlled, managed and easily added to the newly deployed fibre optic network, and connected at local PoE switches at each camera point, further leveraging the LAN.

Robert Kranson described Raytec’s support as second to none: “Their engineers were extremely helpful with product selection and software support for configuring and controlling the IP lighting. Their ability to provide an accurate 3D lighting design and system plan for the entire site was also integral for the coordinated and integrated design approach that was required for this project.”

Siming Li, Raytec Lighting Designer says: “It has been a pleasure to work so closely with Axiom Design and support this project from start to finish. We were able to produce lighting designs to give the client a visual representation of what the final lighting solution would actually look like. We created fully illuminated 3D models of the client’s site, showing detailed light level calculations at each individual camera location. This confirmed that we could deliver sufficient lighting for the cameras to generate extremely high quality and detailed night time images. We even provided dedicated glare factor calculations for the deterrent lighting, so that we knew how effective the flashing warning lighting would be.”

For more on Raytec Network Illuminators, visit www.rayteccctv.com.

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