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IP vs. Traditional CCTV: An Industry Roundtable (part 1)
Integrators and manufacturers weigh in on the pros and cons of deploying the different video surveillance systems
By ST&D Staff
With the explosion of IP-based technology in the security industry, the editors of Security Technology & Design and SecurityInfoWatch.com have brought together experts from the security manufacturer, vendor and intergrator arenas to lend their perspectives on the use of IP-based and analog-based CCTV surveillance systems as part of a comprehensive roundtable discussion.
The first four questions of the eight-question roundtable will be published in ST&D, while the second four questions will be posted exclusively on SecurityInfoWatch.com. The questions to be featured on SecurityInfoWatch.com are listed on page 26 — just go to SecurityInfoWatch.com/STandDextras to read the responses.
1. What are the pros and cons of IP-based video surveillance vs. those of analog systems from an application, infrastructure and budget perspective?
Banerjee: Analog systems offer many benefits, including familiarity, reliability, cost-effectiveness, and proven longevity, and are most appropriate where video need only be viewed in a single location. In contrast, IP video offers flexibility on how, when and where video can be stored, viewed and manipulated. New construction offers the greatest advantages for using IP, where the IP video surveillance system becomes another set of devices using the new building’s network communications infrastructure. It’s estimated that 50 to 60 percent of costs can be saved by laying down network cables instead of thick bundles of coaxial cable, PTZ control wires, audio wires and power cables. Retrofitting to install an entire IP video system provides fewer advantages; it’s here that implementing a hybrid system provides the greatest benefit. However, choosing between analog and IP video is not a black-and-white choice — hybrid systems are extremely common. Finally, the industry’s comfort level with analog should not be overlooked. As a new technology requiring a higher level of technical skills, IP video requires qualified installers. The industry continues to struggle with finding enough trained technicians with this skill set.
Gorovici: In every respect, IP-based video surveillance is driving the future of physical security. The fact that the video is now in a digital format allows for more applications to use the same data. In addition to garden-variety security, we’ve seen surveillance video being used for operations improvement, marketing analysis, training development programs and employee performance reviews. In the past, IP-based video surveillance was more cost-effective for solutions that were on a larger scale. Today, that is no longer true. The cost of IP cameras and encoders is on par with analog cameras and the software and hardware combined are about the same as a DVR. Where IP Video Surveillance really shines over DVRs for budget issues is in the event of changes to the system or moving the systems. It is much easier and cheaper to move equipment and cameras because they are all connected to the network. There is no need to run new cabling.
Lavery: From an application standpoint, there are many advantages of an IP-based video surveillance system over an analog system. These include the use of a customized server software that allows the end-user to filter video for specific triggered events from all locations more efficiently, directly through a secure internet connection. Most analog systems can only be accessed at the actual DVR. As far as infrastructure goes, most businesses already have an IP infrastructure in place, so network cameras are a perfect fit. An analog system requires coaxial cabling and power runs that become very labor intensive.
Nilsson: In general, there are three main benefits of using IP Surveillance over analog video. The first is image quality (using progressive scan and megapixel sensors), next is scalability (it is simple to add one camera at a time, systems that scales from one to thousands of cameras, and ease of integration with other systems) and finally lower total cost of ownership (for systems beyond 32 cameras or when cabling already exists). These pros outnumber the cons. There is, however, still a tremendous amount of education needed to make end-users, consultants and systems integrators aware of all the benefits, and understand how quickly the technology is developing.
