360 Vision Technology, the UK manufacturer of rugged HD, radar and thermal PTZ imaging cameras, has confirmed a roll-out of its innovative TX Direct, wireless static IP address PTZ cameras, across Weston-Super-Mare, North Somerset.

Deployed across areas popular during hours of night-time economy, but not yet covered by the fixed cable North Somerset CCTV system, TX Direct cameras have been installed by Select Electrics, primarily to protect areas identified where women may be vulnerable when heading home after evenings out.

The introduction of the new TX Direct camera now means that women don’t feel as vulnerable returning from Weston’s vibrant night-time economy, and are more likely to frequent venues and boost footfall in the knowledge that they can safely travel from the area.

With funding from the Government backed Safer Streets Fund, currently ten TX Direct wireless cameras have been installed to help tackle a mix of safety issues. Located at points along popular routes out of the town centre and a local car park, the new 360 Vision TX Direct cameras are now in service and making a positive impact on street safety.

“The latest TX Direct version of the Invictus camera from 360 Vision Technology was simply the best solution for the challenge,” says Ray Murphy of installer, Select Electrics. “We have deployed 360 Vision Technology cameras across varied applications over many years and we’ve always been delighted with their results. The quality of construction of the camera, combined with the advanced TX Direct wireless transmission technology, meant that not only was it the most economical choice, but it was also the best performing solution for the demanding requirements at Weston-Super-Mare.”

Offered alongside the existing wireless TX camera range, 360 Vision TX Direct camera technology provides installers and end users with the advantage of seamless, direct ONVIF integration into Video Management Systems (VMS), rather than via a hosted server or third-party software. This installation flexibility meant that camera locations for each of the individual cameras could be prioritised without the constraints of ‘line-of sight’ or problematic cable routing associated with traditional fixed cable dependant camera video transmission methods.

Cost-effective deployment

Providing high definition 1080p, 25fps, 2048 kbps, CVBR images, the TX Direct cameras enabled Select Electrics to easily add and set-up new surveillance cameras beyond the coverage of existing hardwired CCTV cable infrastructure, and as a cost-effective alternative to using expensive leased fibre networks. Furthermore, unlike other wireless transmission solutions, TX Direct cameras drive down the cost-of ownership even further, as the wireless camera is supplied ‘license free’, meaning there are no recurring fees to pay.

Using 4/5G networks for CCTV connectivity has traditionally been limited due to the lack of large data cellular connections with a static IP address, which is required to access and control the camera. Traditional rapid deployment systems either record locally with footage downloaded as required, or their data streams are highly compressed and frame rates are reduced to cut down on expensive data usage. A typical traditional static IP address solution will consume 20Gb of data at best per month. If streamed live and uncompressed, this allowance would be used in less than a day! With its fixed IP address, TX Direct offers North Somerset a viable alternative, delivering data allowances of 1000Gb and above, allowing cameras to be streamed 24/7 back to a central monitoring location, with minimal installation time and no adverse impact on infrastructure.

Cost savings

“Up until recently the cost of transmission using a SIM card has been financially prohibitive to most councils and authorities,” says Chris Harrison, CCTV Manager, Corporate Services, North Somerset Council. “360 Vision have changed this with their TX Direct, which has no competition in the current camera marketplace. We know this because here at North Somerset, we trialled ‘market leading’ SIM package alternatives, which ran through data so fast that cameras could only realistically be used for a few minutes a day – a solution that was not fit for purpose.

“Our yearly transmission costs with the 360 TX Direct solution are just £480 per year, just a fraction of the cost of the SIM alternative or rented fibre-optic solution. Wireless is cheaper, but its coverage is limited to an unusable amount. With 360 TX Direct, whatever the mobile network used, there is always over 95% coverage. So as long as you have power and somewhere to mount the camera it’s a highly practical solution.”

Cyber secure

TX Direct cameras also provide the tightest cyber security, in the form of AES (256 bit) encryption. Suitable for many applications, TX Direct is network agnostic, providing the ultimate flexibility to perform with any carrier and take advantage of the best available SIM contracts.

Securing the area

In the control room, the ten additional TX Direct cameras are seamlessly integrated into the North Somerset VMS (Video Management Solution) via the ONVIF protocol. If any suspicious activity is detected, or a person appears vulnerable or needs help, control room operators can contact police instantly, to assist via the Police Airwave network, which is directly linked to the control room.

“We chose 360 Vision Technology as their deployable cameras are head and shoulders above competitors,” continues Chris. “The quality of the camera unit is the starting point but the fact that we could integrate them seamlessly into our VMS was invaluable. In fact, our operators don’t even know it’s a deployable solution. So, from an operator point-of-view, it’s no different than any other fixed camera, meaning no additional training for staff or additional equipment required in the control room, a true plug and play solution.”

“With the potential to change the face of public space and remote surveillance camera deployment in towns like Weston-Super-Mare, TX Direct wireless PTZ cameras provide a high performance, supremely cost-effective alternative to any traditionally wired solution,” says Jason Wyatt, 360 Vision Technology’s Business Development Manager involved in the scheme. “With easy deployment in areas where additional coverage is required, and flexible mobile network connectivity combined with very low operational costs, the TX Direct camera solution has proven to be the perfect, safe and secure way to expand camera surveillance capacity and protect people enjoying their nights out in Weston-Super-Mare.”