Perle Industrial PoE Switches Remotely Reboot Surveillance Cameras
Engie Solutions needed a compact PoE switch that supported IEEE802.3bt.
PRINCETON, N.J. (Sep. 23, 2021) To be effective in areas that require surveillance, security cameras are often strategically placed at the top of a light pole or on the side of a building. However, these locations pose several challenges for surveillance system technicians, designers, and installers.
Climate : Outdoor security cameras are designed to operate in rain, sleet, and snow. The rest of the system, such as the switch, router, ethernet extender, or media converter, needs to fit inside an appropriate NEMA enclosure to be protected against the elements. However, even inside an enclosure, this equipment must be rated to operate in temperatures of -40°C to +70°C as a safeguard in hot and cold environments.
Power : Light poles and building exteriors rarely have an AC or DC power source. Therefore, the cameras are generally connected to a PoE Media Converter, PoE Ethernet Extender, or PoE Switch that can supply up to 100 Watts of power over the Ethernet cable.
Maintenance : Light poles and building exteriors rarely have an AC or DC power source. Therefore, the cameras are generally connected to a PoE Media Converter, PoE Ethernet Extender, or PoE Switch that can supply up to 100 Watts of power over the Ethernet cable.
Aesthetics : Most municipalities would like the cameras and system enclosures to be discreet and blend in with the surrounding architecture. Because surveillance system equipment can be quite compact, custom enclosures are often designed to house everything.
Louis-Marie Bouvattier, Project Manager at Engie Solutions’ Ineo Infracom, shared his experience about a surveillance system they deployed in France.“Every surveillance system is different, but the core components of our build included the cameras, a Perle Managed Industrial Ethernet Switch, and a 24vDC PSU housed in a weatherproof enclosure. The Perle Switches were chosen because they supported the required management features and allowed us to add secure authentication methods through IEEE 802.1X or MAC addresses.”
While this set-up worked very well, there was one area in which Engie wanted to improve. Bouvattier continues, “Surveillance cameras can sometimes freeze, glitch, or be otherwise temperamental -- requiring a reboot. With our existing set-up, we had to send staff out to reset and reboot cameras regularly. This needed to change. On paper, the cameras we were using had power requirements of 30W. However, we found that they sometimes operated erratically unless at least 60W of power was available. A standard PoE switch would not be enough. We needed a PoE switch that supported IEEE802.3bt.”
The dual-SIM card slots were also beneficial in the solution. When the primary carrier contract data cap has been exceeded, the IRG Router will automatically switch over to a back-up data plan. If deployed in a mobile environment long-distance roaming can be enabled and used in the second SIM card. Or, in a location where there is a lack of coverage, or carrier network failure, the IRG Router will automatically switch over to a back-up carrier.
Bouvattier concludes, “The IDS-710HP-XT matched all our requirements, dimensional and technical. This was the missing piece to create a flexible solution that could be used in all urban security camera settings.”
About Engie Solutions’ Ineo Infracom: – https://www.engie-solutions.com
Engie Solutions, via Ineo Infracom, provides electrical engineering services to customers worldwide. The Company offers industrial and tertiary installations, energy networks, public lighting, transport and telecommunications infrastructures, energy production, security, information systems, maintenance, and outsourcing.
