CHELMSFORD, Mass. -- Axis Communications, the global leader in the network video market, announced today that the Eastchester Union Free School District in Westchester, N.Y., has installed an Axis network camera system to improve security and surveillance on all five of its school campuses. Axis' partner, Select Telecom Inc., installed the cameras to monitor interior areas, and the district now has plans to add more Axis network cameras to the buildings' perimeters. The complete system will deploy more than 100 cameras.
The network video system replaces the district's analog camera system, which often did not properly record video and provided only grainy black-and-white images. The Axis network cameras are installed in hallways, doorways, stairways, lunchrooms, computer labs and libraries, and have the ability to provide color, full-motion (30 frames a second) video. Live or recorded video is available at any time via the Internet to authorized users such as principals and resource officers, who primarily use the system to identify unauthorized people on campus.
"Network video surveillance is a critical component to providing a safe educational environment in which every student is able to learn," said Anita Better, director of information technology for the Eastchester school district. "It was important that we find an affordable solution that provided high-quality video and remote monitoring capabilities, and a network-based system offered the best combination of functionality and price."
Eastchester chose a network-based security and surveillance system because it wanted to utilize extra bandwidth on its existing voice over IP (VoIP) network. Select Telecom, Inc. worked with the district to set up virtual local area networks (VLANs) for the video traffic, which use standard routers and switches to separate the voice network from the video network. In addition, the Axis network cameras that will be installed around the schools' perimeter are equipped with Power over Ethernet (PoE) capabilities. This will enable the school district to use PoE-enabled switches to power the cameras from the network connection, rather than a separate power supply.
"Schools around the country are now capitalizing on the improved capabilities and cost savings associated with network video," said Fredrik Nilsson, general manager of Axis Communications. "As physical security and information technology have converged, the benefits and functionality of network video systems are now outpacing those of analog."
Axis network cameras and video servers connect directly to IP-based networks and contain built-in Web servers and operating systems that enable the transmission of real-time images over the Internet. Network video systems eliminate the need for the expensive coaxial cabling required for analog systems because they utilize Ethernet for video transport over LANs and the Internet. In addition, network video systems use standard IT hardware for monitoring and recording video, which provides a cost-efficient and scalable architecture that is suitable for a system of any size.
