OT Systems' Ether-Xtra Ethernet-over-coaxial products offer users the perfect solution to take a coaxial CCTV surveillance system to IP technology while reusing existing coaxial cable infrastructure. This leading-edge retrofit does not require any additional space and eliminates power points on the camera side.

Developed with 16-port Coax + 4-port 10/100/1000M TX, the ET4200CPp-RS16 is an innovative receiver, offering Ethernet extension over coaxial cable with Power over Coax (PoC). It comes with rack mount chassis that fits well in a control room environment limited to 1U of space. It extends transmission distance up to 800m (on a RG-59/U coaxial cable). And, the PoC technology eliminates the need for a power point on the camera side. The transmitter offers high power PoE (30W max.), robust enough to support PTZ IP cameras. The data rate on the coax port is more than enough for an IP HD camera (1080p25/30) connection. Also, the four Ethernet ports can connect with any IP device of 10/100/1000Mbps with full switching capability. Each port allows the users to access the video or the IP packets of every connected coax port.

With the OT Systems' Ether-Xtra products, customers can easily upgrade an analogue CCTV surveillance system to create an IP system, reusing the coaxial cable infrastructure and replacing the cameras and the storage devices at both ends. When OT Systems' Ethernet extension rack receiver, ET4200CPp-RS16, is connected with the ET1100CPp-T(Transmitter) via coaxial cable, the IP signals on both ends are converted and transmitted/received through the cable, as shown in Figure 1.

OT Systems developed the Ethernet extension products using Power Line Communication (PLC) system, technology originally designed for IP signal transmission over power lines. OT Systems specifically modified the PLC solution for CCTV transmission applications where coaxial cable provides an Ethernet signal extension up to 800m on a RG-59/U coaxial cable. It breaks through the limit of Ethernet transmission distance (100m max.) and is good for mid-range security applications such as system within shopping malls and hotels. For applications using RG-6/U and RG-11U, which are also commonly used in the outdoor security applications, the distances would be greater.

The system's maximum data rate is 40Mbps (from TX to RX) and 10Mbps (from RX to TX). It is more than enough bandwidth required for an IP HD camera (1080p25/30) signal transmission. Figure 2 shows the relationship of data rate and the coaxial cable distance.

The powerful EoC receiver easily provides DC power to its transmitters (ET1100CPp-T) and other devices via the coaxial cables by utilising Power over Coax (PoC) technology. The maximum power output of each coax port is about 50W which is not only sufficiently providing power to the transmitter, but also powers the connected IP devices/ cameras. It even offers enough power to operate the PTZ IP cameras. Figure 3 illustrates the available power for the PD device connected to the transmitter at different coaxial cable distances. In addition, this intelligently designed receiver detects any abnormal conditions connected to the system and will not output power to the cable, protecting the receiver and other equipment from damage.

The receiver comes equipped with a built-in switch, offering 4-ports of 10/100/1000Mbps Ethernet and full switching capabilities. Any video streams or IP signals connected to the transmitter are converted in the receiver and passed to each of the four Ethernet ports. With 1G full wire speed, any one of the ports can view all the video streams or receive the IP signals connected through the 16 coaxial cables. In this case, it eliminates the need for an external switch and it only occupies one port of the access/core switch for the connection. For example, the four Ethernet ports can be configured as one port for live viewing, one port for the NVR connection, one port for video analytic with one port remaining.

The receiver comes with a rack-mount chassis for installation in the 19-inch rack cabinet. With 16 coaxial cables connected, it only occupies 1U of rack space, providing a space efficient solution.

The receiver requires a single AC plug for its power input, eliminating the need for multiple cords and power supplies and creating a simpler, more-compact installation. An IP System composed of 1-Ch Ethernet Extender over Coaxial and 8 IP channels requires 8 DC supplies while  a16 IP channel system requires 16 supplies which occupies significant space and requires multiple power cables and sockets in the control room. OT Systems' ET4200CPp-RS16 receiver utilises a single AC power input, cleaning up the control room by avoiding multiple external DC power supplies and, in the case of a single channel system, eliminating extra power cords.