The project consists of 27 Mobotix cameras including Q24 hemispheric and D24 models for internal security with video footage stored on a 20Tb Overland NAS server. The solution is used for monitoring corridors and common areas.

The CCTV system was installed by White UK, a Mobotix partner based on a specification from XMA, the primary technology supplier and consultant on the construction project. Mobotix was selected based on its suitability to the tender criteria. The 3 megapixel image quality combined with full 360-degree hemispheric coverage allowed the designers to use a single camera to cover entire rooms, multiple corridors and reduce the number of units to a minimum. Across the 11,500 Sq m site, the project needed only 27 cameras to provide complete coverage. The initial estimations considered using 60 cameras for this task.

“The system has really lived up to our expectations and provides a complete overview of the entire site from a single console,” explains Simon Mellors, Site Manager for Catmose College, “Since installation, we have had very few incidents but in each case it has allowed us to resolve any issues quickly with high quality video footage that is hard to dispute.”

The system interfaces with Mobotix Control Centre software for all the internal cameras and uses Power over Ethernet to keep cabling to a minimum. In the last year since the CCTV system went live, the college has had no failures and Simon Mellors points out that the seamless nature of the system makes it simple for the site management team to quickly zoom in on any area of the site. At night, the IP based nature of the system allows the site to be remotely inspected if any alarms are triggered.

“A site of this size using low resolution cameras without the benefit of hemispheric technology would typically need over a hundred cameras to get even close to the level of coverage a Mobotix installation achieves,” explains Dominic Chapman, Business Development Manager, UK & Ireland for Mobotix, “By using efficient power over Ethernet (PoE) technology, the installation minimises cabling and energy consumption to increase reliability and reduce opex which delivers significant cost saving compared to legacy alternatives.”