Client: Brampton Manor School
Type of works: supply and installation of a major IP CCTV system, comprising a 114 cameras.

Security Systems Technology have designed and installed a major IP CCTV system for Brampton Manor School in east London. The company has used its consultative ability and broad experience in the education sector to provide the client with an 114-camera configuration that is integrated with pre-existing IT infrastructure and allows multi-user viewing by authorised personnel right across the school campus.

Situated in East Ham, Brampton Manor has 1,600 students and is the second largest school in the London Borough of Newham. It has recently been awarded specialist status as an art college.

SST have installed a mix of cameras, predominantly Power over Ethernet IP-addressable models, and are currently clarifying positions for a further 12 new vandal-resistant dome units to be installed in an additional wing and 11 additional wireless PTZ dome cameras for the newly-landscaped grounds. A large number of the cameras installed were megapixel quality and are able to provide a new level of image clarity. A new sports hall has been built and the former one transformed into drama facilities, a development that reflects Brampton Manor’s position as a specialist performing arts school.

A 2008 Ofsted survey inspection focusing on added value for new students found the school to be outstanding overall.

The ability of SST’s consultants and engineers to mix different technologies effectively has seen the introduction of IP internal dome cameras from the manufacturer Axis combined with use of Axis encoder blades which are allowing legacy analogue models to produce IP feeds and so co-exist on the network. This has meant that original units which were still fit for purpose have been retained, so making optimum use of budget and leveraging any existing CCTV investment.

IT and facilities management staff at Brampton Manor have been impressed by the ease with which the cameras can be connected to the school’s computer network and the empowering effect of multi-user access across the entire school surveillance network as authorised personnel benefit from the ability to control individual cameras, as well as reviewing footage with ease. There is full wireless telemetry via an Axis joystick in the school’s security office and also the ability to use virtual joysticks through Xprotect Enterprise server software provided by Milestone Systems.

Video is transmitted through the school’s fibre network although over 10,000m of new Cat5 cable was run and SST have proved adept at avoiding data bottlenecks. Chetan Vasudev, UK Sales Director of SST said: “The large number of cameras necessitated complex bandwidth calculations. By running our feeds in parallel with the existing main network via fibre, we not only produced a green solution but also minimised disruption to the school’s operation. Only when managers at Brampton Manor decide to view footage is there a nominal demand on bandwidth.”

In the case of camera installations at new, external positions – notably a pole-mounted PTZ dome with 35x optical zoom at the side of the sports field – SST have used wireless technology from Netgear. Due to the distance involved and the high costs of running cables underground, the decision was taken to use wireless transmission to send both live video and telemetry back to the main school building. There are currently 114 cameras on site, all controlled by the Milestone software and SST have become Milestone-certified installers.

The project has demonstrated the full range of SST’s services. These have included consultancy, installation, training and ongoing maintenance with a Service Maintenance Agreement having been put in place.

Chetan Vasudev, continued “Education is a major vertical market for us, ranging from nursery premises right through to university campuses. The sector gives early indications of impending technological trends and often throws up new issues and challenges.

“Systems as sophisticated as those supplied to Brampton Manor form a management tool rather than simple surveillance. At tender stage SST showed a consultative ability that put us ahead of the competition. Having no affiliations we could be objective when specifying the component equipment. Our solution was all about the exact needs of a particular client at an individual site.”