Customer: Harrow School
Location: Harrow-on-the-Hill
Requirement: Install new IP cameras and integrate existing analogue CCTV cameras into a single digital recording and playback platform
Solution: Mobotix M12 external day/night cameras, Mobotix D24 internal camera, Mobotix Q24 360o internal hemispheric camera, Wavestore Rock hybrid recorder
Services: Design of new camera coverage to integrate with existing Axis IP cameras, installation, training, maintenance and support
Customer’s View: “The previously installed recording system did not have the capability to keep up with our changing requirements.” Dr Christopher O’Mahony, Director of ICT, Harrow School
Traditional school integrates traditional technology with state of the art security monitoring devices
It may be a school with traditional standards which can be traced back to 1572, but Harrow School has not hesitated to invest in the latest generation of video surveillance technology to protect its assets and create a safe and secure environment for its students and tutors.
Harrow School has recently upgraded its IP network video surveillance and has put its trust in a new Wavestore hybrid recording solution, installed by IP specialists Ecl-ips, to record and store high resolution images located throughout the school’s campus.
Commonly known simply as “Harrow”, the independent school is situated in north-west London. It is one of the original nine public schools that were defined by the Public Schools Act 1868 and can claim to have eight former Prime Ministers amongst its very long list of famous ex-pupils. The School has an enrolment of 823 boys all of whom board, and the video surveillance system is relied on just as much by House Masters to assist with the pastoral care of the pupils, as much as it is by the school’s security team to detect and deter unwanted intruders.
The previously installed recording system did not have the capability to keep up with our changing requirements,” said Dr. Christopher O’Mahony, Director of ICT, who together with his security colleagues, has overseen the commissioning of the upgraded video surveillance system. “It only had the capacity to record and store two days worth of video, but more importantly, it was unable to record images from a mixture of analogue and IP network cameras and that was key to our decision to replace it.”
Many of the School’s existing analogue cameras, which had been installed some time ago, were still performing well and so Dr. O’Mahony and his colleagues were reluctant to incur the cost of replacing them. “Some of these older cameras did however need to be replaced because they were in locations where we wanted to see higher resolution images. We also had a requirement to introduce additional cameras in new locations and it made sense for these to be the latest generation of IP network cameras,” said Dr. O’Mahony.
The school invited a number of installers to participate in a tender process to supply and install a new recording solution, new IP network cameras and IP encoders to allow the images from existing analogue cameras to be viewed from anywhere on the network. The contract was subsequently awarded to IP network security threat management specialists, Ecl-ips, “The hybrid Wavestore Rock digital recording solution was an obvious choice for us for this project,” said Aaron Kernaghan, Managing Director of Worcester based Ecl-ips. “It is designed to work with any combination of analogue and IP network cameras, as well as 360 degree cameras, and this ability made the Rock an ideal match for Harrow School.”
Our House Masters have also provided extremely positive feedback on the quality of the images which is making it so much easier for them to use the surveillance system to help them provide the highest level of pastoral care.” Wavestore works closely with third party technology partners to provide video analytics, facial recognition, motion detection, license plate recognition, abandoned object and intruder detection, people counting, perimeter security detection and traffic monitoring solutions.
Result
Harrow School has utilised its investment in analogue CCTV camera technology. At the same time, it’s added the power and flexibility of digital (IP) cameras to implement a fully-scalable surveillance security system.
The Technology
Retained analogue CCTV cameras, New digital IP technology, Single storage/playback platform
Download the Harrow School case study PDF