WHEN TO USE A/B SWITCHING ON IP CAMERAS
WHEN TO USE A/B SWITCHING ON IP CAMERAS
BY: Don McClatchie
IP cameras have ushered in a new era of CCTV installation complete with some new ways of providing security with new applications for the customer in both business and home security systems. One of the new concepts being installed in both businesses and homes increases the number of cameras and allows the customer to configure the CCTV cameras for different physical situations without programing.
To increase the security of home installations the customers want to have IP cameras inside the residence in many of the common rooms pointing toward the access points of entry and other areas they wish to protect. They would also like to shut them off when they are home for privacy reasons and turn them on when they leave the residence. A simple switch is needed so they can do this when needed or connect the switch or relay to the alarm panel so that when the alarm is active the internal cameras are on and when the alarm is not active the cameras are off for privacy. It would be impossible to ask a customer to log onto the camera or NVR to change the setting and shut down the cameras.
It is possible to simply cut the power to the camera if you are not sharing the NVR with other cameras which effectively shuts down the interior cameras when the customer wants privacy, however in some applications you may wish to switch to an alternate camera so you can get the maximum use of the NVR and provide extra security in another area. The customers like this and it allows you to sell more cameras for the job.
For businesses and hospitals some privacy rules require that video cameras be shut down to protect the privacy of the patient. The (HIPAA) Standards for Privacy of Individually Identifiable Health Information (Privacy Standards), 45 CFR Parts 160 and 164 require that CCTV cameras be turned off under certain circumstances. Then rooms that have video cameras normally for at risk patients can be used for other patients and still meet the privacy rules.
For vacation homes, if your customer wants to have some cameras on when they are away and other cameras on when they are there to get maximum use of their NVR it will be necessary to A/B switch the IP data lines on the cameras. For government installations in court rooms the judges often want to have control to cut off the cameras during certain parts of a trial so they would appreciate a switch they can use to cut off the camera.
To switch off an IP camera or A/B switch the camera you can use a new product called IPX-24. This switch is housed in a sturdy ABS plastic enclosure that is completely insulated. The unit is small and lightweight and can be mounted to any surface with two mounting screws.
The IPX-24 IP VIDEO RELAY SWITCH is a 24 Volt operated 2X1 IP video network switch. The IPX-24 is controlled by an external 24 Volt AC or DC power source. With no power applied the network Common (COM) is connected to the primary (A) IP network. When power is applied, the unit switches the Common to the (B) IP network disconnecting the signal and the P.O.E. from the A network.
On mobile vehicles, the 12 Volt version IPX-12 can be used to switch from the front IP camera to the rear camera by connecting the backup tail light 12 Volt DC power to the unit.
The IPX-12/24 IP video A/B switch has two RJ-45 inputs and one RJ-45 output connector to select between two different network sources. The IP network signal is switched using isolated relay technology so that all forms of data can be controlled and the unit will always pass P.O.E. to the selected channel. The P.O.E. on the un-selected channel will be turned off to save power and increase the life of the IP camera.
The unit can be used to engage a secondary network source or to switch on or off an IP camera using an external switch or remote relay, rather than having to address the camera through the network or physically disconnect the cable from the camera of NVR.
If you are using analog video cameras which use BNC connectors or the new TVI, CVI or AHD cameras we have a unit called VS-12/24 which does the same thing for analog video. Call for more information and pricing at: 800-235-6960. Or check out our website at: www.fmsystems-inc.com
IPX-24 BLOCK DIAGRAM
