A British university has overhauled its dated suite of security cameras to prepare for expansion and better protect its students and staff. Newman University in Birmingham called in systems specialist Unison Integrated Technology after a major power-surge disabled more than 30 cameras in its ageing system.

Newman wanted comprehensive video coverage that was more robust and easier to use as part of its development plan for a safe learning environment for almost 3,000 students and staff. Facilities manager Lewis Palin said: “We contract out our security services, so it’s important for newly arrived officers to be able to use all of the system’s key features with minimal training.”

Unison proposed an IDIS end-to-end solution that had already performed excellently at a number of nearby schools, colleges and commercial sites. Total cost of ownership was also a factor as Newman needed more than 150 new internal and external cameras, so Palin wanted to integrate its existing cameras and infrastructure with the new kit.  It also meant minimal maintenance charges, no licence fees and the option to adapt or scale the system as the campus grew or requirements changed.

The Unison team delivered an IDIS DirectIP solution with more than 160 cameras, including five advanced 2MP Lightmaster IR PTZ models delivering 36x zoom and pin-sharp images in all lighting thanks to their 350 metre IR, true wide dynamic range and digital image stabilisation. Unison also installed 55 full-HD IR vandal-resistant dome cameras to secure entrances and internal areas, and 40 IR bullet cameras to give HD coverage of key external areas. All the new cameras incorporate IDIS Smart Failover technology, which ensures automatic protection against video data loss, eliminating the risk of gaps in recordings in the event of power failure or network instability.

Unrivalled storage capability is assured by four powerful 64-channel network video recorders with built-in failover and RAID 1, 5 and 10 support, plus a further three 32-channel recorders with IDIS Intelligent Codec to deliver storage efficiency. Security officers can now easily monitor live internal and external areas, and quickly search and retrieve recorded footage to find events of interest.

Palin concluded: “Unison got the entire job done in three weeks – with swift stock delivery from IDIS – working around us to deliver our new system exactly as promised. We will definitely stick with IDIS technology as we expand our estate.”