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The Use Of Fiber Optics

In Security And Surveillance Systems

With a transition from analog to digital video continuing, there remains a crucial requirement for reliable transmission of the video signal during today's period of coexistence. With many legacy installations it has been coaxial cable handling images from a camera to monitoring, recording or both. Coaxial has its limitations, including restricted transmission distance, signal degradation over long cable runs and interference.

Networking, digital and Internet Protocol (IP) have ushered in unshielded twisted-pair (UTP) cable and high-speed Ethernet, employing IP to carry the digitized video images. In some installations wireless transmission–radio-frequency, microwave, WiFi and mesh nets–play a role. Most enterprise security video designs are not totally wireless. Instead, the technology is applied to meet certain geographic or operational challenges.

When to choose fiber

And then there is fiber-optic cabling, with its interference immunity, better inherent security, robust distances and huge bandwidth capability. For the purposes of this article, we will look over the shoulders of a hypothetical chief security officer (CSO) named Terry Jones as well as Terry's second-in-command, Helena Smith. They work for a mid-sized enterprise and face the decisions and intricacies involved in selecting fiber optics and better understanding its advantages, installation and bottom-line business benefits.

Differences exist among video signal transmission methods. Security end users, their designers, integrators and installers must consider and balance the methods with the needed functionality of cameras in light of the following characteristics.

  • Maximum cable-run distances
  • Power requirements
  • Installation issues
  • Installation time
  • Quality of video
  • Integration with other systems
  • Cost

For years coaxial cabling has been the traditional transmission method of video-surveillance traffic. The presence of a coaxial BNC connector on most every security camera underlines this traditional method for signal transmission.
The most common coaxial cable is RG-59U. It provides what many believe is an acceptable quality video path from a camera to the head end out to 750 feet. That is because the maximum recommended distance between an analog security camera and a digital video recorder, head end or monitor is that same 750 feet.

When it comes to powering the camera, many installations employ so-called Siamese cable, a single RG-59U wedded to an attached 18/2 cable for both power and video. Still, some distances will increase voltage drop and it is necessary to select a power supply and cabling that match necessary voltage to distances. Today, and especially when it comes to new and upgraded installations containing scores of cameras, a minority have coaxial while the majority boast UTP (Category 5 or better) and fiber optics.

Source: tycois

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