Leener immediately agreed to help the YMCA. “The community made us who we are, so we try to give back by taking on one charity project every year.” He was hoping a manufacturer would give them a discount on equipment and was planning to cover the rest of the costs. “The donation from Dahua was a surprise.”
Dahua agreed to provide forty-five cameras and nine recorders to ensure that the Channel Islands YMCA association would benefit from the safety and security of a strong video surveillance solution.
Bringing a Legacy System Into the Future
The equipment that did exist was in dire need of an update. “It was a hodgepodge of equipment,” reflected Evans, when thinking about the cameras and recorders originally on site. “Because of how old the equipment was and staff turnover, Nobody really knew how to use the equipment in a manner that moved the needle for safety and security. If something happened and the police came in, it was a real challenge to pull up a video clip for them. We were committed to upgrading and we knew we needed to find a partner to make it happen.”
In addition, the devices were not integrated across locations, nor were they made by a single manufacturer, making it impossible to manage the system or efficiently train employees how to operate it. IT resources were limited, so the new system needed to be user-friendly. Additional challenges were found in the form of limited network capabilities and legacy cabling that was not cost-effective to remove and replace.
“The biggest thing that helped us around network challenges is that Dahua recorders were able to use coax cable. This allowed us to put HDCVI cameras in and provide more functionality,” Leener remarked.
The Benefits of HDCVI
The 5MP HDCVI vari-focal dome cameras (A52AM9Z) installed at the YMCA simultaneously transmit video, audio and data over a single coaxial cable. The cameras are rich with features. Dual-way data transmission allows them to send control signals and trigger alarms, and True Wide Dynamic Range (WDR) optimizes bright and dark areas of an image at the same time to provide vivid images even in lighting conditions with severe contrast.
“The WDR is invaluable at entrances when we need to be able to make out the faces of people coming in,” Evans reported. “Overall the image quality is so sharp and the color is so good, it’s not even comparable to what we had before.”
Today’s Successes and Tomorrow’s Plans
“We’ve really been able to move the needle on safety and security,” Evans commented. “We’ve standardized the equipment we’re using and we’re looking toward all the ways we can expand security in the future.” This includes the possibility of installing cameras by the swimming pools to monitor potential slip-and-falls and adding cameras to the child watch areas to give parents peace of mind while they are away. “There’s a whole line of products by Dahua that will be helpful in areas we haven’t even thought about yet. People counting could help us know how many people we have in the building at a certain time. Facial recognition would let us identify unwanted visitors before they come through the door.”
Leener was very pleased with the support he received from Dahua. “Everybody at Dahua was willing to help,” he said. “We try to really partner with our manufacturers because it’s a win-win for everyone.”
“I’m super excited about the relationships that we’re building with Dahua and Superior Alarm,” Evans added. “We appreciate the partnerships and support of specialists like Dahua and Superior Alarm Systems in the world of security, and we’re looking forward to a long-term relationship.”
This case study originally appeared in Security Sales & Integration magazine.