Case Studies

Physical Security

­­­Tiger24 is a speciali­st website dedicated to bringing visitors high resolution webcam images of current surf and beach conditions. The images come from all over the UK and are updated every 60 seconds. Many other websites do something similar, but the unique aspect of Tiger24 is that­ their surf webcams are all high resolution, with zoom in capabilities, housed in purpose built installations that are designed to hold up against the most adverse weather ­conditions.

What They Needed

­Having high resolution images is a unique selling point for Tiger24, and this meant that they needed cameras that could give them exactly that. However, to meet this need and for the site to be successful and meaningful, Tiger24 needed reliable solutions requiring minimal equipment on site and as little maintenance as possible, as the cameras had to be installed in remote locations.

If this wasn’t challenging enough, putting a camera on the beach brings problems of its own. In order to stream beach and surf conditions accurately, the cameras had to be flexible, sturdy and weatherproof. Due to extreme tidal ranges in the UK, the cameras also needed versatility.

Sourcing a Partner

­Knowing what they needed to create the first website to provide the surfing community high resolution images, Tiger24 contacted Voicepath Limited, experts in their field, to help with sourcing and installing the right technology.

Voicepath Limited specialises in the design and installation of Structured Wiring Systems for the Information Technology development and growth of businesses, and has been providing quality services since 1997. Understanding Tiger24’s needs, they knew the perfect solution to fit all their requirements would be a Mobotix camera. Mobotix has allowed Voicepath Limited to expand their IP networking portfolio and has opened a new dimension in providing security cameras to remote locations.

The Right Product

­Voicepath Limited has a long and successful relationship with Mayflex, one of the largest cabling infrastructure, networking and physical security solutions distributors. Being one of the UK’s biggest suppliers of Mobotix products, Mayflex could meet all of Voicepath Limited’s needs and deliver the right products when and where required.

Voicepath Limited decided to use the Mobotix M10-SEC-D45D135 camera, which fitted all of Tiger24’s requirements. Not only could the cameras be installed in remote locations requiring virtually no maintenance, but they are also decentralised, meaning no further software or hardware is required. In addition, just one camera is needed for each area and visitors to the site can view a large area of the beach, giving them perfect images of the current swell of the sea.

Design and Installation

­Once the products had been sourced, the design and installation needed to be tackled. The cameras were to be installed in seven sites in Cornwall and one site in Brighton, and each site presented its own difficulties. Dealing with each problem on an individual basis, Voicepath Limited overcame such difficulties as the fact that most buildings in which the cameras were to be installed upon were unmanned, so unplanned access became an issue. However, Mobotix’s technology meant some of the potential problems could be easily circumvented. Needing reliable equipment that required little maintenance was no issue for Mobotix. As all the cameras are decentralised and have no moving parts, there is no requirement for a server or PC on site and maintenance is kept to a minimum. In addition, Mobotix cameras have the versatility of two lenses, a feature not available on other IP cameras, and this helped deal with the extreme tidal ranges.

The remoteness of all the sites caused issues, but an even bigger hurdle was the Wide Area Network (WAN) connection. Voicepath Limited had to liaise closely with local service providers to install new cabling, but eventually all the problems were overcome.

The End Results

Dave Sale, Director, at Tiger24, is very pleased with the result. “We had a lot of exact requirements to match and were worried that we wouldn’t be able to find the perfect solution. However, when Voicepath Limited told us about the Mobotix M10 we were delighted. It gave us virtually everything we wanted and allows clear, high resolution images to be displayed on our website, whatever the weather, with minimal loading time, and no interaction is required with any other technology as the cameras are completely self sufficient in their remote locations.”

The installation was completed throughout 2008 and 2009 and now the website is up and running with high resolution images for anyone to view. All visitors have to do is click on the location of their choice and they can view the latest images for that area. But it doesn’t stop there. Tiger24 is constantly growing and is actively looking for new spots to install cameras. Providing the surfing community the first ever high resolution images at the touch of a button has put Tiger24 ahead of its competitors, and this couldn’t have been done without Mobotix technology and the expertise of Voicepath Limited.

The M10 Camera has now been replaced with the M12 DualNight Camera, offering even greater features. Mobotix is constantly bringing out new products. For all the latest information, go to www.mayflex.com.

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