OpenView Security Solutions is carrying out a major upgrade to Leicester City Council’s housing surveillance system.  After winning a competitive tender, OpenView will be relocating the control room to the council’s data centre and installing a wide area IP network and new HD IP cameras. The new control room will enhance the monitoring of cameras in both the city centre and council-managed housing stock, including all estates and tower blocks managed by the council, along with council buildings and schools across Greater Leicester.

The decision to upgrade the CCTV network, comprising more than 500 CCTV cameras, was taken as the existing equipment had reached end of life.  Leicester City Council wanted to take advantage of the significant cost savings that could be achieved through the adoption of the latest technologies.

Openview will be decommissioning the Blackbird Road control centre and installing new upgraded GDX door entry system workstations to the control room.  This will be carefully managed to ensure that all door entry systems remained operational throughout the move. OpenView will also install a new FLIR server and recorder for live monitoring, control and recording of all PTZ cameras installed in the tower blocks.

Consolidation to a single control room will deliver significant savings in terms of manpower resources, transmission charges and ongoing running costs.  The new IP-based network will enable Leicester City Council to phase out usage of its existing fibre-based backbone infrastructure over the current contract period, delivering further savings.

OpenView is also installing a new wide area IP network to work with the council’s upgraded BT data circuits.  Whilst the original requirement specified 5 Mbps free bandwidth at every camera location, OpenView recommended the use of Siklu Milliwave equipment which operates at the license exempt, interference free 60Ghz and 80GHz frequencies to guarantee the signal with high levels of bandwidth.  Cameras in remote locations, including housing offices, low rise buildings, schools and community centres, will easily connect using wireless links to the nearest tower block for the onward transmission of images.

The company was also awarded a three year maintenance contract for the Housing System covering all new and existing equipment