Over the past decade most building owners and managers have been upgrading their legacy analogue cameras to higher resolution internet protocol (IP) high-definition cameras with impressive results, though one challenge persists; running new data cables for new IP cameras in elevators is expensive.
Add to this the fact that data cable is not well-suited in this high-rise application due to distance limitations and the high-voltage, high EMI environment. Future maintenance and troubleshooting are also made less efficient and more costly since servicing a switch that’s located in an elevator mechanical room often requires the presence of the elevator company, at their insistence.
When a downtown office REIT customer engaged viridian to supply and install new cameras in one of their office buildings, they encountered this challenge. We suggested changing their design to utilize an existing twisted pair (coax would have worked as well since both 2-conductor and coax are shielded) that was already available in the elevator travel cable. Travel cables often have spare wire sets to support future needs like this. This approach was made possible by adding a 1701+ Link by NVT Phybridge, eliminating the need to add a costly new data cable and the need to add a dedicated ethernet switch in the elevator machine room. The result was an approximate 80% savings on a project that was originally budgeted at $40,000 and easier, more efficient future maintenance.
If you have challenging building technology conditions related to security, building controls, network infrastructure, carbon footprint reduction or if you’re simply planning for the future and exploring what’s possible, let’s talk!
