Power management for surveillance

CCTV Handbook 2017 Infrastructure, Surveillance, Security Services & Risk Management

Having a safe, reliable source of power is crucial for the continuous operation of any electrically powered piece of security equipment, and for the integrity of the overall installation. Given that the electricity supply incoming from Eskom is often unreliable, it is imperative that security installers make adequate provisioning against disturbances to that supply.

Broadly speaking, disturbances fall into three categories: brownouts, spikes and blackouts. Brownouts occur when the voltage of the incoming supply falls below a threshold which is adequate for a device to function correctly. The classic example of this, and one which most of us will be familiar with, is when the lights dim or flicker for a short period, and certain appliances may even switch off or reboot.

Spikes can be caused by fluctuations in the AC electricity supply, which power utilities have systems in place to guard against but sometimes slip through the net nevertheless, and by surges induced by lightning strikes, which are much harder to protect against and much more devastating in their effects. As for blackouts, suffice it to say that’s like what happens during load shedding.

Rules of thumb

While it may be out of the hands of security end-users to guarantee a reliable electricity supply, there are some key aspects that they can, and should, exercise as much control over as they reasonably can. These include the use of high-quality power supply and backup equipment, and employing trusted, reputable and professional installers and system integrators. While not set in stone, there are also some rules of thumb that can aid the decision-making process when planning and specifying equipment.

According to Pieter van Wyk, project leader at BT-SA, “You have to run the camera/system on an uninterrupted power supply (UPS), for example batteries and a solar system, or a UPS with a generator system. Each area is different so we do some research in that area to find out how long the power is typically out when they have an interruption, so for example when the average is one day we will at least triple that figure and design a system to those requirements.”

Clearline Protection Systems’ Vernon Kyzer, suggests either installing an online UPS or AVR (automatic voltage regulator). “With a UPS, one has to see what load (wattage/current) the system is pulling, then only will you be able to determine the type of UPS to use,” he elaborates. “As for a long-term outage, the more batteries you add the longer you have power. Similarly, with generators one has to see what load the system is pulling before deciding what generator to use. The longer the expected outage, the more diesel the generator must be filled with.”

Roberto Vizcarra from Eurobyte Technology says the specifying process depends on the type of electricity irregularity that must be catered for. “Short, intermittent cuts can be resolved by using a quality online UPS, or a system consisting of an inverter plus battery bank,” he explains. “These would need to be charged from the grid and could provide power for a good couple of hours depending on how much battery storage you have.

“For more intense outages, most professionals would recommend a battery bank system which would be connected to the grid, as well as alternative energy sources to assist power stability. This could include a variety of options such as generators, solar or, in less frequent cases, wind turbine technology.

Protection and maintenance

Especially for equipment that is located outside, a key consideration is the avoidance, or at least mitigation, of lightning damage. Beyond that, maintenance is essential to ensure that equipment is in optimal working order at all times, and to obtain the best working life out of it.

“You will never be able to stop the massive voltage spike of a lightning strike,” states van Wyk, “but the best you can do is to avoid installing equipment that will draw the lightning to you, for example if you plant a camera pole in an open field, opt for a wooden pole to avoid the lightning striking that pole.”

Vernon Kyzer further recommends that proper earthing is done, backed up by one of Clearline’s surge arrestors, which can furthermore be brought to the company for testing to ensure the unit is still in good working order.

Vizcarra goes so far as to say that for high incident areas such as Johannesburg, surge protection should be a standard requirement, attached to each camera and every piece of equipment. For more extreme cases, he says lightning poles mounted above cameras to divert energy away from the cameras may also be an option.

“As for maintenance, “For any enterprise or commercial systems, I would recommend procurement and risk managers insist on a SLA (service level agreement), and I encourage system integrators to insist on it.”

Van Wyk concurs on the importance of an SLA. “I would say if it is a big system, sign an SLA with the company that installed the system so they can service and test the equipment on a regular basis. For example, we recently installed a system at a mine where the environment is very harsh, so there is a maintenance team on site every day working on a strict schedule to optimise the system’s performance. I would say one has to calculate the service intervals based on the environment where the system is installed.”

For more information contact:

BT-SA: www.bt-sa.co.za

Clearline Protection Systems: www.clearline.co.za

Eurobyte Technology: www.eurobyte.co.za

Refer to Hi-Tech Security Business Directory ( www.hsbd.co.za) for further details on these companies.





Share this article:
Share via emailShare via LinkedInPrint this page



Further reading:

SMARTpod talks to The Risk Management Forum
SMART Security Solutions Editor's Choice News & Events Security Services & Risk Management Videos Training & Education
SMART Security Solutions recently released its first SMARTpod podcast, discussing the upcoming Risk Management Forum Conference 2024, which will be held on 26 September 2024 at the Indaba Conference Centre in Fourways, Johannesburg.

Read more...
There is a SaaS for everything, but at what cost, especially to SMEs?
Editor's Choice Information Security Security Services & Risk Management
Relying on SaaS platforms presents significant cybersecurity risks as the number of providers in your landscape increases, expanding your attack surface. It is important to assess the strength of the SaaS providers in your chain.

Read more...
Western Digital reveals new solutions
WD South Africa Products & Solutions News & Events Infrastructure
Western Digital unveiled new solutions and technology demonstrations at the Future of Memory and Storage Conference 2024. The innovations cater to diverse market segments, from hyperscale cloud to automotive and consumer storage.

Read more...
Innovation and security go hand in hand
Technews Publishing Facilities & Building Management Security Services & Risk Management
In a world where the demand for tech innovation is matched only by the acceleration of cybersecurity threats, businesses face the challenge of balancing new product development and robust security measures.

Read more...
Easy, secure access for student apartments
Paxton Access Control & Identity Management Surveillance
Enhancing Security and Convenience at Beau Vie II Student Accommodation, a student apartment block located at Banghoek Road, Stellenbosch, with Paxton's access control and video management solution

Read more...
The Duxbury Services Gateway revolutionises the Edge
Products & Solutions Infrastructure
Duxbury Networking has announced the launch of the Duxbury Services Gateway (DSG) range. These cost-effective edge compute appliances are designed to meet the diverse needs of South African businesses including SD-WAN, Firewall, and IP PBX applications.

Read more...
Bomb threat landscape in South Africa
Editor's Choice Security Services & Risk Management
Over the past 25 years, South Africa has faced thousands of bomb threats and explosive incidents annually, imposing a significant economic burden on the nation, costing billions of rand.

Read more...
SMART Surveillance at the Indaba
SMART Security Solutions Editor's Choice Surveillance Videos
SMART Security Solutions hosted its second SMART Surveillance conference, focusing on a range of topics related to the video surveillance market, on July 11th, 2024, at the Indaba Conference Centre in Fourways.

Read more...
Navigating the evolving tech landscape in 2024 and beyond
Residential Estate (Industry) Infrastructure
Progress in the fields of AI, VR and social media is to be expected, but what is not, is our fundamental relationship with how we deploy solutions in our business and how it integrates with greater organisational strategies and goals.

Read more...
Horn speakers from Sunell
Forbatt SA Products & Solutions Surveillance Residential Estate (Industry)
Horn speakers are an effective tool for actively deterring intruders from entering estates. By emitting loud, clear audio warnings, horn speakers can alert trespassers that they have been detected and are being monitored.

Read more...